Chris' place is a great value and in an up-and-coming area with some of the best restaurants and bars in San Diego. It's also incredibly convenient -- we never had to drive more than 15 minutes to get anywhere -- whether Little Italy, Balboa Park / the Zoo or Liberty Station.
The lack of shared walls meant that we had to worry less about our toddler causing a ruckus and the whole place is well fenced in and has nice, well-kept landscaping.
Finally, Chris and his fiance and friends make every effort to make the stay comfortable -- when we encountered some issues the first night, they made it right (on a Sunday nonetheless!)
A few things to keep in mind:
- Street parking is tough especially in the evening (as other reviewers have noted).
- This part of North Park is a bit grittier than the part on the other side of University (closer to Upas). That said, we didn't feel unsafe.
- The managers of the unit aren't on-site and while very responsive, they may not catch smaller issues (like the wall-mounted bench in the kitchen had come loose or stains on the carpet / couch).
- The bedroom in the front-most cottage is quite bright at night -- the neighboring apartment building has a flood light that shines directly into the window. Chris kindly added some black out shades at our request.
- While the kitchen and bath are updated, the cottages themselves are vintage so expect some musty-ness and quirkiness.