My husband and I stayed at Takeshi's place this past weekend for his 50th birthday surprise! In the past visits, we have only stayed at hotels in Midtown. Venturing out and staying in the Lower East Side was a great way to experience the city like a local. I will say that there are some homeless folks right outside the front stoop and they do congregate on the sidewalk. I don't recommend venturing out alone at night, but if you have someone with you it will be fine. As far at the accommodations, they were really fantastic! The place was extremely clean and well appointed with essentials. There was even fresh creamer in the fridge for coffee! The bed is VERY comfortable too. Takeshi is probably the easiest host I have ever worked with for Airbnb or VRBO. I would highly recommend this place to anyone and next time we go to NYC will most definitely stay at Takeshis!