In the first two weeks of January I was contracted to work at a medical clinic in Santa Cruz. I wanted to stay somewhere furnished where I could have a kitchen. I was hoping to find someplace interesting and not too instututional like a standard hotel. A friend told me about the Hinds House. My stay was better than I could have ever imagined.

This place is a beautifully maintained 1888 Victorian mansion with all the original woodwork and materials intact. There are 10 guest rooms on two floors, some with shared baths (that's what I chose) and some with private baths. The whole ground floor is divoted to common rooms where guests can lounge around in the parlor, play the grand piano in the sitting room or eat in the ornate dining room. The main floor has a full kitchen that is equipped with everything down to baking supplies and salad spinners. Each guest has designated space in a cupboard for food storage and space in one of three refrigerators. The management has thought of everything: there is free wireless DSL, computer workstation, free laundry, full basement for bicycle and surfboard storage, private mailboxes and parking. My room (#5) was beautiful and came with all that I needed including a VCR, CD player and work desk.

The folks who own this place also run a B&B a few blocks away called the Adobe on Green Street and their experience at making places comfortable really shows. My mattress was the most comfortable I have ever slept on. Two of the best things about staying there were the location and the pricing. Being on the corner of Church and Chestnut Streets, I was three blocks from the center of downtown. I didn't have a car and I could walk to everything. I never felt isolated or cut off from whatever I needed. The prices are reasonable. My room was $360 per week. There are some rooms that are $300 per week. The catch is there are no overnight stays. All rates are by the week only. All in all this was a special and rare place to be for a couple of weeks. I just wish there were more places like this in other cities.