Jorge’s apartment was wonderful! It provided us with a beautiful and peaceful little oasis, right in the heart of the East Village and all it has to offer. The place was spotless, very nicely decorated, and had everything we needed. The rooms are small, but typical of New York, and more than adequate for people who are traveling. Each bedroom has an AC unit in the window, and there was one in the living room too. All worked well, and we stayed nice and cool even though it was very hot and humid outside. The whole place was really very comfortable. One thing to be aware of, however, is that the apartment is on the fourth floor and there is no elevator. We looked at it as getting some good exercise and it didn’t bother us, but all the stairs could be troublesome for some folks, so that is something to be aware of. I am someone who travels to New York often, and I thought the place was decent for the money - not necessarily a bargain, but not over priced either.
For those not familiar with the East Village, you should look it up it and learn something about it before booking. You have to be the right sort of person to dig the scene. I used to live in the East Village, and for me personally, it’s one of my favorite places on earth! It’s an eclectic neighborhood with a ton of stuff going on. There are a lot of cool bars, interesting stores, and small clubs with live music. Also, there are all sorts of authentic and wonderful ethnic restaurants where you can eat for cheap without being fussy and needing reservations in advance. However, it’s not exactly the fancy area of town, if you know what I’m saying. It’s got it’s own kind of grungy appeal with lots of awesome street art and interesting characters roaming around - in other words, it’s Velvet Underground New York, not Breakfast at Tiffany’s New-York. If you want Breakfast at Tiffany’s New York, stay at the Plaza. In spite of the East Village’s proudly urban appearance, however, it’s actually pretty safe - it’s been gentrified over the years and a hell of a lot safer than when I lived there 30 years ago. It still embraces it’s roots, but it’s not seedy and dirty like it used to be. I should also note that it’s a pretty noisy neighborhood at night because of all the bars (the mornings are dead quiet, because everyone is sleeping). You can hear some street noise from Jorge’s apartment, but that would be true of anywhere in the East Village, so it’s no big deal. Bring earplugs if you don’t feel like the sounds of the city are awesomely soothing (as I do).
Jorge was a wonderful host too! He was always on the ball and answered any questions we had in a timely manner. The instructions for check-in and check-out were easy to follow, and we had no trouble. Also, we asked for late check-out and Jorge generously gave us an extra 2 hours, which I thought was very nice. Overall, we had a wonderful experience, and I would recommend this place highly!