I was born and raised in Illinois, and this was only my second time truly getting to experience Chicago. Before coming to stay, my friend and I knew we would be staying in a questionable neighborhood. Living in questionable neighborhoods in our own city, we had no problem with this. Upon arrival at the AirBnB, my friend was unsure of what lie ahead, but I was excited. We arrived late, so it was dark, and also stormy. The house appeared haunted. As I followed directions on my phone on how to get in, we entered into the dimly lit foyer of this beautiful, renovated home, built in 1895. Renovation is still a work in progress, but what has already taken place, I feel, has brought the house back to life from a previous grandeur. The chosen furnishings and artwork displayed throughout the home bring a mix of old and new. The house was almost eerily quiet, which simply added to the ambience the house exudes. I continued to follow well-written directions to find our way to our room. We made our way up the stairs, which quickly disturbed the silence. The original wooden staircase creaked loudly as we made our way up. Growing up in a very old home, I appreciated this yet other tinge of character brought on by the house. At the second floor landing, we discovered our room was going to be found on the third floor. For me, I felt like a kid again, exploring a home, having more and more reveal itself to me. I've always loved turn of the century homes, and old Victorian homes. They have so much history and stories locked up in the walls. So this house was a gem for me. As we made our way up the partially spiraled, wood staircase to the third floor, silence was broken again with the creaking of the wood floors. I loved it! On the third floor, we entered into a grand room, with our room on the other side. It was a hot weekend in Chicago, so we were pleased to find the A/C running in the bedroom. The bedding was almost majestic, with the bed and pillows being equally as pleasing. We settled in, and quickly took advantage of the complimentary Wifi and Netflix. I found my way to the shared bathroom, also on the third floor, and was once again enthralled by the work done, particularly the tiled shower. My overall first impressions of the home immediately had me sold. It took a couple days before it grew on my friend, but we both left feeling genuinely pleased with our stay. We stayed for 5 nights, and each day we would learn new things about the house, and meet new people. Ryan, the host, is a great, charismatic person, who is always open to conversation. He has created an incredible, inviting environment, that I sincerely hope I can experience again. The house is a masterpiece in the works, and I'm...