Our final stop in Chicago Illinois was another
spot that was unlike any other my wife and I had seen. The China Doll
Guest House just by virtue of its name promised to be
something special. The China Doll Original Guest House is one of a trio of
buildings under the China Doll name in Chicago. All owned and operated by
Innkeeper Jim Haring and his wife, the unit we stayed in was the first (hence,
original) and consists of three full apartments: the China Doll III (Garden
Unit) the China Doll II (Top Floor) and where my wife and I stayed while we
were there, the China Doll I (Main Floor). China Doll Guest House also offers
their docked boat on Lake Michigan; the Sloop Chi Lin for seafaring guests who
want to enjoy the wonderful summer breezes of the Lake. The China Doll Guest
Houses are child and baby friendly in all of their apartments and pet friendly
in all units except the one which housed my wife and me.
When we stayed at the China Doll Guest House we
were given specific instructions for how to retrieve our keys, how to open the
doors, and everything else. I appreciated the information and while it might
have been nice to speak with the innkeeper, we ended up having to leave town
quite early the following morning and were out at a show at Second City until
late the night we stayed there. This fact reminded us that Chicago is a city
and the types and level of interaction has the potential to be different.
However everything we could possibly need was already there at the China Doll
Guest House; moreover, the innkeeper's cell phone numbers were available had we
needed them. Another thing about the China Doll Guest House is that often
time's visitors to the place will be families on extended vacations or business
travelers who are on extended stays.
The China Doll Guest House was created by a
former traveling business executive so it caters to the needs of a traveling
business executive. WiFi equipped, the China Doll Guest House that we stayed in
had a complete office area with computer, fax, scanner, black and white laser
printer, and color printing is made available in other parts of the house. More
than that the China Doll Guest House had a relaxing ambiance, fully equipped
kitchen with plates, silverware, pots and pans, coffee maker, toaster, and
stainless steel full refrigerator/freezer which was stocked with goodies
including our lunch the next day of bagels, cream cheese, and muffins. My
nomadic wife and I were able to cook when we stayed at the China Doll Guest
House which was a blessing.
Even more than the kitchen and office were the
other wonderful, home-like comforts. There were two bedrooms in the China Doll
Guest House that we stayed in; one in the back with a huge flat-screen TV; one
more in the front room which had a different feel and comfort. There was also a
front room when you first walked in that had plush seating accommodations and a
second flat screen TV. China Doll Guest House also had a fireplace as well as a
selection of movies that are available to interested guests.
China Doll Guest House is located in the Lincoln
Park neighborhood of Chicago and was very convenient. However if you have a
car, you need to have a parking pass for the neighborhood. We got our parking
spot in the early afternoon and outfitted our vehicle with the parking pass and
had no incident. We were able to walk comfortably around the neighborhood day
and night. We actually even walked out to Second City because of the nightmare
of having to park around Steppenwolf the night before (not nightmare; it just
cost nine dollars). China Doll Guest House is also located very close to DePaul
University, Columbia College, Loyola University downtown, and Northwestern
University.
As I said, we left early from the China Doll
Guest House but our stay was lovely. If you have any kind of a trip to Chicago
and you want to be in the center of everything; with everything you need at
your fingertips; make a quick visit to the China Doll Guest House.
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