The room was delightful and affordable, with a sunny coloration which offset the London gloom. Phenomenal mattress. Steve was hospitable from Day 1, and I never felt that I was intruding when I used the shower or kitchen. It is also a wonderful point from which to explore London, with the Maryland train station across the street. On the scale of Western Europe, the neighborhood did not feel incredibly safe. On the scale of the United States, it felt ok to visit. I grew up in a rougher part of the Seattle area, so that may afford some context. To mitigate risk, I would probably avoid doing much walking through the neighborhood after dark, except from Maryland to the apartment. The night-life, hipster hub of Shoreditch is within walking distance, which is a huge plus, as was Hackney Park and the West Ham stadium. This was an area with character, and safe to roam during the day.

If you are majorly cost-sensitive, it is worth noting that the aboveground train which runs to Maryland will often charge substantially more than the underground train (i.e. 3 GBP instead of 1 GBP). In order to sidestep that, during the day you could walk 10-15 minutes to Stratford Station and catch the underground from there, which will give you access to the entirety of the city. I would also recommend you do this coming back if it is still light outside. The cost does aggregate. If you are doing to stay more than 4 days, definitely ask the personnel at Maryland about getting an Oyster card. It costs 5 GBP but makes things much more fluid for traveling within the city.

It was well worth the money, and a rejuvenating trip. I’d certainly recommend staying with Steve. He was warm and friendly.