What a perfect place! We didn’t get to meet Rita but we met her husband Aliou who is absolutely amazing! He welcomed us, helped me up the stairs with my heavy bag and proceeded to give me all the tips about NYC and the Harlem neighborhood which was super helpful coz i had nothing planned :S. During our whole stay he continued to stay in touch and made us feel very at home, he even tried to communicate with my mom who doesn’t speak any english to make her feel welcome and he definitely did. Now the location is pretty conveniently located in the same block as a laundry spot, a convenience store and a bank, oh and a few small restaurants, also it is a 12 min walk to the Red Rooster and Sylvias which are staples for Harlem food, along with the Shrine for live african roots music and the Apollo theater! Oh and the famous Harlem brownstones are right around the corner plus only a couple of blocks to the A, C, 2 and 3 subways which take you to Times square in 20mins and all the way to lower manhattan in less than 40mins. Oh when you go to explore Lower manhattan please cross the Brooklyn bridge into Brooklyn and go to The front pizza, their stuff is super delicious and apparently Al Pacino shoot a movie there and loves their pizza. Also a great spot for pizza in lower manhattan is Rosella’s and if at any point you need a massage go to Chelsea Body work in chinatown: best 1 hr Swedish massage I have ever had for only $40. Overall staying at Aliou and Rita’s made a huge impact in our experience in NYC so I absolutely recommend this spot! Please do yourself a favor and pick them!