Robin is a welcome and gracious host - and then some, it turned out, when I arrived on the night of a supper club, which was a five course Japanese-themed dinner that she threw in for the cost of the room! Staying at her place was, as they say, living the dream. I had upstairs to myself, in an elegant, minimalist kind of room and a cozy bed (which I really needed, as I ran a marathon). The wifi was great. As a bonus, there's a bookshelf full of great graphic comics and Marvel books and McSweeney's and other cool stuff. The neighborhood itself, in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant, is to die for. 7 or 8 minutes walk to Main Street and a gorgeous coffee shop and lots of craft pubs, sushi, burgers consignment stores and even Nat Bailey Stadium, in Queen E Park, where the Triple A baseball team plays (or used to. I'm not sure they still do). If you're one of those people who thinks you have to stay in the West End when you come to Vancouver, Robin's place - and Mount Pleasant - will make you think again.