The House of Two Urns is in Wicker Park (or maybe Bucktown) north and west of the city core. It is not a luxury downtown hotel, nor does it wish to be. It is cute, comfortable, and definitely quirky. I loved it.
Arriving at O'Hare, you can take a two dollar mass transit ride to the Division stop and walk about two blocks total within about 45 minutes. The neighborhood is neutral. I'm an older single woman and I never felt concerned walking around the immediate neighborhood after dark.
Right now (June, 2009), there is work on the CTA tracks so you can't take the subway/el downtown on the weekends. You have to use the bus, so it is a little longer to get downtown on weekends. It wasn't terrribly distressing to me.
I stayed in the Chats room. More mainstream than it sounds. It's located at the front of the house and removed from the other second floor guest rooms by the lounge area. If you're really security conscious, you won't like the fact that the room doesn't lock because it has double french doors. But the closet is lockable and I wasn't concerned.
Like any place with a shared bath, you have to think a bit about how to arrange your "stuff", but the closet was spacious and included robes and shower slippers for trips outside the room.
The shared space for guests includes a formal dining area, an old-fashioned parlor, a kitchen, and an outdoor deck. You are free to use the space as you like. There was an incredible thunderstorm one night while I was there and I reclined on the fainting couch in the parlor and watched the lighting like some character from an old novel. Another evening, I shared leftovers in the kitchen with a delightful Canadian woman and her daughter.
Breakfast starts at 8 am for the regular schedule. If you want to go earlier, they will prepare something for you but you must plan ahead. While I was there, we were as eager to visit with the other guests as we were to enjoy Kapra's delightful hot dishes, and everyone was there right at 8. There is only one hot dish offered per day, but there is a good range of buffet items.
WiFi worked like a charm. The tv was ok.
This is a place for people on a limited budget who enjoy interaction with other travelers. It's close to Chicago downtown, but it's a place where people live. I enjoyed Pizza Metro just up Division Street so much that I ate there twice for about $5 instead of trying a fancier place because the food was so good.
Much of the pleasure of visiting a place like this lies in the relationships with other guests. The large shared spaces make that easy to enjoy without sacrificing privacy.
TripAdvisor has free and easy resources to help you enhance your listing and promote your property.
- Start Here - Visit Your Owners' Center
- Add Photo
- Add Video
