We had a great time in Tom's basement apartment. There is not any window but we knew it from the start so we were fine with it.
Manhattan is just a short ride away. The neighborhood looks quite safe.
Except if you're a musician, we think it may not be the perfect place to rent if you are planning to stay home and eat all your meals there (no windows). If you want to explore the city or a great collection of disks : don't look further!
Tom replied very quickly to all our questions or remarks. It was so easy to communicate with him by phone /email that we didn't meet until the last day.