everything was nearly perfect at Steven's place. close to public transportation, very nice host and extremely communicative. in general, a great place.
the best parts are:
1) the bed is pretty comfy and very private. I like this setup a lot and may replicate it to my own house, old school 80s vibes
2) the tv/sound systems are pretty great.
3) I felt safe for the most part, though a key for the door would be nice.
4) the art, atmosphere, and lights are pretty cool. definitely one of the most unique airbnbs out there
the only negatives or opportunities are:
1) the upstairs is very easily heard in the common area and can get distracting. it's not very insulated so you can hear everything that goes on upstairs if you're in the common area. in the bedroom, this is mostly muffled and fine. just not as quiet as I would have liked and I felt like if I was loud I would be disturbing Steven and his family/friends upstairs
2) the heat/boiler system is pretty loud at night. the first night, I was woken up and it was pretty jarring with the pipes banging (normal for a boiler system) but it was unexpected especially at 2 AM in the morning. I got used to it pretty quickly and threw some earplugs in and was good to go. but it is very loud.
3) bring your own utensils and dishes if you're eating in. there are no microwavable bowls and no real utensils. your choices are either to eat out or buy your own plastic / microwavable dishes. it would have been nice to at least have one or two metal spoons, forks, and a plate/bowl to warm stuff up in. Steven does provide paper plates and plastic forks, but it's not enough imo.
4) the bathroom is nice, but the shower floor is not tiled. it's shower mats on a concrete floor. I can tell some parts of the basement are still under construction. I think this can be made to look a bit cleaner
if a few of things could be added in, this place would be a top tier place in nyc/brooklyn