Ahoy...We have a winner!

Thank you so much to all 46 of you who left comments on my house tour post! I had so much fun reading your price guesstimates. But, as you know, there can only be one person declared the winner. And that person is....

Drum roll...

Black Eyed Susan's Kitchen!

She guessed $1,333,000 which is quite incredible -- current asking price is $1,335,000! If this was the Price is Right, I think should would have won both Showcases for lobbing a guess that close to the actual retail price. She also added in her comment that, " I am never good with these things." Au, contraire!

I think that's not a terrible price for this house, but there's the ceiling tile issue and who knows what the electrical and plumbing situation may be. Still...a solarium? A studio? Room for attic expansion? I'll be playing the lotto tonight.

I want to share some link love with the remaining folks in the "Top 5 " -

Bo at Blinks ‘N Winks from Brown Eyes - $1,300,000
Bo (keeper of a fabulously named blog!) used a little power of deduction by guessing the two bedrooms would influence the price.

Jersey Girl in D.C. - $1,250,000
As her name suggests, our Jersey Girl knows the NJ market a bit. Be sure to check out her fabulous blog giveaway.

Linda at Lime in the Coconut - $1,249,000.99
Linda also figured that two bedrooms could be a problem. And love the use of .99, by the way. Good strategy!

Maya at Springtree Road - $1,200,000
Also hip to the 2 bedroom, and even added the 1-1/2 bath problem.

A special Honorable Mention to Kari and Kijsa – they went over, but only ever-so-slightly by guessing $1,400,000.

Thank you, everyone! If by chance I screwed up this top five, I'm blaming it on the fact I cracked my head against my desk at work today whilst looking for a crumb I dropped on the floor. Sometimes, my stupidity astounds even me.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

I went on yet another fabulous house tour this Sunday in Hoboken, NJ. My favorite wasn't a "home" at all. It was a Yankee.

The Yankee was built 1907 and became a registered historic place after prior owner Jimmy Gallagher restored it.

Artists Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs are the current owners, and use it as their city pied-à-terre when they’re not enjoying and designing at their 65-acre former dairy farm overlooking Cayuga Lake in New York’s Finger Lakes region.

As soon as you hop aboard The Yankee, reminders of her time at sea greet you...

...as does Mister Brown. Who didn't greet, per se, but sure looked awfully content.

Their collection of old steamer trunks was in the same room. I wondered if the lack of closet space makes this collection a bit more practical in nature.

A little historical interlude:

The ship, originally named the Machigonne, was rare because it was luxurious for a day-trip ferry. Throughout its active life, the ferry was berthed in harbors up and down the northeast. In New York, it shuttled people to the Statue of Liberty and new immigrants from Ellis Island to Manhattan. Many immigrants were forced to stay below deck on their route to the New World and got their first sight of New York aboard the ferry, said Richard MacKenzie-Childs. In 1947, she was renamed the Yankee and transported vacationers from Providence to Block Island, before the ferry was retired in the 1980s and became a target of vandals. (The Downtown Express)

The main living space is found in the stern of the boat, where oodles of collections await. Here's their coffee table (To think I only use mine to rest my coffee on!).

Also in the living room, a bookshelf brimming with collectibles.

Even their small but efficient kitchen was brimming with eye candy. And could I love this stove more? (Answer: Nope.)

Their lovely loo, that I managed to get a small shot of...

I'm sorry I couldn't get a picture of their bedroom. It was tiny, but the highlight was the canopy of the bed -- an oil painting the exact size of their mattress (so, laying in bed you'd look up at a framed portrait looking back at you). Brilliant!

Upstairs takes you to the main deck, which we were told is available for private parties. (Note to self!) Look at how fun this space is...You probably can't tell, but there are swings hanging from the ceiling that we were encouraged to take a spin on:

This humongous shell wreath blocked the entry to the restrooms on that level:

And outside on the bow side of that level, is the postcard view of midtown Manhattan.

Not too shabby, huh?

In doing a little more research I found a great video of the place -- click over to Hoboken 411 to check it out. Apparently Victoria and Richard have done open houses where they sell pieces from their line, along with other antiques and collectibles. Sign me up! (Actually...I did sign up. And can't wait to go to one.)