When we first arrived at the airport, (under Mabas' advice), we took an Uber to his home. This took approximately 20 Minutes and cost 58$ (56$ on the way back). We arrived in an area which wasn't very welcoming and a bit dirty but once Maba opened up his front door with a big smile on his face the outside was forgotten. The appartement is exactly like the photos (with a little bit more wear and tear) and there is everything you need Towels, utensils for cooking etc.
The surroundings of the house during the first couple of days takes a bit of getting used to. A lot of drunks and drug users but you actually get used to it and they are totally harmless, and I say this as a mother of 3 children. I met the most friendly guy during a downpour who turned around and walked me back home under his umbrella , so goes to show that the neighbors are charming. The subway (3 & 4) are really close by and the subway is really easy to use. We stayed in Mabas' appartement for 10 days and we had the holiday of a life time. For the price it is totally worth it. If we had stayed closer to Manhatten or in an area that was more picturesque we would have ended up paying loads more and instead we took a helicopter ride which was just AMAZING and totally worth it. Hope that this can help for future New York visiters. Rhanks again Maba