| 04/11/09 |
Positive
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I wanted to bring my entire office to
Washington, D.C. for a conference and
chose Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO)
so we could live like people in a
neighborhood instead expensive hotel
room-boxes. I settled on a recently
renovated row house in the Mt. Pleasant
area near the Zoo and Rock Creek Park.
But this wasn’t just any old
renovation. No, Amy Levin, the owner,
renovated using eco-friendly, energy
efficient, and recycled materials with
the goal to “minimize environmental
impact by implementing numerous
green/sustainable design strategies…
taking advantage of both the embodied
energy of the building as well as the
urban infrastructure. In addition, the
creation of the tightest possible
envelope is a priority to maintain the
highest levels of energy efficiency.”
The negotiations went smoothly and I
plopped down the money. Compared to a
35 room/night hotel stay, we were
saving money from the start but, in
addition, we were able to cook our own
breakfasts, snacks and dinners, do a
load or two of laundry and enjoy
hanging around together in the
evenings. So, it was an economical
choice and our experience was better
than the hotel alternative. From the
house, it was a short two block walk to
the bus stop which took us to the Metro
station which took us directly to the
Convention Center. So, our travel time
was about 20 minutes each morning. In
the evenings, most of us chose to walk
instead of taking the bus. D.C. is
pedestrian-friendly; in fact, driving a
car can be a major hassle. This got us
out in the neighborhood and mingling
with the locals. We also sampled food
from the local eateries and shopped for
groceries in the neighborhood, too. It
felt as if we lived there. Which was
pretty much the point: No hotel stress,
no forced dining out, plus comfort
foods for everyone. The house has four
bedrooms. The master is on the top
floor, with its own bath; on the middle
floor, three bedrooms, bath and
laundry; and, on the main floor, the
kitchen, dining and living rooms in an
open plan with high ceilings and lots
of light. True, not everyone had a
bedroom: we brought along an air
mattress and a sleeping bag. No one
complained. Since this is actually
Amy’s home, we expected some house
rules and there were just a few: don’t
use the good dinnerware and take off
your shoes to reduce wear-and-tear and
noise for the tenants in the basement
apartment were the important ones. And,
we kept it tidy and cleaned up before
we departed. We would do this again in
a heartbeat. Thanks, Amy! |
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Thos. O'Brien, Prairie Village, KS
913-643-2211 |
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