Rian's place looks exactly like it does out of the pictures. It's a beautiful space and fairly roomy. The atmosphere of having a window overlooking a courtyard is a welcome change from the typical city noise. I'm pretty noise sensitive and had no issues (there is some noise from kids playing but it's minor) -- rather than street noise, I found the window unit AC to be a bit loud. The location in UWS is great, between access to the park and plenty of subway lines to get to where you want to be. I didn't check out the local shops since I could get to downtown pretty easily. With that said, the bathroom is fairly cramped and the apartment definitely shows its age. If those aren't a problem for you, this is the UWS listing for you.
One last thing to flag -- Rian is an excellent host. He's friendly, knowledgeable, flexible, and understanding. Like another reviewer said, it's evident he genuinely wants you to have a good stay. Cannot recommend Rian as a host enough!