Tiny House AirBnB Charm

Given the limited time off Michael and I have (and the difficulty in lining up simultaneous vacations between the two of us given the inflexible scheduling demands of medical residency) I’ve been looking into staycations more and more. If you asked me a few years ago I would have scoffed at the idea of taking a staycation— I much preferred grandiose multi-week/month endeavors crossing oceans and country borders, eating and experiencing exotic things galore (these trips were before the days of residency, and before the days of this blog). I still do prefer these kinds of trips but (sigh) we can only do so much these days. Happily, one of our recent smaller trips showed me how much fun an outing of much smaller scale can still be! We recently pulled the trigger on a cute little home found posted on Airbnb in Media, Pennsylvania. It was 280-something square feet, located on the second floor above a the car/storage space of a detached garage.

What made this Airbnb stand out was the way it was so meticulously and lovingly decorated. Every tiny little detail and decor decision was obviously pondered upon with great effort. From the unique handles on the DIY shelving unit to the (not so lowly anymore) toilet paper holder, nothing was not special in some quirky way. Especially for someone like me who loves to poke around new living spaces and absorb the minutiae, this space was a delight. Staying here reminded me of my childhood ambitions of building and furnishing lavish homes and dreamy treehouses— maybe one day, one day, I’ll actually do it (after residency).

We made sure to take advantage of the Airbnb’s location, right on the border of Ridley Creek State Park. This little hut (read “hut” in an affectionate manner, not a patronizing one) was perched on the side of a super steep hill, so the window viewed the swaying treetops bordering the eastern edge of park. I loved sitting by the open window in the morning nursing a cup of coffee (freshly roasted, courtesy of the hosts), listening to the woodpeckers and songbirds in the treetops just outside.

We had time to hike only one of the state park’s hiking trails, but that just means we have more to explore when we return! Our folding bikes— an old Dahon and a newer CarryMe— also made the trip and were given lots of exercise on one of the (paved) park trails.