Elena Has a House

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.