Taras's house is on a rather gritty block. It's on a fairly busy street, opposite a large beer store; nearby neighbors have signs advertising "Guan Car Repair" and "How Taking LSD Changed Me." But once you enter the house and the upstairs apartment, you're in a very homey, clean, pleasantly inviting space. It's actually where Taras grew up, and it has the feel of being an actual home (rather than a pre-fab Air bnb apartment). We appreciated how well the apartment was set up: Taras left a bottle of wine AND a selection of locally brewed beers, and the kitchen has quite a lot of basic supplies (cooking oil, spices, etc) and is well set up for cooking. My wife and I stayed in the bedroom, and our kids in a pullout couch in the living room area. The apartment is right off College, which is full of places to eat and shops (I recommend Ramen Isshin (421 College) and Balfour Books). And it's just a few blocks away from Kensington Market, a super-charming, quirky area filled with ethnic restaurants, cafes, fun stores, etc. (Although the street has a lot of car traffic during rush hour, it dies down in the evening and there were no issues with noise for sleeping.)
We only stayed for two nights, but this felt like an apartment where we would've been comfortable settling in for longer as a base for exploring the city. I only had the chance to chat with Taras briefly, but it was clear that he had a wealth of long-standing knowledge of the city and the neighborhood that he was happy to share. Excellent Air bnb.