We had a really good stay at Douglas's place. The apartment is big and spacious, spotlessly clean with modern appliances and a brand new bathroom and shower. It's about 8 minutes walk to the subway and you can be at Times Square in between 25 and 35 minutes depending on the traffic on the subway as the train has to wait sometimes. The trains are very frequent, we rarely had to wait more than a few minutes, though they can be crowded on the way back. It's a multi-ethnic working-class neighborhood (mainly black-Hispanic) that seemed safe. The streets leading to the apartment are wide and well-lit. There's a big supermarket near the apartment which is very handy. Douglas was a very responsive host. He added some nice touches, such as a bottle of wine on our arrival and even gave us some home-made cookies.