Here's my feedback on this apartment. Remember that New York will always remind you of a third-world country, so keeping that in mind, lower your expectations.

*The Good*
-- LES is a fantastic neighborhood full of exciting places to see and hang out.
-- The host has an eclectic collection of furniture and accoutrements that make for a most stimulating visit.
-- The host was responsive to my text messages.

*The Bad*
-- The upstairs neighbor has a tendency to stomp around the apartment as if always in a hurry. The host had to call the neighbor and I also left a note on their front door, but after a few days the noise picked up again. Part of that had to do with her(?) belief that in "30 years she never had a complaint," as her scribbles said on my note.
-- The hallways were unkept and there was a lot of garbage and even a dead cockroach near the stairway when I visited a few weeks ago.
-- Unfortunately, I also had to kill a huge cockroach that was scurrying across the kitchen counter, which did not add to my peace of mind.