To be honest, I’ve never shared a living space with a stranger before, so I was a bit nervous going into my NYC trip. But looking back, there was nothing to be nervous about! Staying with Jess was great - she’s super sweet, and she is incredibly accommodating and respectful of your space. Jess goes out of her way to make you feel comfortable; she gives you your own kitchen cabinet, fridge space, and lets you know if she needs to use the common spaces for anything. I never felt like I was an outsider in her space; I felt like I lived there.
The room itself is great... comfortable bed, ample closet space, TV, seating area, and decorations that were on point! Jess even provided a white noise machine, since the city of NY was doing road work with a jackhammer right outside the building.
The neighborhood is safe - I walked around by myself most of the time, and I was never hassled or bothered.
The only cons I can think of are minor: the apartment is on the top floor, so it could be kinda warm. I prefer the heat over the cold, so it didn’t bother me. There is an AC unit in your room right next to the bed, so I’m sure the heat problem could easily be solved. Besides that, the only other con I can think of would be outside noise, although for NYC, it really wasn’t bad. Like I mentioned, I had the misfortune of visiting while the city of NY decided to throw a jackhammer party outside my window, but with the white noise machine and some earplugs I slept fine. Obviously the street construction and the resulting noise are not Jess’s fault in any way, and Jess does provide you with things to help reduce the impact of the noise, but if you’re extra sensitive to sound this is just a heads up. :)