Avoid at all costs!

When I arrived at Alize's place in Harlem she informed me that she had decided to stay with us, despite the listing being for a "full apartment" at the time (she has since changed it).

This meant that my younger brother and I had to share a bed for the week, even though we had paid for a whole apartment. After the first night Alize offered to get a blowup bed for herself so we could use both bedrooms. This bed never materialised.

The flat itself is filthy. Both myself and my brother noticed that going for a shower actually made our feet dirtier as the floor in the bathroom was so unclean. I genuinely feel sorry for Alize having to live there full time, though the lack of cleanliness is likely her fault.

Basic essentials such as toilet roll were not provided on the first night. A highlight of my trip to New York was using McDonalds napkins to wipe myself because of the lack of toilet roll. Alize once again promised to sort this straight away, but she didn't provide roll until 10pm the next day -- even then it was around 1 ply thick.

The area in which the apartment is situation is surrounded by projects, and is quite rough. People frequently drive past the apartment at 2am with their music full blast. This is often followed a few minutes later by the sound of police sirens. My brother and I never quite felt safe when walking the short distance from 148th street station to Alize's flat (The station having bulletproof doors tells you all you need to know).

Being situated close to the station was a big plus though. We could be in Times Square within around 20 minutes. An Uber or Lyft to 7th Avenue only costs around $22. In addition, Alize is very personable and easy to get on with -- though likely to tell untruths. I don't believe she's a bad person, I just believe she isn't cut out to be a host.