Meet Elena
Family Hobbies
Basketball, Gardening, Camping, Music, gigs, festivals, Painting
Hosting guests since
1989
About the Homestay
- Welcomes
- Males
- Females
- Couples
- Families
- Students
My husband John and I live on one of the most beautiful streets of Philadelphia, East Gowen Avenue. It is lined with beautiful old Victorian homes and giant old trees. The commuter train (Chestnut Hill East Line) is located just across the street, with a 20 minute ride into center city Philadelphia and all its tourist attractions. During the Pope's 2-day visit it is an easy 20 minute walk through the popular Chestnut Hill business district to the Chestnut Hill West train line permitted to function that weekend. Our home is a five bedroom twin with large sunny rooms and high ceilings. Our living space on the first floor has living room, dining room and large kitchen. We have our bedroom on the second floor where there is also an office, a bathroom and a guest room. The third floor contains a private apartment and my artist studio. The art-filled apartment has a private bathroom, kitchen and bedroom, all for sole use of guest. For over twenty years we have shared our third floor with an array of different people for periods of a few days, a few months to 5 years. We have had people stay from Africa, Latin America, Middle East, Canada and Europe. My job put me in touch with many international individuals and opened the door for visitors. We loved getting to know each person and sharing our home with them. We have two cairn terrier dogs (Max and Zoey) who love to make friends with all new visitors. We are active couple who enjoy camping, hiking with our dogs, traveling, music, art, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
My Pets
2 Dogs
House Facilities
- Garden
- Laundry
- Parking
- Internet Access
- Smoke alarm
- Air Conditioning
Bedrooms available for booking
About the Area
Our house is located in northwest Philadelphia in a beautiful tree lined residential section. We are across the street from the Chestnut Hill East commuter train line into central Philadelphia (a 20 minute ride). The train line also goes to and from the Philadelphia airport, so no car is needed to reach our home once you arrive. Downtown Philadelphia contains a wide assortment of historical sights and a multitude of interesting restaurants and activities. We are within walking distance of two unique shopping areas: East Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill. Both shopping areas are filled with charming and interesting stores and restaurants. Hiking trails in Fairmont park are also easily accessible from our home.
Local Area Facilities
- Park
- Gym
- Library
- Museum
- Shopping Centre
- Restaurant
- Bus Stop
- Train station
- Hospital
Meals
Hosts can offer a complimentary light breakfast at their discretion. All other meals, including a full breakfast, might incur an additional cost, if offered. Meals and any additional payment should be arranged directly with your host.
Included in the stay
- Complimentary Light Breakfast
- Use of Kitchen
House Rules
Guests must be quiet after 11 pm. No smoking is allowed in the house.
Smoking Rules
Your host is a non-smoker.
Smoking is not allowed.
How do I book?
Contact the host to check their availability and ask them any questions you have about staying with them. Once the host confirms they’re available for your dates, you can complete your booking.
When do I pay?
Once a host confirms they're available, you can go ahead and pay the 15% booking fee (maximum of 250 $£€ for longer term bookings) using a choice of payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Maestro, Laser, JCB & PayPal (not available in certain countries). You then pay your host on arrival or as stated by your host on their profile and agreed by you on booking. Please be cautious if a host requests advance payment if its not included on their profile. Our hosts have been advised that if they wish to request advance payment they must make this explicit in their profile. We do not recommend the use of Money gram or Western Union.
When can I share my contact details?
Host and Guest email address, phone number and home address will be exchanged in a confirmation email sent to both immediately after a booking is completed. It's against our policy for Guests and Hosts to exchange direct contact details via our messaging system.