My husband and I stayed at Kate's place for nine nights, and it was a very relaxing experience. From the very beginning, Kate was welcoming and kind. She took the time to show us where everything was located and gave us a thorough tour (and was patient when I would forget where things were in the kitchen, or didn't know very well how to use the gas stove). Anyone who stays with Kate knows this, but just in case you haven't stayed with her yet: She is a great communicator and answers messages and texts quickly. The house is beautiful - I had never stayed in a classic craftsman home before and it was lovely. The accommodations: the bed is super comfortable and we felt rested throughout our stay. It was really convenient to have the coffee right across the hall upstairs, along with the pastries, breakfast bars, water, and tea. When we arrived, Kate had made some pumpkin bread and it was quite yummy - ended up being our breakfast for a few days! We had our own little corner of the fridge to use, and it was very relaxing to visit with Kate while we would cook breakfast or dinner, or share dinner together. I also think it should be noted that the coffee table in the living room is filled with helpful travel resources - we spent at least one afternoon just reading about possible places to go and hikes nearby before heading out on adventures. I was in town mainly for work, so we didn't have very much time to sightsee, but we did do a fair bit of relaxing between things at the house with Kate. Kate also told us about the walking trail nearby at Reed college, so we were able to take a nice walk from the house. Kate is wonderful and we were sad that our visit was ending -- both of us felt like we have a new friend in Portland now, and would stay there again in a heartbeat -in fact, we are already planning to return sometime in the spring or summer next year. Two last small notes: we had rented a car, because many of the places we were going were out of town, but we noticed that one of the bus lines had a stop directly across the street from the house, and the train didn't seem too far away either. Next time, we might only rent a car for a day or two if driving out of town, because public transportation seems to be very convenient from the house. Also,Trader Joe's is a very easy walk away, so it wouldn't be necessary to drive to the grocery store either. All in all, we were very happy that we weren't staying directly downtown (nice and quiet where we were), but were close enough to get there pretty easily. Thanks Kate, for sharing your beautiful home with us! We couldn't have asked for a better experience.