Coming back to this place after a long day felt like coming home. The house is welcoming, the bed is super comfy and Laurie and family are excellent hosts. The room was chock-full of information about the area - not just touristy stuff, but lots of books (fiction and nonfiction) about or based in the area. The neighborhood is quiet and I felt very safe there, night and day.

I felt very comfortable using the kitchen and hanging out in the living room with the TV. Laurie made it even easier by leaving detailed instructions about how things work, so I really felt like she meant it when she said "make yourself at home." They went out of their way to try to help with anything I needed and were very responsive to questions and suggestions.

Laurie makes it very clear in her description of the house that there are two friendly dogs and a cat. I live with large, friendly dogs and love them. The dogs are great and they will come to greet you with tails wagging. They are family members, but it's OK to ask them to move off of the sofa if you want to sit or go away if you don't want to pet them. They're polite that way :)

It's about a three-quarter mile safe and easy (FLAT!) walk to the streetcar, which isn't really very far unless there's a downpour or you're not feeling great. You can catch the bus a couple of blocks away, but you have to be on top on the schedule. A bike works well here, but keep your eye on the weather and there are many places in NOLA where you won't want to be on either bike or foot. Laurie can help you with those sorts of things and she was very good at helping when rides whenever she could. I have to say that I was happy that I had a car. The major arterials are close and easy driving.

I really want to emphasize how great it was to stay here. Laurie is a New Orleans native and a great conversationalist, if you're inclined that way, but also very respectful of your privacy. I would not hesitate one second to stay here again.