COZY, FUNCTIONAL & PRETTY

Alicia is a kind, thoughtful and caring host, who made sure I had a great stay. She invited me to events, shared her knowledge of spaces and festivals in Chicago, and even drove me to the supermarket. I really appreciate her kindness and openness.
The neighbourhood is lovely and safe, really close to public transport - I had to commute to downtown Chicago pretty much every day, and never had any issues with the trains or busses. The house, too, is comfortable, well-equipped, clean and has everything one might need during one's stay.
Thoroughly recommend staying at Alicia's and hope to come back someday!

The hostess was very nice, friendly, and helpful. There was just a variety of things that were strange throughout the stay. Starting from payment, she wouldn't accept PayPal even though it is listed on her profile. She would regularly enter the apartment without notice, at one point even storing things in the freezer. With a comment only to my apartment mate, even though it was on "my" shelf, that she just didn't have room in her own freezer. Random things like the bathroom mat being changed out without word, or the back door being left unlocked. At one point there was a tornado warning and she came into the apartment and unlocked the front and back door and expected us to keep them unlocked all night. She had told the upstairs neighbors they could let themselves in and stay the night, telling us only after the fact. It would have been much less problematic for me if there wasn't a basement, that was objectively much safer than the first floor that has a window in every room during a tornado. There was also this strange confrontation the one time my boyfriend and dog visited me. The dog was inside literally less than a minute, just while I set something down. He was leashed the entire time and did not climb on any of the furniture. I immediately took him outside and walked him around the block while my boyfriend finished bringing some stuff in he had brought for me. Overall he was there maybe 5 minutes or less. She had made the assumption that they were going to sleep there and was confronting me to tell me she wasn't happy about it. Not only were they not staying there, we had already rented a hotel on the opposite side of town. She had a no men or dog rule for this specific floor, which was strange because the upstairs neighbors had both a yappy annoying dog, and man, but that is neither here nor there. To be fair, it was a room and not an apartment for rent. Most of it would not have been a problem if it had just been listed on the profile to begin with. I've never had such an involved landlord and would have greatly preferred to have known that upfront before choosing the room so I could make an informed decision. I never got the impression that my room was entered while I was away, which at the end of the day is most important. The room and the place were nice and well kept. Plenty of room for one person. I never had an issue with the Wifi, but I believe my apartment mate might have in her room. The floors are thin, and the upstairs neighbors were pretty loud. That is of course not the hostesses fault, she cannot control them. The neighborhood was safe and nice. About a 5-15 minute walk to the nearest bus or train. There is a grocery store very close at walking distance, nearby. I did not personally have a problem with parking on the street. I was always able to park within 2 blocks. But I was driving a Chevy Spark with a review camera. I think parking would have been significantly more difficult if I drove a longer car and didn't have a review camera. The streets are pretty narrow and have cars parked on both sides of it (one way only streets). And the streets are lined with cars outside of regular business hours. I wish the hostess the very best. There were a lot of wonderful things about the stay, it was simply not the right choice for me and I wish I had known that before choosing it.

She is nice. If I go back to Chicago, I will contact her. She sometimes help me to carry lots of grocerries. She lended me coins for laundry so I didn’t have to exchange coins using tax. Also, she offered toilet papers, dish wash soap, and hand soap. She changed my light bulb using the ladder when it went out. She has lots of good cooking tools so I could cook everything without worrying about. Otherwise, sometimes ubber eats delivery man couldn’t find home. So, if you want delivery, you should leave a message like “a red big star on the window” or use meet at door option. Thank you for sharing your home!

Alicia was the most wonderful host - so kind, caring, and helpful! It is only a shame we couldn't spend more time together because of the pandemic. But she was always ready to help me with anything I needed. The apartment has everything you'd need for a long stay and is located in a nice area with lots of local groceries and restaurants too. It take about 40 minutes to get downtown by train, which was fine for me. Whenever I come back to Chicago, I hope to stay with Alicia again!

I really enjoyed my stay at Alicia's house. She is a warm-hearted, honest and radiant person. She loves to cook and take care of her guests. I did not only find an amazing host, but also I found a friend :) I love listening to her stories, and I feel my 4 day stay has been too short to get to know her. I would definitely come back. Her place is neat, clean, well equipped and very beautifully decorated. The area is safe and well connected. Overall it has been an amazing homestay!