Welcome to the universe of off-campus housing. Every semester, Whitman upperclassmen rent more than 50 houses in the neighborhoods surrounding the campus. Prepare for a journey through three of Whitman’s off-campus cribs, highlighting the best, worst and most fascinating aspects of the Palace, the Shipwreck and the 905.

The Palace

At first sight, the Palace does not appear particularly royal. However, when the six residents welcomed me in for a tour, I discovered that although it lacks a drawbridge, the Palace possesses a unique palatial charm in the lavish chandelier, ivory bathtub and a party basement known as “the dungeon.”

The first part of the tour was the second story, where there is a large bathroom, complete with a gorgeous bathtub. The bathtub is pink and ivory with little clawed legs. Everyone, myself included, heaped praise upon it.

One of the large upstairs bedrooms features two adjoining closets, which have been converted into small, Harry Potter-style bedrooms, each with one bed. The main bedroom is used as a shared space.

Continuing on a quest for the best feature of the house, we ventured outside and down to the dungeon. The party basement features two ping pong tables, a table for a DJ, speakers, Christmas lights and a stand for a keg.

In the front, the girls described the porch as both a positive and negative aspect of the house.

“Our porch is crooked. It’s so great. We sit out there a lot,” said junior Emily Lorente.

Sadly, some negative aspects of a palace come along with the house.

“My room is really cold because it doesn’t have a heating vent,” said junior Julia Light.

Lorente summed up the opinion of the residents of the Palace:  “Mostly just an awesome location and a pretty cool house and a good rent,” she said.

The Shipwreck

Junior Teresa Hughes welcomed me to the Shipwreck and explained that the house earned its name because it is messy and dark, with narrow hallways, much like its namesake.

From their experiences in the Shipwreck, Hughes and her housemates have learned the ups and downs of off-campus life. Before taking me on a tour, Hughes and her housemates offered some background information on off-campus living.

“To some extent we’re distant from campus,” said Hughes.

However, there is definitely a positive side to living in an off campus house.

“It’s really affordable,” said junior Yvan Trinh.

Seven people live in the Shipwreck due to a kind oversight by the landlord.

“This is a six-person house, but we made it seven people. Andrew [the landlord] was chill about it,” said Hughes.

On the tour, we uncovered several of the Shipwreck’s amazing features, starting with the cramped but funky living spaces. A sofa sits directly at the top of the narrow staircase to the second floor. The house is characterized by these fun, random spaces, said Hughes.

Hughes decided that, in good weather, the back patio is the house’s best feature.

“It’s the best venue for barbeques,” she said.

Down in the basement is the throne bathroom, which is a bathroom with a raised surface that the toilet and bathtub sit on.

“It is almost like you’re on a throne when you sit on it,” said Hughes.

And of course, the house has some negative aspects as well.   Most noticeably, it has small awkward spaces, a tiny kitchen and a dark living room.

However, the true gem of the house is found in the kitchen. For the Shipwreck residents, one of the proudest features is the house quesadilla maker.

The 905

Upon entering the 905, it is immediately evident that it is a theater-themed house.

“A number of drama club events happen here,” said junior Erin Terrall. The decorations are old theater sets from past productions. Five residents, all involved in theater, live in this two-story, six-bedroom house right on the edge of campus.

The 905 has fantastic decorations including a sparkling pink disco ceiling in the living room. The house also has two kitchens, one on each level. Both are fully equipped with a full-sized refrigerator, table and cook top.

The champagne room, loved by all residents, is a five-foot by five-foot square room lit by a black light and covered in posters and pillows.

“The champagne room is a very quirky room that we hang out in,” said Terrall.

An incredibly creepy and narrow staircase leads off of the champagne room, which also serves as a secret entrance to the upstairs portion of the house, adding to the house’s unique nature.

The 905 also has some negative aspects.

“One of the bedrooms is falling off the house. We use it for storage,” said Terrall. The bedroom is at a significant slant.

In addition, the house has been through some bad times. Recently, a toilet backed up on the second floor and blasted a hole through the kitchen ceiling with the built up water pressure.

“This house is rather amazingly flimsy,” said Terrall, as he jumped and caused the entire second floor to shake. “But we love it just the same.”

This concludes the top-down tour of Whitman’s classiest cribs  and their weirdest quirks. Although the houses have their share of issues, the freedom of life off-campus can make any home worthy of MTV airtime.