We had an absolutely wonderful home exchange and can highly recommend both the apartment and the neighborhood.
The apartment itself was fantastic, and Beth and Drew gave us such a warm welcome. At the beginning of our stay, we met them upstairs for a coffee, which was a lovely way to start. A few days later, we met again and went together to a local sports bar to watch the Germany vs. USA friendly match – such a fun and personal experience.
We stayed in the apartment below their main home. Beth and Drew had also offered us their primary residence, but that would only have been available later during the school holidays. For our trip, the garden-level apartment was absolutely perfect and more than sufficient.
We were there on a girls’ trip as two friends, and the apartment was ideal for that setup – we even had the luxury of having a bedroom each, which made the stay especially comfortable.
The apartment easily accommodates up to four adults, even for a longer stay. Being partially below ground level, it stayed pleasantly cool – and there is also air conditioning and underfloor heating, so you’re well prepared for any weather.
The kitchen and bathroom were extremely well equipped – we didn’t miss a thing and were able to cater for ourselves very comfortably. We especially appreciated the thoughtful snack bowl and the available pantry items. A real highlight were the fresh eggs from their chickens, who greeted us every morning through the window. The amount was perfect for us, and we could have had more anytime.
The neighborhood is simply beautiful: quiet, well-kept, with many young families and very friendly neighbors. At the same time, it’s very well connected – it took us about 50 minutes by train to get to the Loop, and the ride never felt long because there was always something to see. We felt safe at all times.
That said, you don’t need to go downtown every day – we spent several days just exploring and enjoying the neighborhood itself. There’s a large park as well as several smaller ones, supermarkets (even an Aldi), and plenty of restaurants, bars, and cafés all within walking distance. Beth and Drew also gave us fantastic personal recommendations, which made our stay even better.
Chicago itself was incredibly welcoming. We had so many kind and memorable encounters that we’ll keep thinking about for a long time. We highly recommend doing a Greeters tour as well as attending a sports event – we went to a White Sox game, but there are many great options. Of course, we also did the classic architecture river boat tour and otherwise explored the city at our own pace.
Overall, we felt like we found the perfect balance between seeing the main highlights and experiencing the city like a local.