Joan and Fred communicated well and answered all our questions ahead of time. We wanted to drop our bags early and head into the city for the day. Fred greeted us and showed us how to get the bus to the subway. In the evening when we came back had already put our bags in the apartment. There were eggs, bread and butter, juice and coffee waiting for us. That was a great touch and we did not have to run out for food in the morning. Also on the one rainy day Fred gave us his umbrella to use for the day. Very sweet man. Like having a friend in the neighborhood.

The apartment is below there home and was quite comfortable. Low ceilings and no windows in the front room were a little confining but not a deal breaker. Everything worked well and we slept comfortably with the windows to the rear court yard open.

The neighborhood is very interesting. Diversity would be the word to best describe this melting pot. Walking to the subway on Church St you see people from all walks of life typical of NYC. Lots of local ethnic neighborhood shops. Take a few steps off Church and you are walking among million dollar homes with cute streets and yards. We were comfortable walking around until late evening but after 10:00 or so I would be slightly cautious. Take the bus to the subway or a cab home late at night.

We tried a few local spots.
LARK for coffee and a breakfast sandwich was good.
WERKSTATT for brunch or dinner. This place is new and we had our best meal in NYC here. We had a German friend visiting and he said it was like sitting in a typical neighbor bar/restaurant back home
WHEATED for a funky cool pizza experience.
Finally the ICE CREAM HOUSE. We went here during a Jewish Holiday and truly enjoyed all the excitement of families out for Kosher Ice Cream

Overall we enjoyed the stay and would consider staying here again. Next time we would spend more time exploring Brooklyn and less in Manhattan.