My college age daughter and I had a reasonable stay at Skip’s home. We felt safe and he is very friendly and full of information about NYC. If you want privacy and/or a separate locked room this is not the place for you as it is not separate from his personal living space. Also note that he does have multiple cats that I personally did not read/see in the accommodation description until after we booked and arrived. His home is indeed about a 5 minute walk from the subway.