The apartment itself is indeed charming. I was delighted by the subtle natural light, bright purple and green colors and accents of the bedding, pillows, and artwork, and the thoughtfully placed elements of decor. I especially appreciated the artificial plants that added a sense of vitality to the space.
The art is full of motifs like flowers, swirls, abstract color blocks which are fun, and some great photography as well. There is also a seashell on the wall in the kitchen area that I appreciated, along with some art, which added a sense of whimsy that I appreciated.
The space is overall small and cozy, it is New York after all, but maximized for full effect. The kitchen is large and spacious and fully equipped with utensils and tools. We enjoyed cooking there and eating in the dining space. While we were there, we washed the dishes every night and we strove to take care of the place as if it were our own.
The bathroom is nice as well, with a full bath, shower and sink. And the fact that there are two bedrooms with a bed each and drawers is a plus as well. There are mirrors in both rooms. My partner and I were able to make one of them our room and the other one for him to work out of. There is also a nice closet space to put your luggage, etc.
My very favorite part was the window in the kitchen. There is a quiet sense of nature from the leaves you see and the birds that visit there. It also overlooks the fire escape and is set back from the immediate street view so you feel that part of the kitchen is even more expansive. I feel the biggest plus of the space itself is the tranquillity you feel.
Not only that, the space is in a walkup where we met and made friends with some very kind and friendly neighbors on our same floor. The walkup provides a moderate amount of exercise. As well, the building is close to Riverside Park, which we loved. Riverside Park is lovely and has plenty of grass and even a dog run a few blocks down. We took our dog there every day.
When found this apartment, we wanted to experience it. We wanted to stay in this neighborhood as well. We were glad that it was close by to several markets and nice places, and seemed very safe.
Despite an initially bumpy check in process where we couldn’t immediately get a hold of the hosts on how to check in (to be fair, it was Labor Day weekend and we were told by them later that no one was in the office), and we ended up sleeping at a hotel in Brooklyn the first night that we booked out of desperation in the meantime before hearing back from them, we were able to check in the next day during the daytime which actually worked out better, as we could see the loveliness of the space in full light. Gisele was, at that time, asking if we were able to check in successfully and I affirmed and told her in detail how much we loved it. She let us know that hosts have 24 hours to respond even for an instant booking, which I had not been told otherwise by support staff. I told her I understand and that it wasn’t her fault, and from that point we continued to enjoy the apartment and the neighborhood.
Our neighbors Lauren and Andre, who we became fast friends with, on the same floor told us they were planning to stay for the next several months, and we started thinking along the same lines as well. On September 29th, we were notified in an Airbnb message from Gisele that some people from her insurance company were coming over that afternoon to inspect something in the apartment. When I saw the message, I wrote back asking some questions, including if we should offer them water or snacks, and also said we were thinking of extending our stay as well if that might be possible. Gisele responded in what I felt was a friendly, wam and affectionate tone saying we didn’t need to do anything and that they’d only be there a few minutes, and to respond with the dates and she’d let us know if those dates were available and if so, she’d send us an invitation. I was glad for the connection I felt with her in that moment and hoped we’d continue to maintain such good relations.
However, it didn’t work out that way. I had every intention of confirming things with my partner and getting back to Gisele in a timely manner about the extended dates. But just two days after that, on October 1st, I severely injured my both my ankles and the pain was severe enough that I thought one or both of them must’ve broken. I was at the dog park throwing a ball to my dog and the weather was very cloudy and unpredictable due to Hurricane Ian’s effects in the northeast. Most people had left due to the weather but there were some new people who had come with their dogs so thankfully we weren’t alone. The dog run at Riverside Park is covered with gravel and sand and was thus very wet and uneven, which is grounds for more susceptible foot and ankle injury. I threw the ball and both my ankles twisted and popped immediately. I collapsed to the ground and was gasping in severe shock and pain. An older man asked if I needed help, but I declined and sat there on the wet gravel, thinking I could try to pull myself up. That wasn’t possible as the pain was too sharp. Shortly after, a woman named Kelly and a young man named Garrett who had each brought their own dogs offered to help me to the bench. I