Fat Johnny's Last Resort Home Hostel

Chicago

5 of 7

Address	2822 West 38th Place, Chicago Illinois, USA Map
Price	12.00 (US dollars) all year round

Location/Contact

Location	• Located just a 35 minute bus/train ride from the loop. All you have to do is go to state street (5 blocks due east of the Greyhound and Amtrak terminals) and take # 62 bus south. Tell the driver you want to get off at California and Archer. Take a right on California then after the 1st traffic light take the next left. It's the third house on the right. • Directions to hostel-- • CTA costs $2. • Directions to hostel-- CTA costs $2. Get a card or visitor's pass at point of entry into city. • Greyhound Bus Terminal: directly in front of the terminal, take #60 (Blue Island) westbound. Take to California Ave. Get off where bus stops in front of Popeye's Chicken. Turn corner and catch #94 California bus. Take bus south to 38th Street (38th St. has red light). Walk one block in direction of bus. This will be 38th Place. Turn right. Hostel is 3rd house on right. Look for British flag in window. • Train (Amtrak): On the west side of the train station, on Clinton St., take the westbound #60 (Blue Island) bus, then follow Greyhound directions. • Midway: Take the elevated (Orange Line) to 35th St/Archer. Transfer to the #62 Archer bus west (Harlem), get off at California. Walk 3 blocks north (to right, decreasing house numbers) and turn left on 38th Place. Look for flag as above. Hostel is 3rd house on right. • O'Hare: Take Blue Line elevated to the Clarke & Lake stop, transfer to the Orange Line and take it to 35th & Archer, following the Midway directions above. Downtown: On state St., take the #62 Archer south to California Ave. and walk 3 blocks north to 38th Place as above, OR take Orange Line from Clark & Lake as above. • By Car: From I-55 North, exit California Ave., drive 0.7 miles south to Pershing St. From I-55 South, exit Kedzie, get right back on I-55 North to California exit. From Milwaukee/Madison: Take I-90/94 to I-55 South. From I-94 North, exit at Pershing (39th St.), 3.5 miles west to California Ave. • Call if you're off track in transit. Always map where you're going, young padwan!
Website	None
Telephone	+1 (773) 254-0836

Details

Online booking is not offered for this hostel, contact them for availability and reservations (any contact info we have is listed above).

Description

Features

Kitchen
Lockers

Ratings & Comments

2.6 Average from 21 Ratings

This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites we don't censor out the negative comments.
We can't validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.

Comment by Agata, Polish

February 2009

Creepy
I stayed there in 2001 for three nights. The first impression was very strange. We entered it and it felt like somebody's house, a very dirty house. There was quite a lot of people. Johnny wasn't there, and some guy who was taking care of the place during his absence, told us that Johnny was in a hospital because he got in a fight with some nasty bastards in a bar. Well, we were shown to the room upstairs. There were like five girls staying in another room. In our room there were eight people, and the room was pretty small. Some guy slept in the hall opposite the bathroom. There were quite a lot of other people staying there. Bathrooms were very old and pretty disgusting. Kitchen was a mess. On the other hand, it was very cheap. We got free city maps with instructions where to go and where not. It was a pretty friendly place, though very strange! But it's a fun experience.

Comment by So and So, Usa..?

July 2007

What's to be expected
I've stayed at Fat Johny's twice. The first time was alright, almost clean even. Didn't smell like cat piss. Got a private room not for 25 dollars, it was small but alright. He's got a catalogue of movie titles but didn't really partake. My first go around he even bought my air mattress for me in lieu of our bill. Also he has a garage if you need to store away your car. The second time was horrible. Instead of just one drunk taking space, there were two and they smelled. That cats reeked. Kitchen was a mess. The shower actually made my skin crawl. When he told us that instead of letting us stay in a private room, we had to move upstairs to the dorms is when we ran. If you don't have anywhere else to go it's ok, but if you don't like it Johnny is pretty oblivious and its beyond easy to skip out on your bill. "Hey, I'll be back in a little" and drive away.

Comment by Jeremy, Maine, usa

June 2007

Something odd but very similar
I would not advise any young ladies to stay here by themselves, but this place is a taste of the America behind the blind eyes of the media and tourists. International travelers, you should consider this place a lightbulb if you want to see America -- the dirt, cats, people, air, and smell are part of its being. These things you will find all over this country but you won't be able to take part in it. Americans, this place, I'm sure, will remind you of an old aunt or a grandparent's house that you dreaded going to when you were younger, except you don't have to worry about Fat Johnny kissing you and you get full use of the kitchen. The ride into town is cheap if you buy a five-day pass, the food around the place is unreal, the chinese grocery shop down the street has cheap booze. Enough reasons to give this place a shot.

Comment by Melissa

March 2007

I stayed at Fat Johnny's years ago. We were lucky to get the private room for $25. It was a pretty fun experience, and it's one of the most memorable things from the trip. Johnny was very helpful, showing us where to go and cheap places to eat. He even made us dinner (which he does for people every holiday). He locked the crockpot in our room so none of the crusties would eat our food before we got back from exploring the city. He also made us stay up all night playing a board game until I got so tired that I let him win. In short, yes it's dingy and far away from everything, but I don't know what people expect for that price. I left with a lot of interesting stories to tell.

Comment by MOSE

March 2007

This place was disgusting! From the second you walk in the door, the odor of cat piss stung the nostrils. We knew right away we weren't going to stay but still asked Johnny if we could see the rooms so we could laugh and take pictures. Honestly this was the highlight of our trip to Chicago because we laughed about it during our entire stay. Do yourself a favor and spend the extra 10 or 15 dollars a night to stay at a real hostel. This place is gross.

Comment by DISSAPOINTED

February 2007

When I arrived, the owner/manager was drunk and wasn't very helpful. The place is absolutely disgusting. It is a disaster. My friend slept on a bed full of bedbugs. If you want dirty and gross, then stay there. Otherwise steer clear. How can the hostel websites ever consider this dump legitimate? The owner drank a lot and it smelled so bad -- very unsanitary. If you are from another country I would advise you to go to other hostels in Chicago.

Comment by Fiona and Fabien from France

December 2006

The worst place ever! It smells, it's dirty, and it's old! In a word -- disgusting! I would never recommend such a place and I don't understand how such hostels can still exist! Don't go there if you want to enjoy your stay in Chicago!

Comment by Angus

December 2006

this place is quite good. it's all cleaned up now and seems quite good. jonny is a very helpful person -- he even gave us two free rides to the downtown and the other guy with long hair is great too.

Comment by Indian

July 2006

The most worst place I have seen ever. I never thought a place may be so dirty in U.S.A. The owner was drunk when we entered and when we went inside to see the rooms at eleven a.m., we saw five boarders. Two were sleeping, one were vomiting, and another one was drunk and asking us for money. A suffocating smell was choking our throat. May be its rent is ten dollars, but definitely its not a place to stay for a civilized people. I don't understand how this kind of hostel is listed in such famous web sites like hostelz.com.

Comment by Adam

June 2005

The name says it all. This place is like family. It's well off tourist traps where price gouging is the norm. This was my first time in a hostel and off the path. I was reminded that this is a working city. I really enjoyed seeing something different and learning more about the city. Johnny, from what little I saw of him, seems cool and concerned about his guests. No, this is not the greatest place but for the price the only other thing to get is maybe a homeless shelter and I would much rather stay here.

Comment by Dr. Billy

May 2005

I was unaware of this joint when I first arrived, but I was warned about it by my friend who read this page first. I'll say that I was frightened by his words and that I feared the worst. But when we arrived I was not as shocked as I expected to be. I only stayed two (well almost two) days. Fat Johnny was very helpful and very friendly, and I really enjoyed his company. The maps that he hands out are really helpful, too. They all have everything highlighted for you and there are a lot of maps to choose from. If you are allergic to cats, I recommend you stay away. It was dirty, but I get worse when I go home so I didn't mind. Fat Johnny even gave me a ride to get the biggest burrito under $3, and he was right when he said, "No one can finish it." You must be very open-minded when staying here, though. I was having a great time until I went to sleep on the second night. Apparently Fat Johnny had overbooked his place and I got kicked out of my bed in the middle of the night by a group of six Russians, and let me add, very rude Russians. I have never stayed in a hostel with ruder people than these guys were. I don't care about nationality but they were rude. So, pissed off as I was I left and asked for a refund. Fat Johnny offered me his bed, but I refused, then he overpaid me by $10 in refund, so I pretty much stayed there for a day and half for $6. I've got to say, it's the cheapest hostel I stayed at, but it was very memorable, and enjoyable for the open-minded. Give it a try, it will be a great story to tell your friends one day. Thanks Johnny.

Comment by Ignacio

April 2005

Much of the information you read on this site is not true. The hostel is really dirty. Everything looks old. The bathrooms are the worst. I know the price is very good, but apart from 12 dollars, you have to pay the bus or the Metro everyday (if you want to go anywhere) because this hostel is located like 70 blocks away from the center. The neighborhood is full of Mexican people. At night it is dangerous. Please do yourself a favor, don't come here. About Johnny, he is a strange guy. It's difficult to get used to him.

Comment by k8

April 2005

Four girls from Minnesota stayed here, and let me tell you, we put a chair under the door at night and kept our cell phone at the ready. An eclectic group of people were staying here at the time, and they were friendly, but on the creepy side. Nothing about the place was safe. I didn't touch the toilet while I was there, and everything was very dirty. They also charged us an extra fee that was not mentioned when we registered.

Comment by Anonymous

October 2004

What do you expect for $12 a night? You're not going to get the Ritz, so give the place a break! So, what if it's a little dingy? Just think of it as staying at your distant relative's house and appreciate it for what it is! =) I stayed here two years ago and on the third night this happy-drunk Italian guy (straight from Italy) was trying to party it up with my roommate and me (we're two girls). As soon as Fat Johnny found out, he and his friends tossed him out on the curb. Now, that's what I call service! He let us use his kitchen and let us keep our groceries in his fridge (and nobody messed with our food). My friend hated the place — but she's a snob anyway. I'd go back in a heartbeat! This hostel is basically Johnny's house, so don't expect anything more than just that.

Comment by Anonymous

September 2004

Yes, it's dirty. And at first I was scared. But if you need a cheap, safe place to stay then it's okay. It's not too far from the city. Johnny is nice, friendly and easy-going. The most important thing is to have a bed, even when you should use your own sleeping bag to feel more comfortable.

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