Bob and his wife were super friendly and hospitable. Their home is absolutely beautiful with a wonderful yard. It was very comfortable. There is a great coffee shop in the neighborhood and some restaurants on Broadway that were fun. I also discovered a great restaurant/happy hour/place to sit and work on the computer called Amsterdam Social. It was further out of midtown than where I have stayed in the past, but if you get the express trains right, you can be deep into Brooklyn in less than an hour and Long Island City in a half hour. I was there for work and my coworkers and I found it to be a lovely place to work as well.