Lars apartment is on the edge of the Grunlokka area of Oslo. The "Bohemian" part of Oslo. If you are young and adventurous, and just need a place to crash for a few hours at night, this would be great for you. If you are older, still a bit adventurous but like some of the expected apartment amenities maybe this is not the place for you.
However, Lars place does kind of grow on you. Some tiles are missing on the kitchen floor, it's a bit musty, and a bit worn inside. But after a couple of days I began to like it better. It's like opening up a summer cottage after it has sat unused for awhile. The bed is comfortable and it is quiet at night. But Yikes! There wasn't that most essential of amenities: a blow dryer. The kitchen was well equipped and had a small and large French coffee press. The shower was hot but don't expect fluffy towels.
The area is safe and the bus and tram lines are just steps out the door. There are many restaurants within a 10 minute walk. Lio's Cafe is very near and very good for breakfast/lunch and coffee. The Kasbah is further away but also very good for coffee, lunch and dinner. There is a small but welcome grocery store just around the corner.
Lars was very prompt and always helpful in responding to email questions even though he was in LA at the time. We had a great time in Oslo and Lars place was comfortable to come home to.
By the way, we used UberBlack to take us to the train station ( we had several bags), and it worked very well. Also OsloPass was a great deal (especially the senior rate) and very useful as it covered all public transportation and all of the museums that we wanted to see.