I will try to be realistic and honest.
This is New York, and this is an old building and last but not least, with AirBnB each host is free to do as they please as long as they abide by certain rules.
Christiana does not break any rules with her listing. Apart from some unrealistic approach towards the size and comfort of the bed and the charmth of the place, what you see is what you get. BUT there are rules and then there's respect. I don't think Christiana is being disrespectful on purpose, I think she is quite nice, but she clearly has never felt the need to make her AirBnB place pretty, decent, and competitive. I think she just relies on the fact that people will always book anything that's cheap(er) and that NY will never be without desperate people looking for a bargain.
But being a world traveler myself who's stayed in hotels (big and small), hostels, guesthouses, campsites and AirBnB places from Chile to Canada and throughout Europe, I can say this was the first time I did leave the place I was staying because I just couldn't take it anymore. Sometimes it's not just how much you can put up with but why one should put up with certain things.
And even though I can put up with no A/C, with a fan that's not working, with a terrible bed, with a place that feels like the host never visits it just goes from guest to guest to guest, with a door knob that keeps falling and nobody cares to fix (why? just because..), with linen and towels that do get washed but they've been so overused they're clearly not doing their job, I can't put up with roaches welcoming us each night and a host that says they've neglected spraying the flat. This is just too "in your face".
I hate leaving negative reviews and even though I always speak my mind I am the devil's advocate. But I see no reason why I should try and find good things about this experience after two amazing ones in DC and Nola where the hosts had outdone themselves in terms of providing unique experiences in much much MUCH smaller places than Christiana's.
My biggest disappointment though is other fellow travelers who don't provide realistic reviews and mislead others.
Summary
+ proximity to subway, safe neighborhood, walking distance to Will/burg
- neglected flat, old old old linen/towels, terrible bed, sink/bathtub drain in 10-15 so that is disgusting
---- bugs each night in kitchen sink, kitchen cupboards, bathtub, bathroom floor/walls