Our multigenerational group of 10 people (including four children who were 6-years old and younger) enjoyed our stay in Aaron’s four-bedroom townhouse immensely. From the time we stepped into the nicely landscaped and maintained front yard, we knew that we were in for a very enjoyable stay because the townhouse too would be well maintained and cared for.
As the saying goes, “location, location, location”. We could not have been more ideally located: residing in a charming, residential area; within view of the US Capitol and walking distance to such icons as the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress; only a couple of blocks from the South Capitol Metro station as well as walking distance to the Circulator bus whose routes cover all of the museums and National Mall sights; within an 8- or 9 block walk to Whole Foods as well as the Garfield Park playground; etc.
In addition, Aaron has gone the extra mile to make his guests’ stay a five-star experience. The fact that he goes to the effort of providing a parking permit if you let him know enough in advance as well as supplying enough funded Smartcards for the Metro trains/buses and the Circulator buses for all his guests are truly thoughtful extras.
The townhouse itself is broken up into three levels with the upper level being self-sufficient and the lower two levels the same. Although that constellation did not naturally lend itself to communal gatherings of our whole group, we did manage to make it work. Cooking and cleaning up for 10 people in the small kitchen on the ground floor was a challenge and serving dinner on the dining room table--even with its extension--was cozy. On the other hand, having separate units with a variety of sleeping accommodations provided flexibility for the various members of our diverse group.
Having at our disposal such items as pack and plays, safety gates to keep young children off the very steep stairs, and collapsible strollers for the youngest in our group was a godsend. The only thing we missed were appropriate toys to occupy the children when we were not sightseeing. However, luckily for us we had family in the area so we could bring some toys with us.
After spending 5 lovely days in Aaron’s historic townhouse, I want to thank him again for sharing the charming house with us as well as for his accommodating manner and transparent communication with us. We certainly would love to rent the townhouse again if we ever pass through Capitol Hill.