The apartment was spacious and had everything that we needed for the weekend in NYC. The location did seem a little bit unsafe but we had a car so it wasn't a big deal. I can see how a solo traveller might be concern. We never got the chance to meet Marylyn during our stay. George, who lives on the first floor, was very responsive and showed us around when we arrived and even gave us tips on where to park. It was weird to have to leave the apartment to go to the shared bathroom but thankfully, we were the only guests during the weekend and had the bathroom to ourselves.