The freehand was a solid place to stay. Definitely worth the price for a place to lay your head. Everything was decently clean, the staff was extremely responsive. For example, we had a smoke alarm with a low battery chirping in our room. After establishing the issue with the front desk the maintenance man was there in 2 mins max. The area around was full of shops and restaurants and the walk to millennium park is certainly doable. The area felt safe as the north bridge shopping center was across the street. Overall, a good stay and we will be returning.