I stayed in Zak's room while he was away. His roommates were all extremely welcoming - they kindly invited me to their bbq/party (which Zak had pre-warned me about) and were very happy to give me tips about which neighborhoods to hunt for a long-term apartment in.

The apartment itself was in a great location, just a few minutes walk from the subway stop which takes you straight into Manhattan (less than 15 mins to Union Square). The neighborhood itself felt very safe, even late at night.

Overall the apartment was clean, if not spotless - however, nothing you wouldn't expected from a normal lived in apartment.

Would recommend.