My son and I came to NYC as part of an East Coast college tour, including Columbia and NYU, as well as a fun weekend of bonding in New York. Matteo's apartment was a great base for our activities.
The apartment was clean and cozy as advertised and Matteo was very helpful and flexible (we needed to store our bags when we arrived and on the morning of the day we left and he accommodated us).
There's a subway station on block away, which is very convenient. We had no problems with the neighborhood (East Harlem) and the building is across the street from a police station, so we felt very safe. Recommended.