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Oh my Peter, we have been walking around all day shaking our heads about this movie you made. I did wonder after a bit why you kept the camera rolling and asking so many questions! We thought your neighbors back home in Vermont would get really tired of this “ home movie.” You are such a dear heart, please come back to Whittier and visit us! I did not know you taped my prayer for you. It seems like it touched a lot of hearts. May the Lord bless and keep you.Jeanette and Joe

"I hope I find someone nice to show me around" *finds the nicest woman in Alaska*

“It takes a day to get married but it takes the rest of your life to stay married”. Wow. Very well said. So simple but it leaves such a deep meaning about a couple’s commitment to each other.

this lady just cured my depression

When she said “it takes one day to get married, it takes the rest of your life to stay married” I felt that.

Is anyone else amazed by the trust and love that these people have in this community?? This guy shows up completely out of no where and they are leading him through the halls, introducing him to loved ones, letting him in their homes!! So trusting and so pure

I lived in Anchorage for a few years. It forced you to be aware of your surroundings and to be mindful every time you opened your door to step outside. Could be a moose munching your flowers or a bear taking a tour. People living in Alaska realize how important community is and how interconnected we are. If you see a car stuck in the snow, you stop and help. It could be the difference between life and death. Having lived mainly in big cities, it forced me to think about things in a totally different way. I loved it!

I went to Whittier as part of a tour with my Mum in July 1997. It was a Canada Alaska tour. We had an absolute blast. Every single stop was fascinating and we learned so much as well as had fun. Truly memory of a lifetime. At the end of our trip on our 13hr flight home we were quietly reminiscing and both mentioned that, out of all the places we’d been over the 6 weeks, we both really loved Whittier. We had covered so much territory but both loved Whittier and swore we’d return one day. My Mum died unexpectedly in January 1999. I saved up and took myself on exactly the same tour as I’d been on again in 2012. It was as though she was beside me the whole way, but was most obvious was in Whittier. Particularly travelling through the tunnel. I caught a whiff of her perfume. Probably psychosomatic but who knows… maybe she was on that second trip with me ❤

Jeannette and Joe are the two friends none of us knew we wanted. Whittier is lucky to have them.

I spent the summer of 2008 hitchhiking with a backpack across Alaska. Camped along highways, national parks, urban areas, and occasionally staying with good people met by chance or on the road. I found myself in Whittier for a few days, near the end of my trip. I was cold and tired, my boots and gear soaked with rain from the day prior. I was not looking forward to setting up my tent in the forest just above the building in this video. A local near the harbor mentioned a large bear was seen in the immediate area I had planned to camp, which made sleeping in a wet sleeping bag below a glacier even more severe. I needed a dry place to think of an alternative plan and possibly hang dry my sleeping bag. This building was one of the few places in town to go and get out of the drizzling rain. I sat down in the front foyer where all the historical photos are (the chairs are now removed in this video). I was physically exhausted. I met a woman who invited me down a hallway to the sailor’s meeting/support room and offered me a plate of food. She was kind. Asked me about myself and soon thereafter she had coordinated with someone else in the building to find a place I could sleep for the night. A bunk bed in a small room filled with non-perishable food (I think the church used it to store food bank donations). They would not accept any payment or reciprocal exchange. I’d long forgotten her name and specific appearance, but Jeanette’s prayer with you at the end of this video pretty much confirms she was the kind person whom I met years ago. Remarkable to see this living memory virtually unchanged in 2022, and be reminded of that act of kindness all this time later. Thank you for this video Peter, and thank you Jeanette for helping a weary young traveller from Canada!

Wow! How interesting that was! The dear lady praying for you! The lady who owned the store was rightly proud of her accomplishment, the mission for the sailors! I bet those people work REALLY hard and probably away from their families for a long time too. Thank you!

I am from Scotland and I want to thank you and the residents of Whittier for inviting us in to your homes and hearts. You are all amazing people to create a community that cares about each other so much. Bless you Jeanette & Joe ❤

When the husband says “I’m sorry, please forgive me, and thank you, I love you” that’s a reference to a Hawaiian proverb called ho’opono’pono. You can tell Hawaii means a lot to these two, their home is decorated just like it and the spirituality of Hawaii lives in them.

After 50 years they are still happy and joking around, so heartwarming to watch these two

Joe and Jeanette are just delightful people. Jeanette's prayer at the end was beautiful. This style of living honestly appeals a great deal to me.

What a unique scene. As Peter said, "somewhat isolated from so much of the world, but at the same time so connected under one roof." Beautiful people.

Her little prayer for Peter was one of the most moving and meaningful prayers I have heard in my 75 years on this planet and she is not even “a preacher.” Awesome, awesome, awesome lady. No “victimhood” here. A blessing.

Jeanette and Joe are adorable! Married for over 50 years is such an achievement and he still makes her laugh. They appear so genuine and happy together 🥰

3 minutes into the video and I think these are the nicest people in the world.

I was so touched by Janette's prayer for you Peter Santenello (near the end). That was a beautiful prayer!!! And indeed, what an amazing community/city they have created and spiritual support for the workers on the ship. Really wonderful, thank you for going there and recording it.

I'm from India and I have to say Jeanette is such a wonderful warm lady, that no matter how cold or isolated a place can be, amazing people like her can still make it feel welcoming and warm.

Extraordinary. I don't care where you live - what makes it worth living is having community.

Grew up in Anchorage, uncle used to work for the railroad and we would go to Whittier every now and then but as a kid you don’t pay much attention to your surroundings so to me that building always looked like an abandoned building, it’s so nice to see Alaskan people being shown for what they are, truly amazing and kind people. Thank you Peter

I'm not quite sure why but the ladies prayer for you touched me, how thoughtful and kind. It warms my heart knowing that their is still some good people in this world after we are shadowed with soon and gloom most of the time... Vancouver Island British Columbia

Joe and Jeanette were so welcoming and hospitable and funny! Jeanette’s voice was so soothing to listen to and her prayer seemed so heartfelt and kind! It’s a homey feeling to watch this! Thank you for sharing Whittier with us!

I love how she prayed for him, like it was the most natural thing in the world. What a precious thing.

Idk why but as a Mexican I was shook hearing Spanish around the 18:20 mark. Never would expect what sounded like a Mexican couple speaking to each other to be so far into the cold.

You two are absolutely the most beautiful, loving, sweetest couple I have come across so far in my life. You both have aged like a bottle of fine wine and obviously only get better with time.I was so touched by a few of the things you said were the secret to a 50 year marriage that I just had to share with my close friends and family. It takes just one day to get married but a lifetime to stay married. In a healthy marriage you can't have contempt or criticism. The most important phrase to remember is "I'm sorry, please forgive me, I love you." because it works on most all things. The prayer at the end was so beautiful and thoughtful and so meaningful. You spoke from the heart and it was so sincere. Thank you so very much for sharing you life with us all. what a cool place to live being so isolated from the world. That's defiantly a place I could thrive in. lol

Jeanette and her husband have such a great energy and humor! I haven't enjoyed two seniors chatting in a long time! Loves it.

You can always tell the true character of people by the way they talk about people who are different than them. They had nothing but positive things to say about the Samoan people. So wholesome 😊

I loved Jeanette’s prayer at the end. And I come into a agreement with her. God bless you and your work Peter.

Pete....you are my new favorite channel on UKposts. No cap bro. I've traveled a lot for work and life over the last 48 years & the kindness of strangers is humbling. It's also a reminder that there are still normal hard working people in the world.

I don't know why someone hasn't realized to potential of turning many of the abandoned malls in America into self contained villages or towns. Like this example, it's the ideal use of an existing facility.

Lived there from early 1957 to either late '58 or early '59. I was 12 years old and didn't speak a word of English. No bull. Learned real quick! It was probably the most fascinating place for me in my whole life. People were wonderful, nature was super and somehow we kids could wander around and do whatever and nobody worried about us. Couple of things about the building in the video. It was NOT where officers lived. It was like on any army base: the livinq quarters for officers and non-commissioned officers and their families. I don't think unmarried officers lived here. I think they lived where ALL non-married soldiers lived; the other big building. I can never remember which building was called the Hodge or the Buckner Building. The jail was not in this building. It was in the now abandoned building. Maybe later they put a tiny jail in this building since the other one was I assume destroyed due to earthquake damage. The "other" building was also where all real social activities etc took place. There was a small PX (with lots of fishing gear) a small commissary, a library, a movie theater, a jail, a bowling alley, a craft and hobby shop, and obviously a snack bar. The soldiers lived there also. I was never in the soldier section but spent a lot of time in the other sites mentioned. Some people did live behind the 15 story Buckne building in small trailers etc. That had to have been very rough. I sometimes walked there late at night. These were mostly contract employees and their families. We did not live in the high rise right away but lived in Whittier Arms a apartment complex near the docks which is now a condo. Also I just now remembered that we moved from Whittier Arms to a small free standing unit for a short period of time next to the church which was to the right of the high rise, close to the glacier stream nearby. I used to dam parts of that stream up a little bit in the summer time. It did not have a salmon run, but the were caught in two coves nearby with the rather original names of "The First Salmon Run" and "The Second Salmon Run." At the latter I used to wade into the stream and catch them by hand, but always let them go. Some I helped get past the shallows which were only a couple of inches deep. Back then there were 3 ways of getting in and out of town. By train, we did that twice I think, by boat and by helicopter. Never took a boat or helicopter out of there. Did do a lot of fishing. There were tugboats which took the families out on Saturdays to see the sights and do a bit of fishing. Also a WWII landing craft. Like I said it was a great place for kids. There was also a Quanset hut nearby for social activities... The boy scouts met there. I became a member. So why was there a Port of Whittier as it was called back then. The explanation given to me by my stepfather was that Whittier was conduit for supplying Elmendorf Air Force base with airplane fuel... Why Whittier? It had a good protected, deep harbor and that was ALWAYS ICE FREE. So the tankers came in. It was also I was told a hard place to bomb being so closely surrounged by mountainrs. The fuel - Unloaded and off it went by rail to the Elmendorf Air Base. One has to remember this was truly during the very cold Cold War. World War II had been won, Korea had been fought to a draw and the world looked very very dangerous after that. The Peace that had been assumed that would happen after the World War was considered to be illusionary at best. And the easiest way to hit the USA was considered to be from way up North, so a lot of money was spent in defending from attacks up there. In this video, the lady I think near the end shows a old picture, points and says: "this is where the tour boats dock." Long ago and in the picture you can see a Wigwam Burner there, it was still functional at the time and that means there was still commercial logging going on back in the 50's. Well it is late in Bangkok on a nice warm night... Think I'll call it quits. Thinking of going up there in the summer of '23, but I think my memories are better than the reality. Oh, one more building... Looking out from the high rise there is a squat 2 story concrete structure without windows. Looks like a square box. It was the gym. And a gym it was; with every possible contraption that any superb gym could have. At that time school still had Physical Training and it was held there. Cheers... Al

Out of all the other couples that live in this building, he goes on to meet exactly the sweetest one...

I am SO obsessed with your videos! Thank you for going to places that we would never go or even think to go. I have learned more from you then I have from history books. Keep doing what you’re doing!! 😊

Crazy! My father is from Whittier. My grandmother lost 3 children during a tsunami. He would tell us that you could not drive there and there was only one way in and out. And of course he had to walk up hill in the snow both ways to school! After seeing this , I now believe him 😆

Loved the scene in the store with a Polish, Samoan and Ukrainian person all joking and getting along. The way the world should be

I loved watching this. What a sweet and absolutely lovely people Jeanette and Joe are! So welcoming and friendly. I hope you get a chance to return and visit with them again.

My friend Dustin Porter from Destination Adventure was in Whittier about the same time as you filmed this. He used to work on the cruise ships, and then started his YT channel, and now his adventures take him all over BC, and parts of the USA. You went more in-depth into the Apartment building than he did, what a beautiful community.

I figured it out after watching Peter's videos. The people that we meet through Peters POV are down to earth, always wanting to share their life, and downright good people, and the reason they do comes down to Peter just being a good honest person with a genuine interest in sharing the worlds people with us no matter who they are. Good People attract Good People.

My son lived in Whittier for several years, worked for the seafood company and ran a caviar crew. He loved it there, but it was tough to make a living all year long. As many times as he tried to describe the building and the tunnel and the lifestyle there, I couldn't really imagine it. Thank you so much for this video!!! My husband even has a hoodie that our son sent that says POW on the front and Prisoner of Whittier on the back, lol!

Peter, I loved this video. What I loved most was the prayer this sweet lady prayed for you❤

Oh what joyful, delightful people. I bet it's a very happy place to live. Thanks for going there and sharing this ❣️

My uncle from The Philippines worked here before. He too came to AK with nothing, but the Filipino & Samoan community embraced him with open arms. I have nothing but respect to my Samoan brothers and sisters.

When i studied Master in Architecture I actually did a planned community like this where everything is in a mega block building for rural communities, including a geothermal plant, water treatment plant/well, and a aquaponic farm. The critic didn't go very well, people called my project Judge Dredd Tower. LOL i always believed it could work with people with a sense of community. i am very glad i found this documentary! it feel like part of my idea is validated and alive out there!

Very positive energy and heartwarming... it feels like in Alaska people generally are friendly and nice

This has to be one of my favourite videos I've seen you do, Jeanette is awesome and her husband is hilarious!!

“It’s not real life it’s Whittier, if you can’t fix it you have to accept it” this man is a real one

My wife, her son and myself had the unique experience of staying in Whittier, in that building some years back. She was a nurse practitioner for Eastern Aleutian Tribes at the time and was assigned there temporarily to fill in for a vacation. We were fortunate enough to get on the last glacier tour of the season. While on the tour we were eating our meal and one of the bartenders came over and asked if Bryce, my wifes son, who has Downs Syndrome, would like to meet the captain. He was quite happy and enjoyed it greatly. I really liked your video.

Been captivated by this channel lately. Incredible work Peter. Truly gifted and able to meet such a wide variety of people where they are. I know you're not religious Peter, but it does feel like no matter what area you're at, God is seeking you through the incredible people you are meeting. God Bless you

Wow. Just came across the channel and what an amazing introduction. Looking for a place to retire to someday and this was inspiring. And the hosts of the tour - what a dear couple.

Whittier is one of my most cherished memories. I lived and worked in Alaska for seven years. My youngest son and I drove from Anchorage to fish the silver salmon run. We arrived an hour before high tide, geared up and began wading into the very end of the Passage Canal. I wore hip waders, and my son wore chest waders. After I could wade no deeper, he continued on. When he finally stopped, he turned and yelled back to me, "Dad, there's hundreds out here, coming right to you." Two silvers swam between my legs at the same time, nearly knocking me over. We caught our limits, cleaned them, and put them on ice. We had several hours before the tunnel closed, so my son suggested we explore the Portage Glacier. Climbing and hiking on it terrified me. There were holes where we could see water rushing beneath the ice. I have felt lucky to have gotten off that ice ever since. We returned to our car to discover a flat tire, which we changed out with the spare. On our drive back to Anchorage, we stopped in Girdwood for supper, then finished our drive home. That was one of the best days of my life. And I don't really enjoy fishing that much. Go figure.

My parents and my uncle and his girlfriend rode motorcycles from Minnesota all the way to Alaska in 2019 and they visited Whittier. Well while riding thru the tunnel my parents crashed on the bike. And the town's people shut down the tunnel to get my mom out of there. She was checked out, she was ok but very bruised and in pain. Nothing broke, thank God. Well she didn't want to get back on the bike to go back thru that tunnel so a nurse who was in Whittier for the day offered her a ride back thru the tunnel, which she took. Mom had called me back in Minnesota and told me they almost died in a crash so of course I was worried about them. She said she wasn't sure if she wanted to continue on their trip. Bcuz she was so scared, upset. She thought I should fly to Alaska and she would fly back, and that I would ride back with dad. But once she got to where they were staying for the night she called me again and told me she'd continue. I was a bit bummed but I'm just glad she changed her mind. Mom told me the people of Whittier were probably the nicest people she ever met. They really took care of her. Made sure she was alright. Just thought I'd share that with you. A story about Whittier and the tunnel. Thank you for sharing your video on Whittier. I finally got it see it. I'd love to visit there one day. Thanks again. NE Minnesota here.

I really appreciate this video, I came to Whittier for embarkation of princess sapphire this past summer. I remember seeing this building, just trying to imagine how an entire town could live in one building, well you answered it for me. It’s a close knit community with it’s own quirks, a place where a special few call home.

I found this video extremely interesting. Jeannette and John are lovely people. Thank you to everyone who worked on this.💖

Janette was the friendliest person ever. If I had a business that needed a person to be a tour lady or a hospitality host I would pick her in a heartbeat

I started crying before Jeanette even started her prayer. Thank you for touching our souls across countries, oceans and continents. Much love and blessings from Perth, Australia ❤

That storekeepers story was amazing. Hard work pays off!

Such a cool place!! Joe and Jeanette seem like the sweetest people! Another great place to visit!!

This lady is the sweetest 😢

I was so lucky to grow up in a community that was great. Our block was all family or friends of family for years and years. My Mom’s best friend since childhood lived across the street and her parents lived next door to us. RIP Grandpa and Grandma Ryan. The whole block was a great place to grow up. Nobody had to lock their doors at night or when out for the day shopping. We lived on a dead end street which was unincorporated. Never knew how lucky we were. My Uncle (who was a farmer) built every house on our block and sold the houses to family for cheep. My Mom use to say that if it wasn’t for Uncle Orvil we couldn’t afford homes. Uncle Orvil and his wife (my Mom’s sister) Aunt Carol were both killed in a head on accident in the 60’s. They had a big family of 8 kids that were divided up across the family. Nobody got adopted by strangers. God bless our family past and present.🙏🏻

Gonna go on an Alaskan cruise next May or June. I am gonna make sure I take the one that stops in Whittier. These people are delightful

Peter! I've been watching all of your videos to help me relax as I deal with insomnia, was glad to find this one because my great grandfather helped build this place! He was part of the military fleet stationed in the Aleutian islands! I've been longing to visit but as a disabled, home bound person, this video was probably the best I'll ever get! THANK YOU!

They thought you were making a little home video & still went above and beyond with hospitality. Truly lovely people!

Watching the store owner describe how her family got there could be invaluable information 150-200 years from now and just makes me so excited for future history lovers. Can you imagine videos like this of people going around 1780s America. It will be just astonishing

Amazing place! Just loved it for so many reasons. Isolated yet so lively. Isolated with happy souls inside. Isolated but music goes on in there. Thanks 🙏

That was so unexpected! Remarkable, the different ways that people live! Thanks Peter and Janette!

As a lifelong born and raised Alaskan, I love Whittier. It’s such a unique and historic place with amazing people. Keep traveling Alaska.

Praying in agreement with Jeanette! Peter always shows us the coolest places and introduces us to the coolest down to earth great people! I love what Jennette said in the beginning of the video:. It takes one day to get married and all of your life to stay married! Beautiful faith filled couple.

We were in Whittier Alaska in 2021 took a boat out to see some glaciers. Amazing town and the tunnel is super cool. Thanks for sharing this video. We can't wait to go back.

What a wonderful treat of a video, and you were blessed to find such kind hosts! Thank you for sharing!

Jeanette is so knowledgeable about her building and the area...she seems so sweet and made a great tour guide. What a cute couple... the light switch behind the refrigerator had me laughing out loud. What positive happy people. I wish there were more people and places like this left in the world ! " Peace and Love " ❤ 🦋🌻☮☯️

Honestly your videos give me hope for humanity. Because of social media being the way it is we always see the most scummy horrible people getting all the attention. We don't get to see wonderful sweet people like this couple. You run into some of the most down-to-earth kind folks and it makes me realize there are good people in this world.

Oh, the times I have cried with the stories and the beautiful, kind people you find along your way. What an excellent job you do, Peter, documenting all those places ❤

That was FANTASTIC! I sure could feel the love. ❤️❤️

So heart warming, Jeanette is so sweet and wise. Her husband so nice and down to earth. The lady in the shop spoke so motherly, can't explain why, but it felt wise and comforting. I believe that it is a virtue to learn, to work and to have an accepting mind, maybe thst is what makes me feel connected. May the Lord be with these people and protect them.

These people are so kind and wholesome. It’s so beautiful to see so many walks of life come together in a community like this, all supporting each other in all the ways they can ;-;

What a joy watching your video during my lunch break. Joe and Jeanette are amazing human beings, restoring my faith in humanity. Thank you Peter for showing us Whittier.

I loved your prayer for Peter. Bless you!

This happened to come up on my feed, and I'm so glad it did. What a wonderful couple you met to show us around, she made it so interresting with all the information about the building, the people, just everything. And they have their own little school and store! I'm just so amazed at all of it. What a nice surprise for me and the other 5 million people that watched this little tour! I've subscribed as well!

Having lived for years, and still own land in Alaska, my heart remains there. A trip to Whittier was always a special and exciting event! Being remote, and far from family takes strength and courage. Being in unison with neighbors is important because their mission is the same. Thank you Peter for sharing about this magical place!

Such lovely people and lovely prayer by Jeanette, bless them all.

I’ve been to Whittier and will never forget meeting some of the most helpful and kindest people around. Thanks for sharing this!

I do HVAC on cruise ships and stayed in the building with my coworkers before boarding a ship. Such a cool town! All the locals were extremely friendly and welcoming.

I visited Whittier in 1994 and the visit has stuck with me. At the time the tunnel was just for trains. I remember every moment of the day, the water fall streaming down the mountain from what looked like the back of the building. The building set back by the mountain. A cliff covered with birds. There was a small coffee/bakery shop (I think) and a small gift shop or two. When I got off of the train I had to walk over a bunch of train rails to get to the port and little shops. There were large ravens on the rails that I was pretty sure that they would move when I got closer - they did NOT. I was alone and would have really liked to have met someone like this couple. So happy to learn more about this place that I still think about from time to time. Thank you.

I could watch more episodes about the town and people here. Fascinating, and so welcoming.

Thank you for sharing. What a sweet and sincere prayer for you Petter.

The couple in the video were really lovely and makes part of the experience something to remember for years. However, what struck me a lot is that even in this very remote part of the US you find people from Samoa, Poland, The Philippines, Ukraine and I even heard people speaking in Spanish while Peter was talking to that Samoan lady. It really shows that even in the most remotest part US is a really diverse country. Even though I am not an American but Peter's videos are making me know a lot about US and appreciate how beautiful and diverse this country truly is.

Whittier is the strangest, coolest, most beautiful town I’ve ever visited. I’m so glad we booked a glacier tour that departed from here. We had no idea what we were stumbling into. I loved it so much.

That prayer was so touching 💕❤️🙏

Bless these couples hearts

Peter, i can’t imagine the level of effort and time that must go into these videos. You are such a respectful and humble dude. You deserve every bit of success that you get. Thanks for bringing us this consistently awesome content!

I think my Alaskan cruise actually stopped at the port from the start of the video! God I loved Alaska, even if it was from the safety of a cruise ship. The fog rolling over the mountains, the ice in the water and the sea of green trees in almost every direction past the edge of town. Some people I know would lose their minds in a place like this. These people are incredibly self sufficient and hard working. Also loved the old couple and their Whittier attitude.

Her prayer was such a nice touch on the whole event. Be blessed!

Peter, that was just fantastic, thank you! Pete

Jeanette has won my heart. I truly wish she were my friend. It's always beautiful to see such a Christ filled, accepting, kind heart. Her prayer was so eloquent and I know I would feel blessed if she prayed for me. I'm so glad you covered this lovely little community. I've seen videos on it before and it's sways seemed like a cozy place to be. God Bless.

That lady is so sweet. She seemed really happy & proud to show you her building. I hope she enjoys it for many years to come.

That was an amazing bit of real life content and Jeanette is so amazing and so sweet 👏 Great Work!