My wife and I are in our 60s and spend several months a year travelling. This is precisely the type of place we like to stay when we are trying to get a feel for what it might be like to live in an area. The home is exactly as shown in the photos and described by other reviewers. It is a cozy older house in a quiet, safe neighborhood. It was clean, and furnished with a comfortable bed and linens. The kitchen was well equipped for preparing our own meals.

Dina was a treat to deal with. Her communications were prompt and clear and she provided a helpful information package with guidelines on using the property and tips on transportation and services in the neighborhood.

There does not seem to be a place to purchase more than basic groceries in the immediate vicinity. The Algiers Point Market, a couple of blocks away, has the bare essentials: milk, bread, eggs, cereal and some dry goods. We found Rouses Market in the French Quarter was the most convenient location for fresh produce, meat and a more extensive inventory of groceries.

The Algiers Point ferry is a convenient and relaxing way to get across the river to the French Quarter. The terminal is a 5 minute walk from the house and the ferry departs every 30 minutes. You disembark at Canal St from where you can walk to the Quarter or hop on a streetcar. We bought 5 day ferry passes for $18 by downloading the RTA gomobile app on our phones (www.norta.com). These offered unlimited travel on the ferry, streetcars and buses with the added convenience of not having to worry about maintaining a stockpile of $1 bills for the $2 exact change fare.

We had no difficulty filling a week with interesting things to see and do in NOLA and Dina's house provided an ideal base from which to explore the city and area. We took a walking tour of the Garden District to see the fascinating Lafayette cemetery and several beautiful old southern mansions. We visited a couple of plantation homes along the banks of the Mississippi...there are several within a 60 to 90-minute drive.

The National WWII museum is spectacular. We spent half a day there, which wasn’t sufficient to do it justice.

The Presbytere museum on Jackson Square had an interesting exhibit on Hurricane Katrina.

A class at the New Orleans School of Cooking was great fun. An entertaining chef explained the history of the area and its influences on Louisiana cuisine. At the end of the class you get to enjoy a meal of N'awlins cookin' with some local beer.