All communication with Eric has been great. He is very attentive and does his best to make sure, that you have a pleasant stay.
The apartment is as expected from what I saw on the pics. The kitchen is fully equipped, which is very nice and especially for a long stay. I stayed for one month, and was here on my own for two of the weeks. While I was there, there was an issue with noise from a water pipe right next to the bed and we had to sleep with earplugs. It was due to a new boiler installed in the building. There wasn't any noise during the last three days, so the issue has probably been resolved. There wasn't much Eric could do about it, but he was very invested in trying to fix it and kept me update with information from the building manager.
You're located between two subway stations and the M1 busline stops right outside the apartment.
The "Healthy Choise" across the streets is great - great deli food and smoothies. Heading to the east on a 116th theres a nice supermarket just before Lexington Ave.
The area is generally safe and I felt comfortable walking the streets - also when I was on my own. However, expect that people somtimes yell in the streets and that there are beggars on many corners - this is true for all of New York, but might be a bit more present north of the park.
Most days I was at Columbia, but I went sightseeing with my friends and family, who visited. The 9/11 Memorial museum and the Whitney were some of my favourite spots. We went to see a Baseball match at Citit Field in Queens (the Mets) and spent the afternoon in Flushing (Chinatown in Queens) - they had great dim sum at Shanghai You Garden. Can definately recommend.
All in all, Eric is a great host, the apartment is nicely located and is good value for money. Would definately stay here again.