Earlier this month, Dave and I got away for a night to celebrate his birthday. We had fewer than 24 hours kid-free, so we did what any good suburban couple would do and headed into the big city for the night. Aw, yeah...we drove the whole 25 minutes into Boston.

Because we stayed down on the waterfront, it really felt like we got away, especially as we hung on the deck looking at this pretty view.

Before dinner, we took a nice long harbor walk, and found these fun little houseboats along the way.

I don't know about you, but ever since watching that Seattle RomCom classic from the '90s, I've always fantasized about living on a houseboat. From what I've read, owning a houseboat is not all that it's cracked up to be -- dead fish caught under the boat, bird poop on your deck, etc. -- but still, there's something totally cool about it. Or maybe it's just that Tom Hanks was there.

As I looked closer at this lineup of houseboats, I figured they must have been some sort of floating hotel or something since they all had the same signs on them. Upon a little Googling, I discovered that they are part of the Sleep Afloat fleet -- houseboats for nightly (or longer) rentals in cities up and down the Eastern seaboard, as well as Los Angeles. Started by a houseboat owner who traveled for work and was disappointed by the "cookie cutter" hotel options, Sleep Afloat became the answer to his own conundrum: enjoying the live-afloat life while needing a short-term place to stay.

Docked in Miami Beach, "Living the Dream" which sleeps eight, has two bathrooms, and looks pretty well appointed, seems like a bargain to me at $200 per night.