We had a great stay at Brou's: check-in was simple, communication smooth, and the room is clean, spacious (think twice the size you have in mind for a NYC room) and had everything we needed. As a plus, we were allowed to keep our bikes inside for the night. It's basically like having one's own hotel room, you get your own keys to go in/out of the building. The closest subway is about half a mile away and, if you do like us and bring your own bike, within 20 mins you can get anywhere from Van Cortlandt Park to Orchard Beach/City Island.