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Friendly Gustavus, Alaska

Image by Michelle Williams

In Gustavus, Alaska, you will find several canopies like this one. The bikes are there for your personal use, using the honor system. Take a bike, tour around, and then bring it back. You don’t ask permission, you don’t pay a fee, you just enjoy the ride.

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The generosity of the people doesn’t stop with the bikes. In Gustavus, everyone waves to everyone else. It doesn’t matter if you know them or not. If you’re in a car, on foot or on a bike, you wave. It might feel out of character at first, but it’s an easy habit to adopt. Your car keys are left in the car. The front door of your house is left unlocked. There is no police station or fire department. The citizens look after each other.

One day, I hitchhiked from the boat launch back to my hotel, accidentally leaving my camera in the car. I didn’t catch the name of the girl who gave me a ride, so I didn’t know if I’d ever see my camera again. In true Gustavus form, my camera was on the breakfast table, waiting for me when I sat down the next morning.

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Events December 22-December 25, 2024
Image by Michelle Williams

In Gustavus, Alaska, you will find several canopies like this one. The bikes are there for your personal use, using the honor system. Take a bike, tour around, and then bring it back. You don’t ask permission, you don’t pay a fee, you just enjoy the ride.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The generosity of the people doesn’t stop with the bikes. In Gustavus, everyone waves to everyone else. It doesn’t matter if you know them or not. If you’re in a car, on foot or on a bike, you wave. It might feel out of character at first, but it’s an easy habit to adopt. Your car keys are left in the car. The front door of your house is left unlocked. There is no police station or fire department. The citizens look after each other.

One day, I hitchhiked from the boat launch back to my hotel, accidentally leaving my camera in the car. I didn’t catch the name of the girl who gave me a ride, so I didn’t know if I’d ever see my camera again. In true Gustavus form, my camera was on the breakfast table, waiting for me when I sat down the next morning.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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