I used to live in DC and I still visit there several times a year for business and pleasure. Typically I stay in hotels. Unfortunately, most of the decent hotels in DC have gotten so expensive that it hardly seems worth it anymore, especially if I’m going to be there for several days. What’s more, a lot of DC’s better hotels are clustered along Connecticut Avenue, down by the White House. This area of the city is pleasant enough, and it’s certainly convenient for first-time tourists hell-bent on taking in every museum at the Smithsonian in a single day. But Connecticut Avenue corridor is basically the city’s business district, which means that it’s dead as a doornail at night. For this visit I decided to try something different and man am I glad I did. Michelle and Elmar’s carriage house is lovely: clean, comfortable, spacious and stylishly appointed as well. Personally, I loved the two-floor layout (the living room and kitchen are downstairs and the bedroom and bathroom are upstairs). One thing I hate about hotels is the way the windows tend to be hermetically sealed, so I really appreciated the private balcony overlooking the patio between the main house and the carriage house since it allowed me to open a door get some fresh air whenever I wanted to without having to walk downstairs and go outside. As for the location: it really couldn’t be more convenient. The Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center Metro stop (Green and Yellow lines) is just a few blocks south and those two lines connect you to everything in the city with no more than a single transfer. Even more importantly, though, there are tons of cool restaurants and bars right there. Ten years ago, 6th and Q St. was considered no man’s land. I mean, people lived there, and quite happily as I recall. They typically went to neighborhoods like Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle to have their fun, though. Now there are great restaurants, hipster coffee shops and trendy bars as far as the eye can see. There’s even an outdoor German beer garden right around the corner on 7th Street. For my part, I was grateful that I could actually walk to TOWN, DC’s uber-hip gay “danceboutique,” which is located just a few blocks north at Florida and 8th Street. Oh and let us not forget the hosts. Michelle and Elmer are both great: super nice and very attentive if you have a question or a concern, but also very willing to leave you alone and let you go about your business if that’s your preference. Michelle is obviously a people person and she seems to take a real interest making sure that her guests are comfortable and content. She’s also from DC, so she knows the place very well. Elmar is originally from Austria, which meant that I got to practice my German, even though he speaks English fluently. I have to admit that I was little reluctant to to book...