Shully and her husband were lovely, we were made to feel welcomed and given our space to explore New York at our own pace. The neighbourhood was friendly and we felt very safe. I travelled the subway at all hours of the day and night without incident. The apartment was clean and spacious and Shully had packed the fridge with supplies for an army. When I needed to print some tickets for shows, Shully helped us out. We felt so blessed. We had to travel on the subway for at least an hour to get to attractions in Manhattan but the Metro North train shortened that to 30 mins but was more expensive. As long as your prepared for the extra travel this is an awesome place to stay. Now if yo are planning to do things in the Bronx this is the perfect base. The Bronx Zoo and Botanical Gardens are close by plus loads more.