My stay at Al's place was wonderful. It's an older house, full of character, and it was very clean. My bedroom was facing the street but things were pretty quiet after 10pm and I slept well there. It's a great neighbourhood, and getting to the ferry terminal (and thus the rest of the City) was very easy. It's also the BEST place to stay if you're running the NYC Marathon - just a pleasant short walk to the starting area.
Al was absolutely awesome! As another reviewer mentioned, he's happy to give you your privacy, but also great to chat with, as we did on numerous occasions. While I was there, a group came in that had rented the living area and they were not happy. Al dealt with them very calmly and diplomatically, as it appears they were under the (wrong) impression that they were also getting my room. Al was very generous with them - even offering them the use of his room. I later looked at the chat history of the booking and in my opinion Al was VERY clear about what was being offered - even to the point of giving them a deep discount and suggesting that the accommodation may not be appropriate for them. Definitely Superhost stuff!
Highly recommended for anyone wanting to stay in a cozy place on Staten Island.