Charla's place is ideal for anyone visiting the University of Chicago campus, a well-furnished basement apartment in a nice Hyde Park neighborhood. It would be more appropriate for a single traveler rather than a family because it's a compact space. I did not have a car but it looks like there is plenty of on-street parking. To get to Downtown I walked to the Hyde Park Metra station on 53rd street, about 15-20 minutes away by foot. You can also find a shopping area with grocery stores, restaurants, etc. on 53rd on the way to the station. It was easy to communicate with Charla, she always responded to my messages right away.