Sadie Whiterocks, Dailymail.com
July 20, 2024 17:16, updated July 20, 2024 17:48
- YouTube star Nomadic Introvert ventures into Whittier, Alaska’s central region.
- “This town is very unique because the majority of the residents live in one building.”
- During her stay, she toured some of the buildings and visited some of the best restaurants.
The fascinating video blog takes viewers into one of the most remote towns in America, nicknamed “The City Under One Roof” because most of the residents live in one huge apartment building.
YouTube creator Nomadic Introvert ventured out to Whittier, located in the heart of the Alaskan wilderness and just over an hour’s drive from Anchorage.
At the beginning of the video tour, the adventurer gives viewers a brief overview of the place. She explains:[Whittier] It is one of the most isolated towns in the U.S. It has only one entrance and one exit, and you have to go through a tunnel.
“This town is so unique…” [because] The majority [the people] We live under one roof, under one building.
“The building has a post office, a grocery store, a tunnel connecting the schools, a laundry and of course housing. It has it all.” [so] There is literally no reason to leave the building.”
After passing through the town tunnel (which at 2.5 miles long is the longest highway tunnel in North America), Nomadic Introvert parks the car and walks inside the infamous apartment complex.
Begich Tower was originally built as a military barracks and served as a “secret” military facility for the U.S. Army during World War II, but was converted into residential space in 1974.
Before going inside the building, the content creator explains that he met a local who told him that there are currently about 120 to 150 people living in Whittier, and that “90 percent of them live in this building.”
She added that visitors will only have access to the ground floor of the 14-storey complex, while the remaining floors will only be accessible to residents.
When content creators walk inside, they’ll see signs lining the entrance with various messages and an aesthetic that reminds them of “old school,” she said.
Among the public amenities she highlights are a small post office, a “really nice” grocery store with a wide range of products, an ATM, a laundromat, toilets and a notary public.
Returning to his car, Nomadic Introvert told viewers he wanted to give them a “more detailed tour” but didn’t want to invade people’s privacy.
She explained: “The first floor is for tourists, but [residents] Daily Use [basis] And I didn’t want to invade their privacy.
“I wanted to show everyone inside the laundry room because it was really cool, but there were people doing laundry in there and I didn’t want to go in with my camera while they were folding laundry.”
‘I [also] I wanted to show you guys the inside of a grocery store — I mean, I showed you the inside, but I also wanted to show you around the corner, where the cash registers are.
“It was really cool, but there were people shopping again. And I didn’t want to invade their personal space.
“I could only imagine being a resident of this building. Tourists bring their cameras and take pictures of people shopping and other things.”
The next stop on the tour of the town sees Nomadic Introvert take viewers inside a pedestrian tunnel that runs underneath the railway line.
As the avid tourist walks down the boulevard, he says, “Okay, it’s bright… not dark.”
“This is probably one of the craziest tunnels I’ve ever walked through.”
“I hope the restaurant is open. [on the other side] After the exploration, I’m hungry and I want to go back again.”
As he exits the tunnel, Nomadic Introvert heads to a place known for its fudge, but orders a French vanilla latte instead.
She then went to the Anchor Inn restaurant and was delighted to see it was open.
After hearing it was the best place to eat in town, the YouTuber opted for the $23.95 halibut fish and chips.
She gives the seafood dishes high marks for the “tender” fish and “crispy” batter.
Her overall assessment of the restaurant is: “I liked the food and the atmosphere was nice. It was very calm, quiet and peaceful.”
‘[It had a] It feels like home and everyone knows everyone.”
Instead of checking into the Anchor Inn, Nomadic Introvert decided to sleep in his car, only to discover that it had gotten quite cold inside during the night.
The next day, before leaving the remote town, she checked out a former U.S. military building on the outskirts that had remained unfinished and abandoned.
As she drives up to the creepy building, the urban explorer says, “It’s called the Buckner Building…” [and] This is a ruin building.
“According to information on the Internet, the building was not demolished. [and] It was not used for housing because it contained a lot of asbestos.”
Summing up their visit to Whittier, the filmmaker concluded, “I hope you all enjoy this video. We had a pretty cool stealth night in one of the most isolated towns in America.”
“It was really great to see a town as unique as Whittier…” 90 percent of people live under one roof And they are making it work… I I thought that was pretty cool.
