I stayed at Frank and Meridith's place during a visit to UChicago. Their place is within walking distance to the university(and Obama's mansion) which was great. The location of their house is quiet and residential, however, if you take the train you have to go through a pretty rough part of the South Side of Chicago to get to their house. I, personally, come from an urban neighborhood so this didn't make me extremely uncomfortable. However, if you worry about settings like these(and anticipate taking the train late at night) during your stay, this is something to take into serious consideration. Overall, my stay was pleasant. Frank and Meridith held conversation with me, offered beer in the fridge, and had plenty of snacks in the room during my stay. My only major complaint is that the heater gets extremely loud whenever it turns on after being off for a while. I'm a light sleeper so it woke me up a few times. But, quite frankly, I was more tired than usual and managed to sleep through the night despite it. All in all, I enjoyed my time at Frank and Meredith's and would certainly recommend (given you are comfortable with the things I've mentioned).