My host, Firas, was very nice and helpful. Let’s be honest, the best part of the stay was the price. $45 a night in New York can’t be beat. The place was clean and comfortable. A very short walk from the Subway (2 and 5). I can’t say much about the quality of the shops in the neighborhood but there is a very good cigar store one block away. I felt completely safe there. It is only a couple of subway stops, or a long walk, from the Brooklyn Museum and the wonderful Brooklyn Botanical Garden (which is only a long fly ball away from where Ebbets field used to be). It takes about 30 to 45 minutes to get to Manhattan, depending on where you are going and the day and time. I would definitely stay again with only one consideration: since I spent almost all my time in Manhattan the distance was a bit of a disadvantage; the commute at the start and end of the day was OK but it was not worth going back in the late afternoon for a rest or to change clothes for going out in the evening.