I stayed at Mar and De's place with my family and we had an excellent experience. My daughter slept in the living room, and had no complaints - the projection tv was a big hit. The apartment was spotless when we arrived and looked exactly like the photos. Check-in couldn't have been easier.
The neighborhood is more up and coming than arrived. It felt very safe and very lively. There are pubs and cafes right there (and a few services like dry cleaning) but you'll probably want to explore out further. And exploring was super easy from this home base. If your definition of walking distance stretches to a mile or two, you can get to restaurant row, Wicker Park, and downtown on foot. If not, the blue line is easy to get to and the #65 bus (that will take you to Navy Pier) is within two blocks. The divvy bike stand is literally outside the front door and was very well used (by others) the whole time we were there.
Finally, Mar and De were fantastic communicators. Any question we had was answered immediately and when one piece of equipment was a little tricky, De was there within a few hours to show us how to use it. All in all, a great experience.