Hot Springs Airbnb
Our apartment in Hot Springs was advertised honestly. There was a very unattractive photo of the living/dining room and the small kitchen was clearly shown as small and lacking counterspace. The quality and finishings of the bathroom and bedrooms were a little unclear in the photos, but in person they are lovely. There is a large main bedroom and a small second bedroom that is only accessible through the main bedroom; Andrew used that room as his office (Laura used the dining table). The location is primo and you might get to meet the owners’ German Shepard if you’re lucky.
Knoxville Airbnb
We loved our house in Knoxville. It was spacious with two bedrooms, living room, dining room, bathroom, and kitchen, plus a huge back porch. It was a craftsman-style house that had been beautifully renovated by our friendly host Wayne. There weren’t a ton of restaurants or entertainment options in the immediate area, but there were more options about 20–30 minutes walking. We walked downtown one Saturday, but it’s 45 minutes one way. There was a grocery store just a couple blocks away, which was a bonus, and there was a nice trail and cute neighborhood (with a friendly cat) nearby that we walked around daily.
Charleston Airbnb
We rented a beautiful (purple!) house in Charleston, a bit north of the action but near a park, a few coffee shops and breweries, and a restaurant with great pizza. Unfortunately, we think we were helping gentrify the neighborhood, and the next door neighbor let us know how she felt about the parade of bachelor party groups that usually booked the house. It had 3 bedrooms (an unnecessary indulgence but it was in our price range), a nice living room open to the big kitchen, plenty of space for both of us to work, a king bed, laundry, and all the bells and whistles.
Virginia Beach Airbnb
This apartment was dirty but right across from the beach and managed by a company that knew the location meant their units could be gross. It was small and not really walkable to anything other than the beach and the pier.
Chincoteague Airbnb
We LOVED this place. We rented half a house from a couple who lived in the other half. It came with 3 bedrooms (again, too much space for us but in our price range), a big living room and kitchen, access to the pool in the backyard (but it was too cold to swim), access to bikes (that were in pretty bad shape but free), and with a private, gigantic screened-in front porch. It was a long but doable walk to the main strip and within biking distance of the wildlife preserve. We also drove to the public beach to rent kayaks.
Philadelphia Airbnb
This apartment felt like the set of a vampire movie. It was a basement unit with a long wall running the length of the apartment covered in stone. The living room couch was red leather, and the lighting was dramatic. It felt damp, but otherwise it was a great space for us. We felt like we were gentrifiers in the neighborhood again, though. We were right across the street from Fairmount Park and a city bike station, so we could walk around and bike around to our hearts’ content. There was also a disc golf course in the park for Andrew.
Queens Airbnb
Our apartment in Jackson Heights, Queens, was such a nice surprise. The photos looked fine, but the apartment was so much nicer in person. We stayed in Queens to be near my sister and we were walking distance to a nice park and a bunch for restaurants, plus the subway for easy access to the rest of NYC.
Still to come: Gardiner, ME; Cleveland, OH; Milwaukee, WI; Kansas City, MO; Santa Fe, NM; Las Cruces, NM; Oklahoma City, OK; Colorado Springs, CO
