This was my first AirBnB trip. I needed something that was close to Midtown. I was also looking for a room with its own private bathroom (and let me tell you THAT was awesome - if you're looking for convenience to the subway and your own bathroom, look no more).
Ria's room is cool and funky. It's like being in an artist's room. Her bed was super, super comfortable. Although there wasn't any air conditioning, the room stayed cool the whole week I was there with the huge fan in the window. You cannot beat the location in proximity to the 1 train. There are also tons of restaurants around and it's quiet for NYC (as far as I can tell) and very safe, with a grocery store down the street. Columbia University is right around the corner too.
Ria herself was really sweet and excellent at communicating. She gave me some insights about where to go in the neighborhood. We didn't meet in person until the end of my stay, but any question I had over was answered within an hour CIA text.
Two things that influenced my review: (1) I had told Ria when I was arriving and she told me to text her roommate, who would let me in. When I arrived, I texted her roommate as instructed and then waited 15 minutes outside the building, then texted Ria, who apologized profusely and contacted her roommate, then waited 10 minutes before I was buzzed in. That roommate didn't introduce herself and was pretty cold in the five minutes we interacted. Towards the end of the week I met her other roommate who was lovely and very nice. But after what happened with getting in and how distant the roommate acted, the whole week I didn't feel comfortable at all hanging out in the sitting room. I went into my room and out, which I was fine with - it was like being in a hotel. (2) The shower curtain and shower curtain liner Ria had was made of fabric. The first day I used the shower I had some water leak on the floor. It was fine and I cleaned it up easily, but I ended up buying a plastic liner for the shower for my time there, which was a bit annoying.
Overall, I would definitely stay here again. Thank you Ria!