New York Room For Rent - 4 Bedroom apartment for a roommate in Harlem (NY-15872)

Great location. Great landlord.

The place is excellent! The first time I saw the room, I fell in love with it. I had a bigger room on the first floor, and it was fully furnished and noticeably quiet. The queen-size bed is also comfortable. I had my own fridge to place my stuff, and I could use the kitchen upstairs. Most remarkable is the hospitality of Izamar and Helio. Just say what you need, and Izamar and Helio are more than willing to help. You will never be disappointed to live in Izamar's house!

I loved staying in this apartment. It is very well located, quiet, clean, and the family welcomed me as if we have known each other since always. I highly recommend this apartment.

My experience at this apartment was absolutely beyond anything I expected to find when moving to New York. I came to the city for Graduate School and needed an apartment that was close to a subway station, quiet enough to provide a place to study, and furnished so that I would not have to bring furniture with me. This location provided all of these and more! Below I will review different qualities of the space that I find important: Neighborhood, Transportation, Room, Building, and the People.

Neighborhood:
Coming from a small town, moving to East Harlem was a big shift for me, both in terms of culture and geography. Overall, I found that the area around this apartment is cordial at first to new-comers and eventually settles in nicely to a fairly homely area. The street has many families, and oftentimes children are playing on the sidewalk and street with their parents close by. I never felt threatened when walking home at any time of the night, though exercising a certain amount of caution is still mandated as in nearly anywhere in Manhattan. There are several chain stores and restaurants within easy walking distance, as well as a grocery store and Duane Reade pharmacy. There is a strong Latin American presence to be felt in the community, and most store employees are bilingual. I even managed to learn a bit of Spanish and Portugese while I was here!

Transportation:
The central hub of transportation in the area is the 103rd St. station (5-10 minute walk), from which you can catch the 6-local train downtown or uptown. The line has many free connections a short ride down the line to give you access to almost anywhere in Manhattan in around 30 minutes. I also made frequent use of the buses. There is a Select M15 bus stop less than a minute from the apartment that can shuttle you around the UES and Midtown, as well as a myriad of other routes from the 101, 102, and 103 that are excellent for short hops home.

Room:
The room itself is remarkably spacious, with a high ceiling and ample storage space in the form of a large closet. While I was there the room had a queen-sized bed, a couch, coffee table, bed-side table, desk, chair, dresser, and small shelf. There was also a mini fridge, flat-screen TV, and two lamps. While the window does not have the greatest view (being a first floor), there is ample sunlight that comes in all day. I was worried about a first-floor room at first, thinking that people may look in, safety, etc., however the room looks into a small courtyard owned by the renters of this room that is well-secured. In addition, the windows sport tastefully wrought iron rods that remove any worry of intrusion. I felt very safe during my time here, both from the neighborhood and from the building itself. There is a shared bathroom on the same floor as the room that has a nice shower, toilet, sink, and mirror. There is also a second fridge in the hallway ouside of the room for tenant use (in case you have a lot of groceries). For the price being payed, this space is well worth it. I lived here for a little over a year and it quickly became home to me.

Building:
The building has a laundry facility with three washers and three dryers. Only once or twice during my entire stay were these fully occupied, so they are an excellent option for doing laundry. The building itself has security cameras and attentive tenants, as well as separate keys for entering the building and the individual apartments.

The People:
The individuals who rent out this room are among the kindest and most welcoming I have ever had the good pleasure of meeting. They made me feel instantly at home, despite being in a totally new environment. It seems that sincerely good people are a rarity in this world, but at least two of them live here.

I would highly recommend this apartment to anyone looking for a quiet, homely environment to come home to after a busy day in the city.

This apartment strong point is its location close to the subway station. There are lots of stores, restaurants, hairdressers etc around. The host family is very kind and welcoming.

I couldn't have been happier staying in this apartment.

The location is uptown, but a subway station is close nearby, as are stores you need for everyday stuff.

My roommates were absolutely wonderful, always willing to help and very sympathetic.

All in all, I had a wonderful and was very sad to leave.