My reception was extremely warm and helpful. Angus was charming and helpful. He lives on a boat just down the dock and is available for any issues that come up. The "house-barge" is a small houseboat with a living room space with a couch and TV, an eat-in kitchen space, and a separate bedroom and bathroom. The there is a small "porch off the bedroom at the stern of the boat with a few chairs and a lovely view (to the right as a building is going up across the water straight aft) and a roof deck with more chairs for a more sweeping look-around and sit in the right weather. The dock is like a hidden little community which is invisible from the parking lot and street so opening the gate is a little like a scene from Alice in Wonderland. The Brighton Beach area is filled with great places to eat (see the Village Voice Best of list for a few). I'm told it's convenient by public transportation to Manhattan but didn't go that way. It's definitely convenient to the Verrazano Bridge and the eastern Long Island South Shore communities.