Brian's place has a bit of a hostel feeling, but with better amenities. Our room was quite small, but we were allowed to use everything, including TV room, kitchen, and laundry. There is free breakfast (eggs, yoghurt, cereals, bagels, etc). The location is about 30 min metro ride to downtown, easy to get there via the red line. 5min to the beach. If you're looking for an affordable place to stay in Chicago, that's the place to go.