The apartment: The flat is smaller and older than it appears in the pictures, but it is extremely well located and everything works. The place fits very well for a couple, but can be a little bit “tight” for a family of three or more persons. Only an observation: We could not manage to regulate the heating, which oscillated from insufficient to very hot. Nothing that has compromised our stay, however.
The host: At first, Earl appeared thoughtful, answering our questions, mainly as to the method of handing over the keys. We had to pick them up in a market distant two blocks from the flat using a code available in the KeyCafe app (through the internet and we did not have access to the network). Despite this, everything worked. However, as there was no one to show us the flat, we had to ask lots of questions about the way things worked (bathroom, heating, TV etc). After a few contacts, we stopped receiving answers and solved things by ourselves. But the real problems started when I asked how to return the keys. Earl wanted us to put them back in a lock at the market. However, the temperature was -6 degrees Celsius and our transportation was scheduled for 10:30 am. If we surrended the keys before, we would stay outside in the cold. If we were to wait for the shuttle, there would be no way to go to the market and give the keys back. I asked if I could leave them on the table and Earl was intransigent. When I said, ok I will try, the answer was rude ("you will take the keys to the lock, got that?"). I informed him that we would do as he requested, but that he was being rude. He replied a tone above, stating that rules were rules and that I wanted to leave after 11 am (check out time). He urged us to leave his apartment on time ("you will get what you paid for"). I told him that we did not ask for this, we just did not want to leave before the time (which was what he asked us to do). Moreover, that I had already said that we would do as he wanted and therefore that “he was pushing”. Interestingly, when we answered in the same tone used by him, as a spoiled boy Earl proceeded to respond in a way that oscillated between "aggressive" and "offended" (even when informed that we would complain to his absurd demands). It seems that the host is used to giving orders and feels annoyed when questioned or displeased. We cannot even say that Earl is a rude person by nature, the correct word is definitely "spoiled." This is a pity, this was the first time we had this kind of problem with a host, after many trips using AirBnB. However, these facts did not compromise the good experience in NY. Actually, the location is good and if guests do not bother with the host's requirements, they will have nothing to complain about.