I did not sleep all night due to the very loud water pump on the fish tank that is in the middle of the apartment! Imagine the sound of a loud toilet flushing – now imagine it all night long! I texted Malik and asked if we could turn off the pump just for the hours we were sleeping and he said “no, it will kill the fish”. Between that noise, the occasional loud siren or motorcycle noise from the street below, and the uncomfortable bed and pillows, I did not sleep. Note that the bedroom walls do not go to the ceiling, so there isn’t any noise dampening between the bedroom and living room.
Here are some other notable things about the place:
•	The place is run down, and Malik seems to have a bachelor attitude about things, telling me that the “bedding” for the couch consisted of a ragged and torn pillow and an old blanket. When I asked about sheets for the couch and a pillowcase for the pillow, he was surprised by the request, and told me the pillow was already in a pillowcase. Yuk! When I asked again, he did provide the sheets and pillowcase.
•	Lots of homeless people on the blocks surrounding the apartment. I’m ok with some city grit, but having to walk by people passed out on the sidewalk on the way to my Airbnb with my 12-year-old son was a bit much.
•	Lack of parking. Malik told me in advance that I would be able to find street parking – and street parking is one of my specialties.  But most spots are 2-hours max and everything in the neighborhood has some kind of overnight restriction, like “no parking between 5am and 7am” so you basically have to park in a lot if you are there for more than 2 hours. This gets pricey and is an added hassle.
•	Check-in and out process are a drag. You need to arrive between 1pm and 5pm, and let Malik know in advance what time you’ll be there, so he can meet you and tell you all the house rules. You also need to give him an hour notice before checking out, so he can meet you before you check out.
If you look at all the negative reviews posted about this place below – which I did at night during the time I was being kept awake by the fishtank and street noise – you will notice a pattern - ANY time someone posts something negative, Malik responds to the reviewer with harsh, critical words about the reviewer, trying to defame the reviewer and cut down their credibility. Every time! So I expect the same, despite being a great guest. This tells you something about the kind of person that Mailk is. I’m guessing he’ll say no one has ever complained about the fish tank noise before, blah blah blah. This place would probably be fine if you are looking for a bachelor vibe and don’t care about the other items I mentioned.