The interior of the house is incredibly nice. The kitchen and bedroom were spacious and clean, and the private bathroom, which was stocked with toiletries, was great.

However, our first impression of the house was that it was in a sketchy neighborhood and farther away from downtown than we had thought. There seems to be ongoing construction on his block. The construction only played a part in our stay, however, when we found out that the water had been turned off for two days (8am-9pm) to replace some pipes. This was out of Brian’s control, but he only told us the day before that the “water pressure might be low” and that the water “might” get cut off. He said he would find out more information and let us know but he never did. We called the Sewerage and Water Board to figure out what was happening, and during these two days, we didn’t see Brian at all. We wished he had been more present during this or had kept us updated on the situation.

Despite the sketchiness of the neighborhood, we didn’t experience any direct problems. However, no cabs go to that neighborhood unless you call them a day in advance. Your only options for traveling are bus or bicycle. Brian told us the buses aren’t reliable (like in most cities), but we tried it on our first night anyways. We waited about 20 minutes for the bus, and it was an easy 15 minute ride to the Quarter. However, the buses stop running at midnight, so you’ll have to catch a cab back. That night we found out that only a few cab drivers are willing to drive across the bridge to the Holy Cross neighborhood. The bridge lifts regularly at night, and our cab had to wait for it to lower (about 10 minutes), making our cab ride $20. We decided to bike from then on out, and Brian had three bikes and locks to choose from, which was great (I would make sure to contact Brian ahead of time to secure the bikes in case other people are using them). However, the roads are really bad and you’ll have to bike across the bridge. It ended up being a fun bike ride to the Quarter, and riding back at night isn’t bad if you’re a decently good rider. It’s a 10 minute bike ride to the Quarter, and biking ended up being a blessing in disguise because it was a great way to explore the whole city.

Overall, we’d recommend this place for single travelers, people on the road, and those that don’t mind the neighborhood, construction, and distance. It might be worth paying more to stay at a place closer to downtown if that’s why you’re visiting NOLA because you’ll end up paying just as much for travel costs if you don’t like biking (but definitely bike if you can, it’s a great way to explore!).