When we arrived at the apartment (a third floor walk up), there was a huge pile of stinking trash piled outside the door. I’m not usually sensitive to strong smells but the unbearable dumpster smell of decaying trash, and a swarm of flies, filled the hallway. I was told the trash would be moved in 1 or 2 days. DAYS! The odor and the flies accompanied us into the apartment and as we considered ways to keep the noxious fumes out, I used the kitchen sink to wash my hands. Turning on the water sent about a half dozen roaches running for their lives up the sides of the sink and across the stone countertop. To be fair, they were there first. It was a hot summer night and we were resigned to leave the windows open. You may or may not be used to the sounds of Brooklyn, so just be aware that the street below is extremely loud. The hum of the city is mostly quiet enough to fall asleep but is interspersed with the raging chainsaw sounds of say, a motorcycle, that startles you awake and for a moment convinces you that you’re dying. You know, typical city noise. I stayed in bed all night and kept my eyes closed tight until morning, but the other guests were not so lucky. They witnessed cockroaches scurrying up walls from the surprise of the bathroom light, roaches exploring the bedrooms, and some still unidentified insect prowling the bed. In the morning, we packed up and got the heck out of there.
The most positive thing I can say is that the apartment looks like it does in the pictures and there are amenities. The camera overlooking the living room is not great but at least it was covered by a bag. And the guys at the downstairs smoke shop who are responsible for the key exchange are pretty friendly. The place has a lot of potential if only the host chose not to use the hallway as a dumpster and invested in a good pest control service.