I was already excited about staying at Akiko's place because it was such a great price and because I'd heard such good things about the neighbourhood, but my visit was even better than I'd imagined!
Before the trip Akiko was super responsive to messages, and when I arrived at her apartment she showed me around, recommended places to eat in the neighbourhood, and offered advice for getting around the place on public transport. The room was comfortable, cozy and clean, really comfy bed, chest of drawers, cupboard and chair, with plenty of space.
The weather in NYC was so strange while I was there -- freezing one day, boiling the next -- but the room and apartment were always the perfect temperature. The rest of the apartment was clean and beautiful, and the shared bathroom too.
Astoria is brilliant, really safe and with a whole bunch of subway stations no more than 10/15 minutes walk away -- it took me about half an hour to get into MIdtown Manhattan. There's some great museums in the area -- MoMA PS1, The Noguchi Museum -- and the food was just as brilliant as I'd been told; you could get cuisine from all over the world within 10 minutes walk.
I wouldn't hesitate to come back to Akiko's place on a future visit to New York!