I never met Biren, but I met his mother, who was incredibly sweet and informative. As I arrived, she immediately greeted me and taught me the ins and outs of traveling through NYC, sites for food and tourism. Also, she would check up on me once in a while and we would have friendly conversations about what I did the previous day. It was a very nice neighbourhood-- safe for anyone to walk home even late at night. The place was very clean and cozy and the location was close to the subway. It was a great stay and Biren and his mother were excellent hosts!