Our hostess was very generous and unbelievably polite--she even drove us to the CTA because it was raining like crazy on our last day (a 2 block drive). The apartment was clean and spacious. The animals, caged in the backyard, were not bothersome and unexpectedly nice addition to the urban environment. The neighborhood, at first glance, seems intimidating; but the people were friendly and didn't bother us.