Day six: Breakfast in America

[Gordon0]

Travel is, for the most, a relatively joyous thing. I’m not talking the means of getting from A to B - like schlepping to work (and back again) - but the nicer aspect, like a train journey north of the (English) border to rekindle a faded love affair with a sparkling, granite-built city. A picnic-in-bag coach-trip to a freshly-cut-lawn-perfumed Oxford on a sunny summer’s day. Or flying across the Atlantic - as I did a few days ago - for a short stay in a favourite city.

Just as the ‘journey’ part of a trip has changed (‘dinners’ are no longer glamorous at that end of the aircraft, especially when served in tin-foil), so too has the place many of us lay our heads at our destination. After all, until a few years ago (well, maybe a little more) overnight travel might have meant a hotel/motel, or more traditional B&B (if you were short on funds and didn’t mind the occasional ear-chewing from a hardened, curler-adorned landlady).

Fast-forward to today, and most cities (with the exception of New York, from where I pen this note) welcome weary Airbnb travellers with open arms.

For the most, the 16 Airbnb properties we’ve stayed in across eleven countries, have hit the spot every time. The current property I’m staying at (legally, for the record) in isn’t any different. Clean, modern, stylish furnishings, freshly-ironed sheets (if only there was a filter for this, a must-have in my book) and a brilliantly comfortable bed in a Bed-Stuy, up-and-coming neighbourhood.

Airbnb has been good to me, it can’t be denied. I’ve hosted some lovely people, a number of whom I now count as friends. And it’s financed some ace holidays during which - somewhat bizarrely (like this one) - I’ve often ploughed cash back into the company that made it all possible.

I see my Airbnb income as a gift, and a better one than the Christmas or birthday variety, because it keeps on giving, year-round. I’m celebrating my birthday here today (where I’ve traveled every year at the same time for 20+ years), and my gift from Airbnb was the ticket price (plus LOTS of taxes) that got me across the Atlantic, and for that I’m very grateful. 

And so I sit here, contemplating today's breakfast in America (sans the Supertramp floor-filler) mulling what life might have been without Airbnb.

Christmas greetings, and a perfectly peaceful new year to each and every one of you.

So, tell me, and assuming you’ve been a good boy or girl, what gift has Airbnb given you?

Breakfast in America!

[Solveig0]

Hi @Gordon0 , 

Always nice reading your contribution on this forum. I've never stayed with Airbnb, only been a host, and I guess that's been the biggest "gift" from Airbnb -  being able to host people. I always thought being able to host people B&B style would be for when I retire, but Airbnb has made it all possible. I most enjoy meeting all the people we host during a year, so that's a gift that keeps on giving for me. 

[Gordon0]

Thanks, @Solveig0, nice of you to say so. Like you, I thought opening my home was for retirement, little did I know... 

[Miloud0]

Salute @Gordon0,  

I agree with Solveig0 , It is the gift of contacting, meeting and sharing with people from all over the

world and different cultures.

Thank you for sharing with us your interesting contribution 

Thanks, 

Miloud

[Gordon0]

Thanks, @Miloud0. Like minds think alike!

[Inna22]

@Gordon0 for many years I have worked from home and what I did was not something my kids could easily wrap their head around. To quote my oldest, you go to your not a job and not work there. They now know exactly what I do, every once in a while help with little things. They know what I struggle with and see how I deal with difficult customer situations. They laugh with me at my drunk housekeeper, my mouse chases and all other silly things that happen and I post about. They see how I try to have life work balance. I don't really like to advertise that I have an airbnb (I feel there is a bit of stigma in Chicago) but they do announce it with pride.

[Gordon0]

As much as I understand it, it's sad to be stigmatised for doing something like this. Life is all about balance, and it's only in recent years we're really getting this.

[Susan151]

@Gordon0  Happy Birthday! As pancakes go, those don't look too bad. I hate those really thick ones that have an almost raw filling. Hard to believe that Bed-Sty is so up-and-coming, but I was there this summer and it most definitely is!

Enjoy the rest of your holiday, and then back to your gift; a gift that is year-round but not without effort.

[Gordon0]

It has some way to go, @Susan151, despite the carbon-copy hipsters filling up the bars. What has surprised us the most is the bar crowd (think Mama and Papas look-likeys) are pretty much invisible during the daylight hours but come out at night.

Something I'll never get used to though is the Subway here, and the 'characters' you ride with. The C-train isn't for the faint-hearted!

[Cathie19]

Thanks @Gordon0  for your wonderful post. Resonating, nostalgic and authentic.

I would have been more satisfied had I been able to eat those pancakes (pikelets) whilst reading it! 

LOL...

[Gordon0]

Thank you, @Cathie19. I'm actually off to Australia on January 2 and have been YouTubing (far too much) the breakfasts/brunches I can look forward to over there. 

[Bronwyn38]

@Gordon0 , you should come and visit some of your fellow Airbnb hosts while you are here in Australia! My place comprises two self contained units adjacent to our residence, on a couple of acres, and not far from one of the prettiest spots on the East coast of Australia (Jervis Bay)… we do a 3 week road trip each winter (quietest time for bookings) and head up north to family but I make as interesting a road trip as I can out of the journey to and fro with stays between 1 and 4 nights along the way depending on the regional attractions. I love meeting other Airbnb hosts and comparing their version of (in our case) pet friendly accommodation. We stay at an average of 8 to 10 different pet friendly places, nearly all Airbnb (always my first choice if I can find something that suits our needs, but some Australian towns, especially more remote ones, have a lot less on offer, and very few pet friendlies. Still, it's helping me to get to know my own state better. 

Recently, we had to go in the other direction (South West, to Adelaide, South Australia) for the funeral of an old friend of mine, and on the way back, we stopped a night in the town my husband grew up in (Dimboola in Victoria!). He asked if I might find somewhere near there for us to stay so he could have a look at what might have changed since his mum died (3 Januaries back now), and the family home of 60+ years was sold.... Only after I had confirmed a booking with pet friendly hosts IN Dimboola (which is a miracle in itself, believe me!) did my husband recognise the Peppercorn tree at the back gate in one of the listing's photos.....!!?? Turned out it was the old newsagency and residence that my husband's family owned and ran for more than 3 generations! Our hosts were even kind enough to let us have a look at the residence, upstairs and down, so my husband had a real nostalgia trip, reflecting on what each room had been used as in his childhood when it was his grandparents' home... That was just a brilliant experience, that we would never have expected!

Talking of Aussie breakfasts, I let my guests tell me their preferences in types of bread, fruit juice, milk and cereals, and offer them some of my hens' eggs, plus fresh fruit and snacks etc, all in the price. I provide the goodies and they prepare them at their convenience, which is how I prefer to do it when I travel... I've not had a complaint yet, even though I know in Britain, most B and B's I've stayed at serve breakfast at a communal table, pretty much at the same time for everyone, but too often, I am just not ready for breakfast that early... I've had some French guests who like traditional French goodies, and others who want a typical Australian breakfast... there really is no such thing as we are such a melting pot of old traditions from Britain and Europe in particular, so it could be porridge, Corn Flakes, Vegemite on toast (one guest who tried this for the first time, I suspect lathered the Vegemite on much thicker than we tend to do, and was not impressed... so keep that in mind, if you are inclined to give it a go while you are here, just spread it thinly, for a more 'delicate' flavour, if you dare!) Good luck, and I hope you enjoy your time in Australia. Try and avoid areas of bushfire, might not be so easy this summer!

[Miloud0]

Salute

Thank you also @Gordon0  

Thanks, 

Miloud

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Happy birthday @Gordon0  :)))

I love American pancakes with icecream and maple syrup njaminjami 🙂

[Rachel0]

Thanks for a lovely post @Gordon0 and a belated Happy Birthday!