Welcome Back! Hope y'all had a fabulous weekend. I got in some great girl-time Friday and Saturday and then Mr. Southern and I attended a golf tournament to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on Sunday. And I am NOT a golfer. But I made a few decent shots that we actually used!
During the outing, one of my friends mentioned an event she attended earlier in the weekend- a party on a houseboat. Oh, the houseboat.
When I lived outside of Washington, DC, I snagged invitations to several parties floating on the Waterfront. Though I struggled somewhat with the fact that the house was moving- exacerbated by our imbibing - few things are cooler than a party on a houseboat.
There are several houseboat neighborhoods across the country-way more than I ever could have imagined- and several much more famous than DC.
via MetroShip
Many of these locations also feature "floating homes," which differ from houseboats in that they are not self-propelled. The history of Houseboat across the US varies by location, but reports suggest it dates back to at least the 1880s. In Washington, DC, the houseboat community grew due to the shortage of homes during World War II. Nearly every houseboat community, in the US at least, has been embroiled in political battles- regarding property taxes, water usage, ownership challenges, etc.
Eastlake in Seattle
San Francisco, CA (Sausalito)
via Joe Inc TV
photo via Boing Boing
photo via Boating SF
This is also not a US-phenomenon- I found houseboat listings in the UK, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, etc.
Amsterdam
London
via Holiday Lettings
What do you think? Could you adopt the Houseboat lifestyle? Perhaps for a vacation?
--Emmie
definitely for a vacation, but i get motion sickness really easily so if there was any movement it might not be so good!
ReplyDeleteEastlake was my single-gal neighborhood! The house boats are truly amazing and they actually swing all the way around Lake Union into another cool neighborhood called Portage Bay.
ReplyDeleteThey are building a multi-million dollar dock down on Eastlake at the moment for houseboat moorage. Meaning, the creme de la creme will be building their custom houseboats at this spot. I'll send you some links when they get up and running because they are going to be unreal!
I love the Seattle pic! I love rain:). Beautiful photos!
ReplyDeleteI think it would be awesome for a vacation! I dont know about year round, I know up here in Boston the weather by the water is not so nice in the winter and the winter is LONG here :)
ReplyDeleteLots of Atlanta folks have huge houseboats on Lake Lanier. You can even rent one. Most never leave the dock. It's mighty nice up there.
ReplyDeleteI love the houseboat idea...especially as a vacation home! Take care, Caroline
ReplyDeleteNot a chance! ha! Seriously, I live just 2 miles from the Sausalito Floating Homes - they are pretty and fun, but I like to keep my foundations on solid ground!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos, especially of the Lake Union, Seattle floating homes. The styles vary widely, but you're right, a party on a houseboat moving across the lake is as good as it gets.
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