Greg was very friendly and easy to talk to, though his dogs made the best impression. The location is excellent if you are looking to explore and enjoy the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago. While the apt is on a major street, I never felt it was too loud....the dogs bark occasionally, but I am used to that and it felt normal to me. My best advice to those considering a visit is to pay attention to the word "hostel" and read more deeply into the reviews than I did.

The space is private (both rooms and a bathroom are in the basement). The staircase leading down is a bit precarious, which may bother some who have difficulty with stairs. It did not bother us. Initially, we were fine with the space. It wasn't until bedtime that we wished we had paid a bit more attention to the details. The double bed had sheets on it that looked as though they had not been cleaned and the twin bed was missing a top sheet. Neither of us slept under the covers. The top quilts on both beds were very thin (granted we slept on top of them) and there were no additional blankets, so we covered up with our coats. In addition, there was no cold water coming out of the bathroom faucet and the rooms (including the bathroom) were not cleaned prior to our arrival.

Greg did go out of his way to purchase ingredients for a vegan breakfast for us, but my text to set up the time for that breakfast never went to him (I inadvertently sent it to my own email), so we showed up for breakfast which was not there and he thought we failed to follow through in letting him know when we wanted it :( In the end, we did not get to enjoy the fruits of his labor and he spent money for a breakfast we did not eat. As Greg is a chef, I have no doubt that the food would have been fabulous and I applaud the fact that he provides this at no extra charge.

Parking is a problem in this area as you must have a neighborhood permit. Greg mistakenly gave us an expired parking pass, which ended with us having a ticket on our car in the morning. We are still hoping to resolve this issue.

Overall, the space would have been fine if it had been clean, with freshly cleaned sheets. Those are the basic requirements that I believe must be met. For some, this "hostel" space is obviously fine as he has many good reviews, but it was not what we expected and we would not go back.