Have you seen the Albert Brooks comedy "Defending Your Life?" In the film, recently deceased souls are sent to "Judgment City" where their time on earth is reviewed by a jury. The accommodations in Judgment City are tailored to each soul to make them feel comfortable while they await their trial. The quality assigned is equivalent to the soul's achievements on earth. For example, Albert Brooks' character--a decent guy who was afraid to take chances in life--is assigned a dull 3 star hotel. It's an extremely average hotel--there's even a sign in the lobby that says "Welcome Kiwanis Dead."

I'm venturesome enough, but I also require creature comforts. Jb's apartment is the type of place that I would hope to be given in Judgment City. This apartment appealed to me on every level. The historic neighborhood was an attraction in itself, and the actual flat was clean, spacious, and filled with light.

Here's a list of other things that my husband and I loved about this place:

-the bed was comfy
-the shower was great
-the kitchen was huge and stocked with pots, pans, dishes, fruit, rice milk, Kashi bars, goji berries(!), etc. (We didn't cook this time, but we will when we go back)
-there was lots of cool artwork and a bookshelf full of art books
-there was a big table that we used to spread out and organize our stuff
-the wifi worked well, and it was free
- the apartment had a nice backyard
-the neighbors were super-friendly.

Jb was a conscientious host and was always one text message away. He's also a great ambassador for the Pullman neighborhood, and Air BnB.

Now, in "Defending Your Life," Judgment City was full of restaurants, and the souls on trial could eat unlimited food without gaining weight. By contrast, the Pullman area boasts a McDonalds, and not much else. The location could definitely be a negative for anyone wanting restaurants and shopping within walking distance. Since we were in town to visit relatives in northwest Indiana, the location was ideal--the drive to Munster, Indiana took less than 20 minutes. The Metra train is also just a few blocks away, and it took about 20 minutes to get to the Art Institute / downtown. (A physical anomaly - 20 minutes from anywhere.)

If your idea of a perfect lodging is a large, older apartment in a neighborhood that is steeped in history, and you don't mind taking the train or driving...then you will love this quaint, artsy pad in the Pullman District.

(On a side-note, this was our first experience using Air BnB, and we are hooked! We would have never found Jb's place or known about the Pullman area without Air BnB. We are looking forward to using it again.)