The host Escale is friendly, accommodating, helpful, and considerate. His place is comfortable, quiet, and clean. It was well-decorated too. I had to find a place last minute, and he was able to take me in 2 hours before I checked in! He greeted me, showed me around his house, and kindly gave me a ride to Bus Boys and Poets restaurant for dinner. Before my evening flight out on the last day, he let me store my luggage there while I toured around DC during the day.
I used public transportation to/from his place, and it is feasible, although not as convenient as staying downtown. From his place, it's a 15-minute walk to Fort Totten metro station, and then a relatively quick (~15 min) metro ride to the mall. To go to Georgetown, I prefer to take the Metro to Dupont Circle and walk from there. You can also take a 55-min bus ride to Kennedy Center and then walk to Georgetown, but that's slower and less pleasant than the metro way.