I stayed with Elke and Andrei for almost 2 months while interning in Midtown (45 minutes by subway). They were wonderful! Friendly, kind, laid-back New Yorkers who went out of their way to make me feel welcome. I didn't know anyone in NYC and they made sure I was happy and had everything I needed. The view of the Hudson is beautiful. Running track nearby. I felt safe in the neighborhood. There are a couple good restaurants/bars nearby - if you're looking for a ton of activity, you'd have to pay a lot more to be farther south, and it worked for me to just hop on the train (1.5 blocks) any time I wanted to go out. At this point the room doesn't have AC, but not needed most days.