I stayed here in August 2008. I turned up to the hostel in the middle of a nightmare! having just left my voluntary summer job at camp I was travelling on the subway in New York for the first time (I was an 18 year old female travelling on my own) when my backpack was stollen, which left me with no passport, flight itinery, mobile phone or any form of ID, basically I had lost everything apart from my money (thank god!!).
Anyway I made it to the hostel in such a panic as you an imagine and I told the man, I think his name was Santos, my situation. Oh my god he was such a gem he marched me down to the police station straight away and registered my stolen property, then he let me use his phone to make many phone calls back home (not cheap phoning between the USA and Scotland!) then he contacted the British embassy for me and printed out a map for me showing me how to get there. If it wasnt for Santos I dont know what would have happened, but thank god he was there to help me, very friendly understanding man, he set me on the straight and narrow which allowed me time to visit all the sights in New York during my 2 day stay.
As for the hostel it was clean, but quite stuffy, but hey it was very cheap and nicer than I had expected. I was in a bedroom with two bunk beds and there was a living room with sofa's and a TV, a bathroom, kitchen and a private double bedroom, it was like a tiny flat. I really got the New York feel staying in it and met some great people there. The area was rough, but you know what I loved it and explored Harlem without any trouble whatsoever. The subway is 5 mins round the corner as too is central park and some interesting museums round that way. If you fancy it, as I did just to explore, you can walk right down to the bottom of manhattan in about an hour and a half, which I recommend, it really soaked in the sights, sounds and smells of the city.