Ms. Hen reviews the Airbnb she stayed at in D.C.

The Grand Victorian Airbnb

Vermont Avenue

Washington D.C.

When Ms. Hen decided to go to Washington D.C., she wanted to make it as cheap as possible, so she decided to stay at an Airbnb, a service where a guest can stay in a room or a house that is rented by the owner. The hosts rent out space for extra money, and it gives people the opportunity to stay in unique and affordable spaces.

Ms. Hen looked at lots of Airbnbs for the week she was planning on going to D.C., but the complete apartments were mostly full, since it was cherry blossom season. She found a room in a Victorian mansion that was only 85 dollars a night and it was available for the nights she wanted to stay, so she made a reservation.

She had never stayed in one of those places before, and she had some apprehension. She didn’t know if it would be safe, or clean, or if strange people lived there. But when she got there, she found out she had nothing to fear.

When she arrived, she discovered it was beautiful: a brownstone mansion on the corner of a street. The host welcomed Ms. Hen kindly. The room was charming, but functional. Ms. Hen thought it lacked a desk and a mirror. But there was cable TV.

The doorknob on the door to the room fell off the first time Ms. Hen tried to shut it. The door also wouldn’t open all the way, so Ms. Hen had to slide through. She is not a fussy traveler, and most things don’t bother her, but she knew this would bother some people.

The host explained that the bathroom is shared with a person who lives in the house regularly, a man in the Marine Corps. Ms. Hen did not see him the entire time she stayed at the house. She thought it was strange that she shared a bathroom with someone for four nights and never saw him. Ms. Hen thought it might be polite to introduce herself, but she didn’t want to bother him.

Sharing a bathroom does not bother Ms. Hen because it reminds her of being in graduate school in Vermont and also of traveling in Europe. It would bother some people, but Ms. Hen is a hearty hen and is not afraid of sharing a toilet and a shower with someone she has never seen.

The house shone with cleanliness. Ms. Hen wasn't used to being in such an immaculate house. She made toast with hummus in the morning and she was so afraid of getting crumbs on the counter that she made sure everything sparkled when she left.  The host said nobody ever hung out in the beautifully decorated living room downstairs, everyone who lived or stayed in the house retired to their rooms.

The neighborhood was stylish and upscale. It boasts lots of restaurants, bars, coffee shops and stores a visitor could experience. Ms. Hen enjoyed the neighborhood. It is also located only about a six-minute Metro ride to the center of Washington D.C. where Ms. Hen went to art museums, saw the cherry blossoms, visited The Library of Congress and The Holocaust Museum.

Ms. Hen had a lot of fun of her trip to Washington D.C. She doesn’t travel often enough, but she wants to travel more. Now that she has discovered Airbnb, she knows that traveling can be affordable and exciting. A new world has opened with the advent of Airbnb. The world could be ours, if a hen could open her mind.