Elaine is an excellent host and I warmly recommend staying in her flat. I have had no troubles at all agreeing my accommodation with her, she has been more than helpful, and I find her to be a very interesting person. Her flat is very near the Columbia University (especially important if one is visiting Columbia) and Downtown may be reached in about 20min on subway (C trains is only about 150m from Elaine's flat). In addition, I found the neighborhood to be safe, with nice cafes and pretty decent restaurants being all around Washington Heights.