We really enjoyed staying at Carmen's funky spot in Bywater-- really makes you feel like a local rather than a Bourbon St tourist. All the basic essentials are right there, it's clean, and there's easy street parking. It's a great artsy neighborhood with lots of brightly colored shotgun homes and some great restaurants/ bars within walking distance. We had the best meal of our trip at Bacchanal (2 blocks away), and BBQ from the Joint (1 block away) was a close second.

Only met Carmen for a second when she was en route to work, but enjoyed the brief company of her sweet puppy, Sam, and a few of the neighborhood cats when we'd enjoy breakfast each morning on the porch.