Our family's stay at The Collins was originally just three nights, but after one night in another (perfectly good) part of town, we missed the comfort and hospitality of this place so much that we came right back to finish out the week. Chris shares his beautiful home with a genuine hospitality that delighted us over the New Year holiday.
South Harlem is a walkable, welcoming neighborhood; it's a bit loud (but not obnoxiously so) and full of little treasures, like the Best Yet Market where a couple of employees recognized us on our visits and welcomed us with a smile as we bought groceries for our various feasts. Vintage Harlem is a local wine shop with a great selection and helpful staff. Les Ambassades sells excellent croissants and baguettes from the counter, or you can sit down to breakfast/lunch and enjoy Senegalese hospitality from a wonderful menu of African/French offerings. We didn't eat out for many dinners here, but there's a wide variety of choices, here, with soul food on practically any block. There are also bodegas and fresh vegetable stands on many corners.
The kitchen is enormous and well-equipped, allowing all six of us to be engaged in prep, cooking, and dishes at once.
Proximity to the trains is excellent: a 7-10 minute walk from the house, catch the A/B/C/D/2/3 trains to anywhere on the island (as we did all week long). We never felt far from home, and looked forward to returning from shows and city exploration for incredible accommodations: very comfortable beds, spacious bathrooms with impeccable design and function (that bathtub!), and a table big enough to seat our whole family for dinner or games.
Wifi was good, and lack of TV didn't bother us--more time for talking, reading, or sitting in the windowsills and reflecting on our time in the city.
At the Collins, we celebrated not just the New Year, but our daughter's 17th birthday, as well. We even had a beautiful cake stand on which to display a delicious, candle-studded cheesecake, and plenty of glassware for toasting these happy events.
A couple thousand miles from home (and almost everyone we know), we had the blessing of knowing that someone was not only expecting us, but happy that we'd come all that way to visit.