The apartment was new, very close to transit, and true to the pictures. Comfortable for two people to stay in if you're looking for a bed to crash on while visiting New York.
However, we had several issues with the safety of the building. There was a gas leak in the building that was ongoing during our stay. We did not find out about this from our host. We found out as we were checking out, as another concerned resident in the building had slipped a sheet of paper under every apartment's door explaining the situation.
We were told by our host that there was a gas leak "in the street" the day we were set to arrive. However, the notice told us that the gas leak was actually in the building, and reported 2 days prior to us arriving. The notice went on to mention that the National Grid (gas company) inspected the building during our stay, and the gas line was still hot, and we could have had a serious accident while we were staying there (ie. the building could have literally blown up).
This information was validated by an inspection notice posted to the front of the apartment building from the New York City Building Department.
I'm not sure how much information was wilfully withheld from us, or how much was just an unfortunate circumstance that my co-host didn't know about, but I would still be very careful in booking this building in the future. I would check with the National Grid to ensure its safety before staying. I hope that my hosts didn't withhold important information from me, but seeing as other residents were aware of the situation, I find it hard to believe that my hosts were fully in the dark, and could have provided me with more information. I would not have agreed to stay in a building that had a recent (let alone ongoing) gas leak. Agreeing to stay in a building with no hot water is one thing, but a building with a gas leak is an entirely different beast.
This is really an unfortunate situation for everyone, and I hope the issues will be worked out for the future, as the apartment was quite nice and in a convenient location. As it stands, though, I wound't recommend anyone staying at this apartment.