We enjoyed our stay at Vanessa´s house very much. Vanessa and her family are great hosts, very friendly and helpful all the time. It took only a few minutes to reach the next metro-station which takes you to downtown in about 35minutes. We aren´t s scared to move around in the bronx but I think you shouldn´t stay out until deep into the night. (of course, there were some weird situations outside or in the metro)
We would recommend to stay at Vanessa´s house.