Psst …. COME BACK IN APRIL 2019 TO SEE PHOTOS RETRIEVED FROM ARCHIVE FOR THIS NEW WEBSITE
Hubby and I took a mini get-away trip to downtown Boston this month (about 3 hrs from NY). If you have been a long time subscriber to my blog ya’ll know that we love staying at rentals homes for a comfy/cozy feel (like we did here, here, and here), but when I perused the internet to see what was avail, my eye almost popped out – instead of staying at a rental apartment building we can stay at a house boat (awesome sauce!!!!!). The house boat was available by Sleep A Float (booked through Fipkey). Here I am below getting on our house boat (oh, did I mention it has a full kitchen .. like I can bake cookies if I wanted to!!!, but yeah that’s not going to happen, but still nice to know that it’s an option, right).
HERE”S THE TOUR.
We stayed in downtown Boston by the Lewis Wharf. We arrived at the marina’s nearby parking lot and it had a sign that said NO SPACE AVAILABLE (what the what?), our hearts sank but we drove into the outdoor lot anywayz (fingers crossed), and spotted one spot left (hallelujah!!!).
At the parking lot we met SleepAfloat’s super nice site manager John who handed us the keys (to the private gate area into the marina’s docks and the boat keys). He then gave us the tour of where everything was on the boat (the towels, bedrooms, bathroom, etc.).
Boat is named Lily Pad (how adorbs). The boats next to use where rentals as well which was GREAT bec everyone had to abide by the 10pm quiet time policy – much appreciated when we would come “home” late. The house boat is about 30 feet long and is a 4 level boat with everything awesomely compacted (well planned SleepAfloat, well planned indeed), it has:
- 1 master bedroom (all linens and pillows provided)
- 1 guest room (teanie tiny area, but sleepable)
- living room (w/ tv and stereo, futon bed) and sunroof)
- full bathroom (w/ sink, shower, toilet, vanity mirrors)
- a full kitchen (to get my baking on!!! not)
- upstairs outdoor lounge (our suntanning spot /cigar lounge)
- balcony with electric grill (and area where I fed the ducks from)
Now, when I say full kitchen I really mean FULL (minus dishwasher), it has a stove, oven, microwave, coffee pot (Keurig), plates, utensils, cups, etc).
THE KITCHEN
Doesn’t hubby look like a captain. I quickly started using the kitchen baking, brewing, ok ok I just added sugar into my coffee!
THE LIVING ROOM:
Some boats can be taken out for an additional charge, but we were cheapos … nah, seriously we just wanted a unique place to stay for 3 days as we did tooooooons of walking around the hood (Faneuil Hall/market, Haymarket, Fenway Park (went to see Boston Red Sox baseball game), etc.
All the windows were tinted except for the drivers seat (captains window) so no one could see in during the daytime as we walked around nude (just kidding, we aren’t nudist). At night though you can clearly see inside so that’s when all the dark blue drapes came in handy. One window didn’t have a shade so we added my beach towel (yep, we are classy that way!).
THE BATHROOM
One of the best parts of having a house boat is that it has a roomy indoor shower (soap, shampoo, towels, privacy), so once I sunbathed I would slip into the shower.
THE MASTER BEDROOM:
I was a bit nervous about the bedroom bec hubby’s 6′ tall, but it was more comfortable than we thought it would be plus I got a kick out out being able to use the large waterfront view window from the bed as an entrance / exit to the balcony. The first night was a bit horrible since we FROZE. We had tons on blankets on (I even wore hubby’s hooded sweater) but it was still freezing. It wasn’t until the next day that we remembered (1) that there is a heater in the storage room and (2) hubs spotted a heater on the ceiling. We also learned that night who would survive in a deserted island. Hubby woke up to 1/2 of a bed sheet on him, turning to me and seeing me cocooned with 3 blankets (which I apparently hogged in my sleep). Basically, we concluded that in a deserted island I would eat him first like a chicken drum (survival instincts) or I would hog all the leaves in the island to make myself a blanket. So, we aren’t planning to visit any deserted island to be on the safe side or planning to sign up for Discovery Channels Naked & Afraid crazy ventures.
THE GUEST ROOM:
To the left of when you enter the boat is the guest room. Though it’s not exactly a “room” but a space … a small small did I mention small area where you get to lie down but can’t sit up straight without knocking yourself out unconscious. You can see the edge of the bed in this photo by the steps …. (see the bedspread/mattress?):
It does have a fan, side table-ish area and adorable aquatic pillows. I took a selfie so you can see how tall (or not so tall) the ceiling is to my head. I still give it a thumbs up for unique use of space.
THE OUTDOOR LOUNGE AREAS
The upper deck . . . .
It was easier climbing the ladder to reach the outdoor lounge area with shoes on, but I liked walking around in our “home” without shoes so needless to say (but I’ll say it anyway) … I’m thankful that the ladder wasn’t too high up. I spend most of the time up here sunbathing and Patrick smoking cigars = peacefully perfect. Isn’t he handsome ….
We were apparently too busy taking pictures of ourselves that we didn’t take pics of the Boston waterfront views or the lounge chairs area. The table on the deck was a makeshift …. it was the heater / conditioner box from indoors that protruded outside and a table-top was constructed to camouflage it – not too shabby. You can get a slight glimpse of it from the below photo where Patrick is sitting on the lower deck.
The lower deck …..
We also enjoyed lounging at the back of the boat; where we could grill some fresh fish (we could, but didn’t). Instead we smoked cigars and I fed ducks (too tired to grill, people). I also spent some time at night gazing (peeping) at the building across from us …. the sections with long balconies … some with flowers, some with tables and chairs, some (one) with a huge kayak that I concluded must had been hauled up with a rope. I would had taken a photo but was too busy being a peeper. The BEST part of the lower deck was the FUN access we had entering/exiting it from the bedroom window. By fun, I mean a not-so-eloquent dive, drop, roll actions from the deck through the window to the bed to access the rest of the boat (and vice versa).
It was funny, it was fun. I could hang out with hubs when he was at the back deck while I laid in bed.
THE DOCK:
The morning views were serenely amazing with fresh air, cool breeze, great night sleep (once we got the heater). Sleeping in a boat you feel like you are in a hammock while the boat sang a lullabye. Oh, and the cost was just $179 a night – awesome sauce!!! – much more economical than the B&B and hotel places that we spotted around town.
Here’s the private gated entry:
Here’s a tomato plant from another rentals boat (i want one!):
Here’s my love patiently waiting as I tool a gazillion photos:
Here I am giggling:
And then there was some of the food we ate that turned us into zombies at night. So delicious! Have you visited Boston? I recommend Hanover street from pastry shops, seafood, and fun. Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour. Oh, and stay tuned. We went to an apartment made of ice (sort-of-ish), I’ll post the tour of that apt in a few days, but first I have some designs to tackle. Have a great day.
While in Boston we decided to visit Frost Ice Bar lounge or as I like to call it – an ice apartment. Almost every single item in the ‘apartment’ is made from ice (I know, crazy cool, right!). They had sofas made of ice (yes, I practically squealed with excitement when I spotted them). The residents keep their apt thermostat at 21 degrees to preserve their precious cool furnishing. Brrr.
The foyer (entrance) took my breath away when I spotted the gorgeous chandelier with ice-crystal blocks. Did you see the ice bubbled wall coverings (better than any wallpaper or paint). Then there was the playful toys (ducks), the sculpture with an ice tong tool frozen in time (cool irony), and sports memorabilia (baseballs), and they even had a fish tank (no, fish not real, but still adorable) As I walked towards the living room area I spotted the sofas with sheepskin throws, the coffee/cocktail table, the centerpiece on the table, and even … FROZEN art (I’m squealing with excitement just reminiscing)! But enough of my babbling, let me show you photos . . . .
Artwork (encased in ice), sofa (carved from ice), throw /sheepskin on the sofa for our tushy’s comfort, coffee/ cocktail table (made of ice blocks), centerpiece decor on table (ice ice ice!), and ceiling ice-cubes hanging art; all adds up to = coolness!
And then I spotted it …. (cue the exciting squeaaaaaaaaling). Isn’t she beautiful?
A swan made of ice (that happens to be taller than me and designed with benches inside). Sweet! . . . .
The centerpiece on the ice table are ice hockey pucks (I think!?!?!). They also look like Oreo cookies, but I rather view them as hockey pucks or else you may find my tongue stuck to the ice.
Oh, in my excitement to give you the apartment tour I didn’t get to tell you about our welcoming. In some apartments, the residents ask that you take off your shoes, well this is NOT one of those apts. Instead, you get to wear a coat (which I like to call a pajama-coat bec we are indoors, right .. duuuh!). I found it super comfortable, with pockets and faux fur lined hood. Yeah, these apt tenants treat their guests great.
TOUR RECAP:
Oh, yeah and there’s the kitchen (bar area) below . . . completely made from blocks of ice (coolest kitchen counter top ever huh!).
Did I tell you that the drinking cups were ALSO made of ice? Awesome, right! We didn’t buy any drinks, but a couple near us left one at the table so I TOUCHED it like it was the holy grail. Then back to posing looking cool, calm, and collected (internally I was jumping up and down flaring my hands with excitement). . .
As we were leaving we noticed that the chandelier changes colors (awesome sauce!!!). See photo above and below. It was my final squeal of excitement as we headed out leaving our pajama-coats on hangers, and thanking our hosts for their hospitality. Oh, as for the bedroom – I didn’t see any nor did I ask. Wouldn’t it be weird to ask a host to show us their bedroom, wink! But as a designer I totally (clearly) visualize it …. ice beds with faux fur pillows, sheepskin rug so feet don’t get too cold getting out of the bed, dressers with see through drawers so we can see what’s kept inside, nightstand ice cubes with working night tables (that guests can switch on and off), and hey maybe juuuust maybe a functional TV. Crazy, cool.
Ok, I’m done daydreaming, I have to go work on an email design consultation. I hope you enjoyed the photos.