Karen's apartment is in perfect location, just 15 minutes walk from clean sandy beaches and close to the Red line trains. It was very convenient to take the train or nearby bus to the city center. We loved to walk to close by playgrounds with my two kids (11 months and nearly 3 years). The neighborhood was very safe and my kids met a lot of new friends there.
Karen's apartment is on 3rd floor which I was little worried about at the beginning especially as my baby son was learning to walk and he was mesmerized by the steep and quite narrow wooden stairs. But he managed well and nothing happen despite the fact that he was walking up the stairs himself every day.
Karen is great host, very friendly, caring and helpful. I was cooking for kids almost every day and I have missed the non-stick fry pan, she went ahead and bought one. She also secured some toys for my kids as we could not carry them with us from home as we flew in from Europe and needed to keep the luggage to minimum.
The apartment was clean with lot of personal touch. In the kitchen it felt little more dark and older than on the photos. But there were many lamps so it compensated well. The beds were very comfortable to sleep and felt like new.
We would definitively like to come back to Karen's place if we visit Chicago in the future again.