Molly's a cold fish, so don't expect a friendly chat. Fortunately, her husband Nik is gregarious, outgoing, and full of historical lore about the neighborhood's former brewery trade (he works for Harpoon beer himself), which gave rise to much of Jamaica Plain itself, with its sometimes vintage three-family porched houses and characterful hundred year-old watering hole/restaurant, Doyle's, right around the corner from Nik and Molly's.

Because Molly's father owns the building, the young couple scored a beautiful vintage apartment, whose centerpiece is the near-octagonal formal dining area with its massive and splendid china cabinet, double pillared entranceway, and simple square stained-glass window. The living room's unobstructed views of private gardens and Victorian homes are priceless. Despite the beauty of the dining area, however, don't expect breakfast to be consistent. Before my boyfriend and I arrived, Molly and Nik were solicitous of our eating habits, but halfway through our stay they were asking us to buy our own coffee, and the English muffins completely disappeared. And be forewarned: their spare bedroom contains a well-used full-sized mattress on top of an old boxspring. It is not a bona fide bed, and my boyfriend's back pain was severe during our entire stay. The excrement-brown bathroom, with its poor shower pressure and scuzzy feel, is unpleasant, but that's not really Molly and Nik's fault per se: it's just old and run-down. Perhaps their Air BnB earnings will pay to renovate it. Overall, however, the apartment has a lovely antique but airy feel; it is populated by tasteful wooden furnishings, tapestries, lanterns and remarkable healthy indoor-growing herbaceous plants. I am left feeling quite jealous indeed.