Well before we arrived, Julia was very approachable and comunicative. In person, the positive vibes in her photo comes to life. She is a real person, generous, concientious, and truly a caring host that works hard to create her version of a city heaven. The modern interior decor overlayed with the rich texture of the southern pine floors, brick fireplaces, and period painted exteriors, generous spacial proportions, made the layout of the 'Magic Cottage' absolutely perfect. After arriving from a long journey from California, Nebraska, Tennessee, Alabama, the shade from porch was the perfect place to finally STOP, STOP, STOP. With the perfect blend of t-shirt weather, shade from the porch and landscaping, the hummings of the neighborhood, and a comfy porch chair to surrender to, with my dog on my lap, we both fell asleep... Beyond the decor and layout of the 'Magic Cottage' having a historical context in its construction style & the character of its New Orleans district, it allowed us to immediately feel immersed and access the city's vibes, yet discovered is was a peaceful and safe sanctuary, day or night. The layout and modern decor appointments of the living room, dining room, generous kitchen, central air conditioning, a cozy bedroom and cute bathroom was beyond the typical 'sterile' fine hotel suite experience on an upper floor. Initially, I thought parking every evening was going to be an issue, but the established nature of the neighborhood and the laid back respectful character of the community laid that concern to rest. We never used the kitchen, but around the corner was a beautiful cafe where we ate patio dining, a gigantic Whole Foods, a local vibrant shopping district two minutes away, and even a WalMart about 5 minutes by car. Because of our schedule, we weren't able to spend time to relax and appreciate the shade and underlying trickling noises of the fountain in the Magic Cottage's lush bamboo lined back yard. Julia, the cottage, and the neighborhood was so embracing in allowing us to feel and appreciate true Southern New Orleans hospitality that we really would be hard pressed to wish for something more. If your standards and expectations are high, want to connect to a host that cares for your experiences and her city's offerings, & yearn for the blend of living a New Orleans city life balanced by an 'in-city' beautiful private sanctuary to retreat to, Julia's magic cottage is exactly that place. Checking into Julia's cottage was easy, but 'checking-out' and driving away was hard... We'll be back...