Val’s apartment was really cute and clean. The location was perfect for us. The 125th subway station was only a few blocks away and got us to our destinations pretty quick. For this to be Harlem, the neighborhood was pretty quiet. There were some cultural activities going on that really gave us that true Harlem experience which was pretty exciting. Simple household amenities were missing such as washcloths, an iron and plunger. We had to purchase our own washcloths from a store down the street. The toilet was backed up and we had to ask the doorman if there was a plunger in the maintenance man’s supply room (luckily there was). The host asked us not to speak to anyone that worked or lived in the building but at that time it was our only option. I didn’t like the fact that it felt as though we weren’t really allowed to stay there. That came off as sneaky and it made us feel extremely uncomfortable. The lock and key situation was a nuisance as well. The host sent us a tutorial explaining how to lock and unlock the door but it was still hard to get inside whenever we left. There was a pair of dirty panties on the balcony which was pretty gross. Also, part of the check out process was to remove the trash, wipe down counters and hang towels. I don’t understand why we needed to do all of that if we paid the $75 cleaning fee. Again the apartment was clean, location was great and Val was quick to respond but overall this wasn’t my favorite Airbnb experience.