This is such a great little space. You really get a bang for your buck and get to explore a neighborhood that most people would probably not get to otherwise. Ronaldo and Carla were very welcoming hosts. I felt comfortable hanging out in the living room with them and sharing the space.
My son and I really enjoyed the projector. It was super easy to set up and it was fun to watch after a long day of walking around the city. The room does not have windows but has some pretty cool mood lighting. Also this means that when the lights are off you will get blissful sleep.
I really appreciated the little details such as the glass bottle full of water with glasses. Hangers for the clothes rack and chalk to add to the wall if we wished to. The bed was super comfortable and we did not need to bring in our home pillows from the car because the pillows were also super comfortable.
I was always able to find parking on the street that was free in front of the apartment or a little further down Iowa Street. Do know that some of that parking across the street is permit parking so beware - although I luckilg did not got ticketed the two times I parked there accidentally (finally an elder gentleman kindly let me know). I felt completely comfortable leaving my car in the street despite having out-of-state plates and a clearly loaded vehicle. I felt comfortable walking alone on my own as well as with my son when he was with me.
About the area:
There are quite a few nice restaurants nearby that you can walk to. I really liked Split Rail as they have a great happy hour for food and drinks and Shokolad for lunch and pastries. As well as some cute shops. I was able to pick up a few necessities at the CVS and the Fresh Produce market on the corner of N. Western Ave and W. Chicago Ave. A fewish blocks to the north is Division Street where there was also a ton of cool eateries.
There is a school playground half a block away and a little bit south of W. Chicago Ave. is Smith Park. A bit farther and maybe worth a bike ride or a car ride is Humboldt Park. I visited the Puerto Rican cultural center that is situated there and walked around the trails, playground, courts, splash area, etc. You are able to rent Swan paddle boars and some sort of bike contraption by the boat house. The cultural center also has a nice exhibit talking about the history of the park and its creation which I thought was very interesting.
To get to downtown Chicago it was between 15-20 min max. I also had no idea where I was going so I’m sure someone could probably get there faster. But it is a super cool drive down W. Augusta Ave. with a view of the skyline almost the entire drive to downtown. Just plan ahead of time which parking garage are going to use before you get there.
There is a place to rent bikes on the corner down the street from the apartment and there’s also a couple bus stops super close by on W Chicago Ave. Bus Number 65 will take you straight to Navy pier. Download the Ventra app.
Anyhow if you’re thinking about renting this base, do it! I saved a ton of money by not staying downtown/ having to pay high parking/valet fees, we got to explore a neighborhood I otherwise would’ve never have even thought to go into and got to meet some really cool people.