Living in a Van in the Strange Town Living Under One Roof (Whittier, Alaska)

How's it going everybody? I'm Nikki Delventhal and these are my dogs, Rodney and Camper Delventhal. For over three years we lived in a Toyota Prius, but now we're in a 4x4 Sprinter. And we're here to take you along on the wild ride. So fasten up your seatbelts and let's have some fun. Don't forget if you like what you see, like, subscribe, comment, share with your friends and turn on notifications. We would be so thankful. I've been traveling essentially full-time for over 10 years and for six of those I was living in a vehicle zipping all over the United States. So you could say I've traveled the lower 48 many many times. But I had never been to Alaska, so last week I decided to fly in for an epic adventure. The trip has included everything from going fishing along their beautiful rivers, living along the Denali Highway and much of the north in a four-runner rooftop tent, and even as far as landing on a glacier via plane, snow angels included. And we are just getting started with our wild Alaska adventure. So yesterday I dropped off the four-runner that I rented with Alaska Overlander. You guys are the best. Thank you. Awesome rest of your stay. Thanks so much. We'll see you next time. That's a lot of stuff. And they dropped me off at River Wild where I will be taking this beautiful van for the next few days. Whoa. This is gorgeous. But this time a different type of adventure starting in the weirdest town in all of America. Yes, even weirder than last week when we went to a town where a cat is government appointed as the mayor. But first we need to get to a gym. I keep forgetting I'm in this extra long van. So I gotta like park in the back so I don't end up hitting anything. Of course we're going to put up our covers so nobody knows what type of person's in here and stuff. Fill up the fridge. Just in time for the sunset. And then took the scenic route to check out the south. Don't worry, we'll be heading all the way up to the arctic later in our Alaska adventure. Before we continue on today's adventure, and trust me you are not going to want to miss this one, I need to tell you guys about Oslo sleep. Now if you are like me you will do anything to get adequate sleep. But sometimes, and I'm sure you guys can relate to this, we can't control our environment. Whether it's city noises, a partner that snores, if you're an apartment, roommates, or upstairs or downstairs, they sound like they're playing with bowling balls at one in the morning. Clearly that hasn't happened to me. There's nothing worse than getting a bad night's sleep. But I think I found the solution for us. These are Oslo Sleep's tiny sleep buds. They are a science-driven, one-stop shop. For one, they block out sleep disrupting sounds and replace them with whatever you want to stream. My preference is the jade static noise, but there are so many different options and you can even customize it. They are super comfy. So these buds have different sizes to fit to your ear, but they also are fixed so they're not popping out. So they're great for even side sleepers like myself. And one of the best parts for traveling, they have an all night long battery, but this case comes with four extra charges for when you're traveling or car camping. A huge thank you to Oslo Sleep for sponsoring today's video. Either scan the QR code on the screen or click the link in my description for the best sleep of your life. All right, back to our adventure. Holy, it's beautiful. Oh, we got neighbors. Once those clouds burn off, we're also gonna get a view of Portage Glacier. I'm pretty sure. This is so pretty. Check it out with me. Look, you can still see the moon. Now this is how you wake up in Alaska. You guys, I've been to so many places, but Alaska is one of the most beautiful and most wild and really wonderful I've ever been. All right, it's jet boiled coffee kind of morning. If the vans are rocking, don't come knocking or come knocking because we got some coffee, baby. All right, time to get changed. I also somehow already lost one of my socks. I'm a little concerned about that, but yeah. The sun is shining. It is a beautiful day. Let's get to Whittier, Alaska. Check out these views coming in, you guys. I can't even tell you how excited I am. I've been wanting to come here for years. I have talked to a few people on the phone that live here and they are all so cool, really fascinating. Oh, the glacier. Gosh, look how beautiful. I'm freaking out. We pretty much slept at the tunnel, so let's just get up here. We'll pull over, maybe check it out before we go through. I just wanted to kind of go over a little history with you and really set you up for what to expect. Number one, we're going to a town where there's only a couple hundred people and they all essentially live in the exact same building. It's so bizarre. We're going to visit that later, but the entrance into the town is something like I've never experienced. So as we're going to pull up to this tunnel, it is a one-way tunnel. Not only that, it shuts down at night, so you can get stuck in the town. It's pretty wild, but yeah, it is super long. I forgot exactly how long, but we're about to find out again. It's two and a half miles? I knew it was pretty long. Amazing. Yeah, it's just, it's so bizarre. Let's take this journey together and experience it, and I'll give you a little history about everything as we go along. All right, one-way tunnel. You guys, this is so cool. Why am I so excited? Here we go. Wow. So the town of Whittier has served for centuries as a passageway between the Prince William Sound and the Turnagain Arm, but it was largely unsettled, and in 1914, I think it was the Alaskan Engineering Expedition, they envisioned a tunnel to this largely unsettled area, but I actually believe it was the U.S. Army that made Whittier what and where it is today. Also, you guys know I love a good fun fact. This is the longest highway tunnel in North America. This is so crazy. If you're someone who's even claustrophobic or afraid of small spaces or caves, this might not be for you, but for me, this is really fascinating. There's a light at the end of the tunnel. Oh wow, it's really windy on this side. Wild experience. Totally enjoyed that. Now let's get in the town. Welcome to the wild and windy Whittier, Alaska. Let's go. We're gonna experience Whittier for the first time together, you guys. You're gonna see it through my eyes. So we have a campground over here, which would actually be pretty convenient for the Portage Pass trailhead. This is supposed to be a really beautiful hike. As we come in, you can see the sound. There's boats set up. The drive-in here is incredible. All right, I vote a loop around town before we decide what to do. So Whittier's pretty small here, so we're going here along the harbor. There's going to be shops and stuff like that. Coming up here is going to be where everyone lives, maybe a little shop or two, a lot of historical markers, but a campground. So we're going to check that out and see if we could sleep there too. Oh yeah, so that is something you guys are going to want to note if you come here. So September 15th, Alaska basically closes down for the season. A lot of charters stopped running, kayaks, jet skis, stuff like that. So something that's really fun to do from this area is just that, to glaciers and waterfalls and go around the harbor. It's pretty incredible. I did contact someone to see if we could do that privately, so tomorrow morning we might have some luck. But in the meantime, let's keep checking out the area here. I mean, it's just so beautiful even being in the town. Here we've got a little gift shop, got a cafe, jet ski tours that are not open. We are 100% coming back here to jet ski out to glaciers and waterfalls. That sounds epic. That over there is the building that everyone lives in. All right, we've got beer, wine, and spirits, coast guard, another cafe, sea kayaking, which would be tough on a windy day like today. I got to tell you, this is weird. I feel like I'm in almost like a ghost town. I've only seen four people in about 15 minutes of just slow rolling. Oh, nice. Over here is parking, but it's also a campground, so we could actually camp in here tonight if we want to, which I think is going to be the ticket, so we can really experience this place. Basketball courts, but who will play with us? Whittier Army Port Historical District. This is the hotel for tourists that want to come, the Anchor Inn, fully equipped with a laundromat. We might need that. Wow, you guys, as we drive around here, there's really not much going on. No one is here. A lot of the buildings seemed kind of vacant, but I don't think they are. I think it's just people working and, oh, this is a vacant building. Now, this building looks like it has a ton of history. We are going to come back and explore this one for sure. I'm wildly curious about this, so I'm sure you guys are, but the main industry here, other than fish processing and tourism, which is going to be a given in a place like this, but I looked it up and they said 28 people in construction, 28 people in real estate, 24 people in hunting, fishing, agriculture. It's just so wild to think about, right? Imagine putting yourself into a small community like this of a couple hundred people. You know everyone. You know what everyone does. You know where to go. Wow, it's probably a really beautiful thing. I feel like that's also kind of a huge blessing. All right, so we have cooling containers, probably for fish processing, right? We're going to take it on down to the end here before we turn around and start our tour. I'm not really sure if we're allowed in here. Definitely not there. That's restricted. Wow, what a beautiful view. Oh, we got some guys scuba diving over here. That's pretty cool. Okay, I feel really good about this. We have a lay of the land, so now I think I got a good plan here. Let's start at the cafe, see if there's anywhere we can get good breakfast, if not there. Talk to the people that work there and get kind of some suggestions and just a feel of what Whittier is all about. You know, there's the touristy side of like the jet skiing and all that, but then there's like the heart of the town and I really think that's the locals. So we're going to stay here overnight, but we're going to try to meet as many people as possible and hopefully they're down to be on camera. It'll be, it's going to be wonderful. But that building, that's what I'm most excited about. That's going to be the grand finale for sure. Okay, let's get to the cafe. Wildcatch Cafe. Let's see what they have to offer. Here we go. Richard and Yvonne and some of the kitchen staff have agreed to let us interview them and just ask them what it's like to live here to start, but also what we have to get to eat, of course. Before we interview, what's the best thing to get to eat here in Houston? Hollywood fish and chips, 100%. Number one on Google reviews and also in this town. No way. Yeah. So we're going to try that, but can, can we ask you a few questions? Yeah. Richard, thank you so much. So you have been living here for two seasons. Yeah. What is it like living here? It's amazing. It's a very isolated spot and you know, you can do barely a lot of stuff here, like going on a trail, go on jet skis, kayaks, and maybe parties. We have a lot of parties over there. So, yeah. Oh, you guys have like local parties. Yeah. Do you have one tonight that we could join? Yeah. Wait, really? Yeah. It's at the head of the bay. She said we can bring all the friends we want, but you're here, you're a friend now, so yeah. Oh my God. Thank you. Richard, where do you live? I live in that building over there. So that's the building everyone lives in, basically three buildings glued together. And 95% of the population lives there. What brought you to Whittier? Last season, I'm computer science university. So I joined the program, work and travel. And the first one who accepted me, I just went like for it. So I came here and I fell in love with this place because it's, it's pretty amazing. So yeah, I just, I came, I just came here. That is so cool. Do you know anyone who is like, was born and raised here? Probably the Samoans. They came here a long, long time ago and they were born, raised here, everything. They know everything about this place. If you go over there in the BTI, we have actually a grocery store and it's the Samoan woman right there. And she knows everything, like the culture, everything. She can tell you everything. Oh, we'll go in there. I'm so excited. We're going to put these fish and chips to the test, but we're going to get some warm indoor seating. Did you guys get the fish and chips too? Yeah, we did. How is it? It's so good. I'm so excited to try it. Where are you guys traveling from? Oh, Denver. Denver. Denver? Shut up. My whole family just moved to the Denver area. Really? Yeah. I'm super excited about it. You guys, if you come here, make sure you give Richard a big hug. Make it weird. So while I'm waiting for food here, we're having a little, a bet here. How many Colorados can fit in Alaska? I guessed eight, but now I'm feeling like 10. I'm going to say 12. 12? Three. Three? No, I think it's, I think Alaska is bigger. It's about 6.6, so you were that far off. All right, but we all went over, so according to most game show rules, we all lost. Well, you said three? You're a winner. Cheers. If you guys come here, you have to get fish and chips. That is amazing. Got some fresh salmon for later so we don't have to cook because I hate cooking. Yvonne, Richard, you guys are the best. Thank you so much. Thank you. Holy moly, you guys. That was the best fish and chips I've had in my entire life. I'm feeling really lucky. What do you guys say we head over to that grocery store, see if we can find that woman he was talking about that's lived here her whole life, who has some really great stories, and go from there. I believe the grocery store is right down here. We passed it earlier doing that quick loop around the town, so now I feel like I know where everything is. This is great. I think this is the grocery store. All right, let's see if she's here. Front row parking. Is this the grocery store? Is it open? I'm not really sure what to expect and if this is even correct, but let's try it. Hi there. Appreciate you. Thank you. All right, we're getting somewhere. Let's get in the van where it's not super windy so we can talk about this. It's so windy. Okay, so totally respect. Gene did not want to be on camera, which I think is totally cool, but we had the most wonderful conversation. She's been living here for 28 years, just generation after generation after generation, and she was just saying how she loves it so much because you have mountains, you have water, you have glaciers, and it's just so peaceful. I can definitely relate to that. She also gave me two people's phone numbers that we can call who have lived here their whole lives. We're bartenders here that might have a lot of fun and might want to chat with us. So yeah, we got the digits. While we wait for them to call us back, it is a beautiful day, so I do think we should take advantage of the weather and enjoying the outdoor time. So my idea is find a mediocre hike in the area, but also check out some of the markers on the way while we wait for calls back and for a tour of the building that the entire town lives in. Actually, you know what? Speaking of historical buildings, why don't we just do the walking tour and learn about everything? The day just keeps getting better and better, so small change of plans. Jesse just called, and apparently tonight is the largest party and whittier of the year. The entire town is showing up. It is some type of wedding celebration, pre or post. The girl Stephanie, he talked to her and asked if we could be invited. The conditions are we have to bring some type of mixers and any beverages if we would like to drink, so we have stuff for ourself. But you guys, it does not get more local than this. The whole town is going to be there. The best Alaskan band apparently is going to be there. I am so excited, but this does change the plans through Whittier. There's a campground over there, and it's obviously going to fill up pretty quickly, so we're going to try to get there kind of early so we can set up a place and not have to leave tonight, and then we'll do more exploring of the town tomorrow and still working on a private tour of the building that most of the people live in, so this is going to be so good. So step one, let's get some of those beverages from Gene. They didn't have any of the really big ones, so we just got a mix of some small stuff, and then hopefully the liquor store is going to be open so we can grab them like wine or beer or something. Such a heavy door. Step two, liquor, but first let's do a quick historical tour. So my goal for the walking tour today is just to learn about Whittier's significance in the Cold War, as they were really a major port for that. So apparently there's a few buildings that have been here for over six decades, so we're going to start down here and work our way up to this bunker over here, which apparently gets really dangerous, so I will teach you guys about that once we get up there. People try to break in all the time and apparently get super sick because it is just... we'll get into it in a minute. All right, crossing the road here. Hey Junior. Hi Nikki. How's it going? Great. Junior was just working here and I figured you guys would want to meet him. He's so cool. He's been living here for a while. What, you came 20 years ago and never left? Never left. I can see why you never left. It is so beautiful here. Yeah, Whittier is great. It's a great place to raise family and I'm from a small island and a small village, so I totally relate to this. Everybody knows everybody. Where did you come from? Samoa. Wow, did you know anyone here when you moved here? No. How is it? This place right here, right across the bus, it was a cannery and that's how I moved up here, working for these guys and then I just never, I didn't want to leave after the season. I was like, I don't want to go back to that life. I want to change my life and yeah, stuck around and 20 years later. So I'm the postman for the town in the morning and then I'm a seasonal hire for these guys, the city of Whittier from 1 to 9 p.m. Wow. So yeah. That is so cool. So I go to Birdwood and grab the mail and bring it over and then I get off from the post office. Amazing. That is so cool and you live in the building too? I live in the building. That's got to be really cool. What is it like living there? You're waking up and I feel like your whole community is just right there saying hi. Yeah, everybody sees everybody in the elevator on the first floor. That is so cool. There's no traffic. The traffic is when you go home and the kids just try to get in from school. That's our traffic. It's so funny waiting for the elevator. That is epic. Yeah. Well Junior, it was so nice to meet you. Nice meeting you, Nikki. Thanks for saying that. Enjoy your day. You too. Okay, let's get down here. Apparently the first historical marker is right on that building. This building right here was the cold storage facility. So this is the shipping, the receiving of all the stuff that's coming in and out from the ocean on ships. And so now today this structure serves as the Great Pacific Seafoods Processing Plant for all the local fisheries. All right, let's keep going down here. So this building here, this was the command center for the Whittier Army Port during the Cold War. I think we should go into the museum. Wow, what a blast from the past. You can learn so much in here. I'm tempted not to give you guys all the history because I want you to be curious and to want to come here on your own. But it's so hard not to. There is nothing that beats small towns like this. The people and the history, I feel like that is what it's about. Oh, actually, this is going to be very important in just a minute, but I want you guys to really see this and this and to just remember this, and you'll see why in just a sec. Now let's get over to the Buckner Building. I think I'm most excited for this one. It's a beautiful day out, so we're just going to walk up the hill to the building. Also, that's how we meet people, so you never know who's going to be there along the way. Everything in me wants to do a hike today because the outdoor scenery here is just amazing. There are waterfalls, mountains, glaciers, cliffsides just everywhere, but this is fascinating me a little bit more. But if you are in town, there are some epic hikes like Portage Pass, Horsetail Falls, all incredible. I think I'm going to stay a few extra days and see if I can get a gap in the weather to do those too. But for now, urban hiking to dope historical marks. Here we have the Buckner Building. Now this is an abandoned U.S. military building. So the Buckner Building was destined to become the biggest building in Alaska. It was designed to hold over a thousand troops. In addition to providing barracks for a thousand officers and enlisted personnel, it also had all the amenities of a home. The giant structure had a hospital, seat theater, four-lane bowling alley, a jail, bakery, church, barbershop, library, tv station, rifle range, kitchens, you name it, it was in there. And also it was built so it could withstand earthquakes. I think there was like a 9.4 at one point, but now it is abandoned. Do I want to explore this more than anything? Especially with the ghost hunting I've been doing lately. But according to the locals, you do not want to go in there. For one, there's no trespassing, so that's not really our jam. But apparently people get in there all the time. But one of the reasons we don't want to go in there is because it is a highly toxic area. The locals were telling me there's asbestos, heavy metals, all these things. You can just get really sick. Building is wild. I didn't even realize it was all the way over here too. It's huge. I believe it's over 270,000 square feet. Oh wow. We haven't even touched on the town, you guys. We're just getting started. And we've got a party to go to tonight and a camp spot to secure and some liquor to secure as a request of the bride. Also a little fun fact, it's always been my weird bucket list activity to kind of like crash a wedding. But not crash it, but just be invited to a wedding activity that wasn't my own or any of my friends. So I'm like inside, I am screaming with excitement. All right. Party prep time, guys. Oh my gosh. I just realized, I don't think I have any outfits for this. I'm going to have to ask them what dress attire is. Hopefully it's Alaska attire, which I've noticed is just a lot of sweatpants and jeans. All right. First stop, liquor store, which I heard is three times the price of normal. Because if you can't tell like their grocery store, they only have like small value stuff. So we'll see what we can find. Wacha ends up being like the biggest liquor store in the world. To the harbor store we go. I'm actually excited to see what the harbor store is since this is the only other store I think to get stuff. Oh, thank you. There you go. So RC has a surprise for us. I don't know what to expect, but I was told that we have to like, we have to wait because it's worth it. You got me. This time I'm not going to be, I'm still scared. I'm still scared. Thank you. See you later. Tell them to go get a quarter. I will. He wanted me to tell you to go get a quarter in there. You'll see. Don't worry. Camper and Rodney are great right now. They're hanging out with their friends. They're having so much fun. Now we are going over to find our camp spot, which is conveniently right next to the party. Assuming that there are spots available. I'm not really sure what to expect yet. Quick stop at the harbor office to pay for that camp spot. I'm not sure if this is right, but I hope so. Hi there. Do I come here to pay for a camp spot over at the bay? Yeah. I'd like to stay there tonight, please. Rusty, thank you. You're the best. I will. Thanks, Rusty. All right. We're set for the night. Rusty, who checked me out for the camp spot, just reminded me this is the only sunny day they've had in weeks and it's going to start raining again tomorrow. So we're going to walk back slowly along the harbor because it is just gorgeous. This is such an amazing place. Whittier has climbed itself up on one of my top lists. Let's walk down one of these. The water is so clear. Oh my gosh. End of the dock. Oh, wow. We're going to be camping kind of right on the bay. So we'll have this view all night and tomorrow morning, hopefully the rain will hold off for us. Wow. This drive would never get old. The tunnel's over there, but the campground with the bay is over here. All right. This is where we're living tonight. Is that my car or is it the generator? But check out this view. Now that is worth some generator noise. Am I right? Luckily, I'm one of those people that likes to sleep with a fan on or things like that and have a little noise. So I feel like white noise, right? Silver lining, brighter side of it. Also, I'm so excited for the party tonight. We have about an hour, so I'm going to like... I'm someone who needs to recharge their social battery by being alone, and we've had a lot of social time today, so I feel like I'm just going to sit in silence for the next hour until it's time to go have fun. I know. Someone outgoing like me, it's very weird to think that I'm an introvert, but yeah, extremely. Extremely, actually. Okay, we're going to make this alone time cozy here. Oh, yeah. Heat is on. Now we're going to make some food. So I had some fresh salmon made earlier, so I had some fish. I think we're going to put this on salad. One thing on the topic of food and food odors, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that Alaska has the highest concentration of grizzly bears in the United States. There are a lot of bears around here, and I was told by some of the locals that in this area, it's actually becoming a little bit of a problem. Not that the bears are a problem, but what's happening is that their habits are changing. They're coming into town more. They're not afraid of humans, and if you know anything about how nature works, that is not good. So when it comes to odors and stuff like that, we're going to try to keep it down as much as possible. We're not going to be outside dropping food. We're not going to be spilling out our water, our gray stuff. It's just being really mindful of that, because we want to make it as easy as possible on the bears and not keep attracting them here. That can lead to their death. That can lead to other people getting hurt. It just gets really dangerous. But anyways, I'm starting to go down my leave no trace ethics and outdoor rant. Not going to go on the rant. Just something that's really interesting, especially when you're in areas with bears, is just that there are a lot of rules that you have to follow in order to keep yourself and bears safe. And here, there's a very high concentration of them, and so we are being as safe as possible. This is where I tend to lose a lot of people. Final result. Oh yeah. That's a good dinner. It's time. All right. I'm going to put on our party hat. Got our gloves to stay warm. Don't know where the other one is. What else is new? Wait, seriously? Oh, here. Got it. How convenient I can walk over from my vehicle home. Don't need a designated driver. I actually don't really drink, but I think tonight we might dabble with some of our new friends. Stephanie, congratulations. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Yeah, yeah. I didn't call him this, but when I was bartending, I told someone they were coming to play here. Someone said, that's the Rolling Stones of Alaska. So the Rolling Stones of Alaska. Blackwater Railroad, baby. Rolling Stones of Alaska. That was one of the coolest nights of my life. I think there's a reason that people come here and never leave, because there's a very good chance I could end up being one of those, but I have dogs and a boyfriend. But if I didn't, it's questionable. I love these people. I slept so bad. Was it worth it? Maybe. No, not yet. Eventually. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. I gotta get the lights. There we go. You guys, I got all the tea last night from the locals on this place, and there's some stuff we got to check out. It's a rainy day in Alaska, but our neighbors with the generator are gone. I haven't looked in the mirror yet this morning, but honestly, I'm feeling like this is, this is it. Let's go get coffee. Crocs in the rain with your socks looking at rocks. Yvonne, good morning. What's up? How'd you enjoy the party last night? That was fun. We were dancing. I was trying to get you to dance. Can I get a half decaf, half regular latte? Breakfast of champions. I have three things I want to do. First up, we are headed right there. Let's hurry up. Okay, we are starting with something in Whittier that I just think is really cool, and just looks really weird. Down here, we have a pedestrian tunnel to the waterfront. Now, I just think this is something that's really cool to show you guys because visually, it's kind of insane. We're just going into this tunnel way, and you just feel like you're in the twilight zone. I feel like I'm in a movie. It's like from another world. It's just like, this is wild. I love it. A tunnel to another world. Hello. Let's see what's on the other side. We're going to run. We're running. Where did we end up? Look at that. The coffee place is right over here. How convenient. All right, let's get back. Make it quick. One, two, three. All right, we're about to go in there. Before we go inside, a little history on the place. In 1973, the town of Whittier and its residents voted in favor of purchasing the military facilities in the area, and that includes these towers. I would say there's about 200 residents here. Although most people won't tell you this, there is an apartment little complex over there that has a handful of people, but essentially the entire population is underneath this roof. The door is already open. Thank you. Honestly, walking in here right now, it feels like I'm in a school zone. Cozy corner store. Let's see what's going on in here. You guys, I want you to meet my new friends here. This is Mili and Becca. I was in California for 15 years. I lived there with my older kids. They were all born there in California. Moved back to the island. I came back over here, and I love it. It's a very beautiful and unique community. Very small, especially the resident people living here. They're all watching each other. There are some ups and downs, but at the end, we all come together and solve the problem. Before we continue on our tour, we're going to meet up with Jesse. He's a local here, and honestly, I feel like that's the best way to really get to know this place, but also see some places that we maybe might not have access to. Jesse, everybody. You guys, by the way, before we start having some fun, Jesse here is a filmmaker, a very talented filmmaker. He's been living here for a few years, really getting to know the community. I thought no one better than Jesse, since he really has deep dove into everyone's personalities and the essence of Whittier. I'm really excited. You guys ready? We're going to tour this joint. I'm really excited. After you, Jesse. We are on the first floor currently. As you walk through the first floor, I think for visitors too, they have all of this historical information on the walls. Really fun to look at, but we are here to see what life is like for you guys. Other side of floor one, we have? There's a laundromat here. There's a little store down at the end. There's a post office. There used to be the police station in this building as well, and the city offices, which is my apartment, was actually the city offices. They built a city building, that weird slanted building over there. I don't know how long ago, maybe 10 years, and then maybe 15, but that's where the police station is now. It used to be right here? It used to be here. They used to call this building the city of Whittier, but it's changed a little bit. All right, down to the basement, you guys. My whole life is a playground. Come on now. What's over here? Storage units? That's how it is down here. It's mostly storage units for the homeowners, but also we have our church here. Wow. There's two churches. One is in Samoan because we have a big Samoan population. Yeah, that's the tunnel right there. It goes to the school so the kids don't have to go outside in the winter because of the harsh weather. The school is in a separate building? The school is in a separate building. It's run by the states across the street. That tunnel, actually Whittier was covered with tunnels between all the buildings and it was a military. Most of them are closed off now. I don't know if this is a military tunnel, but it goes underneath the street to the basement of the school. Very cool. Number one for the ice and snow and wind, and then also sometimes for the bears because we get a lot of bears here. I heard about that. There's about 200 apartments in the building. 200 apartments? Yeah. Back at the post office. We don't have physical addresses in Whittier, so if you live here full-time you get a free post office box. Nice. Because there's no address. It's technically 100 Kenai Street, but you can't get mail delivered to that, so it's got to be a PO box. Wow, that's really interesting. So we're making a stop on the 11th floor. Essentially 3 through 11 are pretty much exactly the same, but the doors are different colors. Amazing. So these are the apartments or the homeowners area. It's a mix of homeowners and rentals, and it's pretty much all the same. Like I said, the doors are different colors, but other than that, there's no windows, which is kind of institutional vibe. The whole thing is an institutional vibe, but it kind of lends to people not being able to take themselves too seriously when everyone kind of has the same apartment. What's on 12 and 13? There's no 13th floor. Oh, there's no 13th floor. It's bedrock. Shut up. Yeah, most buildings don't have a 13th floor. I've never thought about that. I never knew that. Yeah. That is so cool. I've never noticed that in buildings. Is that always? Yeah. I've never noticed that. Yeah. Stop. Get out of town. Wait, okay, so we were just on 11. We're on 13. What's on 12? This is the 13th. No, there's no 13th. There's no 13th. Wait, what's on 12? We skipped 12. We're getting a quick look into one of the apartments up here. They are beautiful. Look at this view. Imagine this view yesterday. Yeah, on a clear day, you really can see a lot. Cute little kitchen. They have the main area. Those pink tiles are really classic army leftovers, so a lot of the apartments still have the army pink tiles in the bathroom. They're apparently very hard to get out, and so. So they just kept them. I think most of them, I like the pink. Jesse, you are the best. Thank you so much. Hang on, I gotta put this down. We're going in for the hug. Thank you. Good luck on the rest of your trip. Thank you. Enjoy your last camp. We will. You're the best. See ya. Wow, you guys. What a wild ride. I absolutely love Whittier. I'm obsessed with it. I cannot wait to come back in better weather and maybe even in the winter, but for now, I heard that they have coin showers over at the Harbor Store, so that's what we're doing before we continue our Alaskan adventure. Love you all. Don't forget to like and subscribe. See you next Friday.