Lovely quiet neighborhood with a beautiful back forest view near the Indiana Dunes National Park. No one can build behind us since it drops down into the open valley. Beaches are only 15 min away by car especially the Indiana Dunes for sun & hiking. Go to Chicago 40 min west if you want the big city life of theatre, sports, restaurants, & shopping or go to Michigan 40 east if you want wineries, small town shopping & restaurants or surfing. We are in the middle of the best of both worlds. One bedroom, One bathroom; NOT whole house. Safari decor, hosts staying in the house. The bedroom has it's own private bathroom (ensuite) attached with shower, toilet, sink and tub. Large chest of drawers available to use. Clothing rack with hangars and baskets. Windows look out to street. Windows can open. Ceiling fan, new vinyl flooring. Extra pillows blankets. Smart TV, single serve coffee maker, mini- fridge, microwave in hallway. Access to front door keypad upon arrival. Lock on bedroom door. Hosts are usually available during your stay for questions or if anything special is needed, let us know and we can find it for you if at all possible. Contact us thru the Airbnb app. In an Emergency ONLY you may call or text us. We have a great bike trail only 3 minutes away by car. The closest beach, Porter Beach is 15 minutes by car. We have the Indiana National Dunes Park approximately 15 minute drive which has a beach. This is Lake Michigan which is part of the Great Lakes. Swimming is allowed and there are lifeguards and food vendors. Small fee to get in the park is $7 USD per car or $12 for out of state cars. We have 2 large shopping malls each one approximately 20 minutes drive. One is an outside mall called Lighthouse Premium Outlets and the other is an indoor mall called Southlake Mall and there is many nice restaurants and other shopping places around this mall. We have many places in Portage for coffee and restaurants: McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Arby's, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Panera Bread, Five Guys, Chipotle, Buffalo Wild Wings, Longhorn Steakhouse, Texas Corral, Texas Roadhouse, Applebee's, China Buffet, Jade Garden, Quaker Steak, El Salto, LaCabana (our fave Mexican rest), Mexico Lindo, etc But, the best tacos are at Leroy's Hot Stuff 5.5 miles away and it is a biker bar. Our favorite breakfast place is Tate's Place and Blueberry Hill Pancake House and 2nd is Portage House of Pancakes. There is also a huge sporting goods store called Bass Pro shop. Many churches nearby, Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Non-denomination, etc. Blue Chip Casino is 16 miles away and the new Hardrock Casino just opened in Gary. We have in Portage some stores you may like: Kohl’s, Walmart, Meijer, At Natures Door, Big Lots, Harbor Freight, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Menards. Farmers Markets nearby: Remus Farms, Johnson’s Grocery: Strack and Van Tils, Aldi Foods, Meijer. There is a Whole Foods in Schererville, Indiana about 30 min away. Zip Foods if you need ice or something quick on your way out on Samuelson Rd. Free parking in this area. You can take the South Shore train station which is 10 minutes away. This will take you into Chicago. By car Chicago is a 40 min drive. Michigan is only 40 minutes away. There are no buses in Portage so it is best to rent a car if you are not driving here yourself. If you are coming from the airport you will need to rent a car, taxi, Uber or Lyft to get here. The nearest store to get a few basic items or groceries, pop, ice, etc is a 20 minute walk or 2 minutes by car to the Zip Foods or Dollar Store. To get to the bike trail you can walk there in 20 minutes or bike there in 5 minutes. Or you can just walk around our neighborhood and another adjoining neighborhood which are very safe. My home is a safe space for folks from all minority and marginalized groups. I welcome guests of all races, faiths, genders, and sexual orientations. We have 2 Maine Coon cats, 1 rescue cat all very friendly. Do not feed them or let out the Maine Coons. The rescue cat (grey) can go out. There is no access to the kitchen, living room, laundry room or other areas of the house. You have only rented a room in the home, NOT the home.