It's hard to imagine why anyone would stay in one of midtown's large, impersonal hotels when they could enjoy all the comforts and charm of this guest house--and in most cases, for less money!

As you could probably guess from the name, this five-story townhouse was built in 1871 and all six rooms (within four distinct apartments) are decorated with beautiful antiques from that era. Luckily, there are a few practical anachronisms such as TVs with cable, internet connections, a coin-operated phone, and an alarm clock. In actuality, it was only opened as a guest house three years ago (the rooms used to be separate apartments), so everything in the rooms has been restored, refurbished, or newly bought.

I stayed in the romantic "parlor room", which has a functional fireplace, a dangerously comfortable bed, and a nice large bathroom. The only drawback for some would be that it's on the street and can therefore get a bit noisy.

The friendly owners showed me some of the other rooms, all distinct but with that same relaxing, homey feeling. The largest room is the "Great Room", which has the most elaborate decorations, a sizeable deck, but a small bathroom. Apparently the "Mission Room", which is the least expensive, is the most often occupied (they're often fully booked, so you should reserve in advance). Most of the rooms have a kitchen area or a small kitchenette, which is helpful since they don't serve breakfast here.