Alex hosted my mum and her friend in September 2017 for a week.
They loved the place, it was clean and nice. The rooftop is stunning and, in contrast to the pics, even nicer with loads of plants and greens.
Area is amazing - a great base to explore NYC.
On the not so positive side:
Alex was generally hard to communicate with and not very responsive to messages. Also, mid-way into the week, he changed the locks on the door without telling my mum. So she was standing outside his apartment in the middle of NYC without the right keys to her place. He wasn't reachable, far from ideal.