Simon's place is great. The pictures really show what will be expecting you there. His property also has all the amenities you will need to spent some time in a rainy day (Wi-fi, TV with Apple TV, a stove etc...). Everything was clean as expected and we had no problems at all when communicating with Simon.

About the neighborhood: Harlem is safe, we did not had any trouble whilst in the streets. People might look at you differently, but there are some reasons to do so: 1) You are a tourist and 2) You are probably the minority in the hood, so you are different from average Joe. Yes, there are homeless people, people asking for money and drunk people, but hey, you will find them anywhere in NY.

About NY Subway: While we were there the subway had some work during weekend and during nights on weekdays, so yeah, maybe you will have to walk a little bit more than expected sometimes. The #2,3 red line subway is pretty close though.