It's raining in Brooklyn but we're snug in our cute little brownstone apartment. For this trip we decided to rely mostly on airbnb's for our lodging and it's turned out to be an excellent choice. Not only are the accommodations cheaper than hotels and b&b's, especially in the big cities, they generally have a lot of character and also provide an opportunity to interact with the hosts.
Airbnb, for those who are new to the concept, is an online service where people offer a place for visitors to stay. It can be a whole apartment or house, a room in a house, or even a shared room. We almost always look for an entire apartment. Through the photos and reviews you can usually get a good idea of the place and hosts, however, there are always little surprises and quirks.
Almost all our airbnb experiences on this trip have been positive. (I say almost because our one night in Boston was a place that felt dirty and smelled bad.) We choose our locations carefully and make sure they are close to public transportation. Most of our places have been in old interesting buildings, often a small apartment or condo in a larger building--I stay away from modern sterile places.
In Vancouver we came in late due to a train mixup--the host left bread and cheese for us because she was concerned we might not have eaten. We had a lovely visit with her toward the end of our stay and she even gave us a ride to the train station.
In Montreal we stayed in the Plateau area with its amazing outside staircases. Our apartment was utterly charming with a balcony where we hung out to eat and read.
We were lucky enough to live here for a few days.
Dale spent lots of time on the balcony.
We never met our host in Halifax but he checked in with us every evening by text to see if we needed anything. It was a funny apartment with the hugest bed we've ever seen in what I'd consider the living room and a second big room with a couch, really large coffee table, and kitchen. There was a goodie basket with a bottle of wine and candies to greet us.
Portland, Maine, was a little different in that we booked an apartment through Tripadvisor instead of Airbnb. It was the same idea but a little more formal--the owners sent a contract to be signed before they reserved the place for us. In any case the apartment was perfect.
Lewis Street in Portland, Maine.
Boston, as I said, creeped me out, but we were only there for one night. We won't be back.
Burlington, Vermont, was our greatest prize. I wasn't sure we were going to like it because we were sharing the home with the hosts--our first time without our own apartment. I chose it because 1) choices were limited in Burlington, 2) the place got good reviews, and 3) they offered the use of bicycles. You never know when you're going to hit the jackpot. The home was a gorgeous Victorian on a lovely street in Burlington. We had a suite on the third floor that was charming, comfortable, and immaculate. The hosts were charming also, always ready to visit or offer recommendations but never intruding into our space. They were very busy though, because the man is running for Lieutenant Governor of Vermont on the Progressive Democrat ticket. His endorsers include Bernie Sanders, Ben Cohen (of Ben & Jerry's), and Bill McKibben. I was ready to start licking envelopes to help out. If you're in Vermont (or know someone there) vote for Dean Corren--he's for health care, jobs, and climate. It was a lot of fun to have a peek inside a statewide campaign while also having a fabulous time exploring that amazing city.
Healthcare, jobs, climate--that's our house!
We're in New York now, in an old brownstone that has been fixed up beautifully. The host is working on a farm project in Senegal and we had a fascinating conversation about farming and related topics. There was a baguette, a block of feta, and baba ganoush from a Middle East market in the refrigerator in case we were hungry. Today our host was going to Pennsylvania to look at tractors to send to Senegal. He asked if we wanted anything from there--perhaps he'll bring the pie I requested.
Our brownstone in Brooklyn.
Decorated in funky classy exotic.
Our last airbnb will be in Washington DC on Saturday. It looks very nice and is in an area two blocks from the zoo. We've been told to try the Ethiopean restaurant near there.
On the way to our Washington apartment: porch singers.
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