I am so glad I picked Julie's cottage for my trip, my first experience with Airbnb and first visit to Seattle. The space was so lovely--luxurious and yet back-to-basics at the same time. The bed was delicious, and the shower was plenty hot and tall. It was wonderful to come back to the hot tub after long days of gallivanting, and to wake up with light from the skylights and birds chirping in the garden. You can really tell how much care she's taken in creating the space; it's incredibly relaxing.

I'm not sure it's pictured, but she has a Keurig in the kitchen, which meant I didn't have to hunt down caffeine each morning in a pre-coffee state (which I, and I'm sure the baristas nearby, appreciated). There's a toaster, microwave, electric kettle, and mini-fridge as well. The audio player was awesome--I plugged my iPod in and heard my favorite album in more detail than ever before.

I rented a car for part of my trip to do a little more widespread-exploring, and I walked and took the Link to and from downtown the rest of the time, which was very easy. Julie is a public transit expert. Ask her about the Gandhi walk!

Julie was very accommodating when I arrived late at night, and gave me a ride to the Link when I left. As a first-time young solo-traveler, I really appreciated that she checked in on me from time to time, and let me know that if I had an emergency I could call her. After I took a day to drive around Mount Rainier (I hugely recommend this if you have the time), she even called to make sure I hadn't had any trouble and had gotten back okay.

It was way too easy to fall in love with Seattle and the Northwest from her place, and I'm already planning my next visit.