I arrived in New York after an 8 hour flight from Los Angeles. It was pretty easy getting from JFK to the hostel - I opted to take a taxi from the airport as I was knackered and it was about 9pm - I didn't really fancy getting lost on the subway late at night!!! I would definately recommend taking a taxi - it did cost me $40 (I was meeting my friend at the hostel so I had to pay for this by myself) - but for a half an hour ride I didn't think this was too bad. I went on the subway back to the airport a couple of days later, and although it was cheaper (I think it cost about $6), it literally took like 2 1/2 hours, and unless you know the subway lines quite well, you will most likely get lost.
When I arrived at the hostel, I was greeted by a young man who told me that I was placed in the room on the top floor. He showed me the 'living room' and kitchen area, and the 2 shower/toilets. As I was going up the stairs, there was dried blood on the hand rail... yuk.. (this was still there when I left 4 days later)!!! The room consisted of 4 bunk beds. I was on the one closest to the door - my head right by the light switch! The beds were clean and comfortable, although the room was a bit on the cramped side. There was a doorway just off our room which concealed one of the private rooms - I didn't really see inside unless one of the other guests opened the door, but from what I could see, it did look pretty small.
The showers were an absolute nightmare in the morning. Wanting to get the most out of our trip, we would be up quite early in the morning, but from about 8am - 12pm there was always people in the bathroom. It wouldn't of been so bad if it wasn't for the fact that the only two toilets in the whole building were in there as well - so if you're desperate to pee then you're in for a long wait :)
I've stayed in many hostels all over the world, and I have to say that even one which had a hose pipe as a shower in Thailand was cleaner than the bathroom here!! There were little midges flying around the whole time - I'm not scared of bugs at all but this was pretty gross, and if you used the shower on the top floor you literally had to attach the handle to make it work!! I actually thought that this was a joke to begin with and had to ask my friend how the shower worked, however she told me that I had to attach it myself and alter the temperature etc. Once used, the tap would literally fall off. The floor was constantly wet - I would advise wearing your flipflops to avoid slipping!!! It was very grotty.
I can't say that I used the kitchen, and didn't venture into the living room after being shown, so can't say really what it was like, although there were always people in there, and it did seem to give off a friendly vibe. The free internet was a bonus too, although with only one computer you would be lucky to get on it unless it was 4am!
The hostel had lockers by the front door to keep any valuables for no extra charge, although you had to use your own padlock (I didn't think to bring one with me, however I managed to pick one up for like $1 - last of the big spenders!!!).
The subway is literally about 2 seconds away from the hostel, and there is a KFC 2 doors down. I was a bit shocked when I walked in on the first night and there was bullet proof glass covering the counter - it was actually like a bank - you place your money onto this little turntable thing, and then the assistant would put your food on it and turn the table around. There was no contact at all. Although I did find this quite amusing as I'd never seen security like this in a fast food restaurant of all places, apparently the street that the hostel is based, and the streets around it are really, really rough - it's not far from the 'projects' which the taxi driver told me on the first night, under no uncertain circumstances to never venture down alone, or even with friends.
Manhatten and all of the 'touristy' things are about a half hour journey on the subway, not long at all, although it does get pretty hot and stuffy in the day time (think London tubes at 5pm!!!), and are almost constantly packed. We were told that the main place to go out is the Meat Packing District, which we went to on our last night - I would definately not recommend getting on the subway if you're going on a night out!!! It took about an hour to get to which wasn't the problem - the fact that we stood out a mile and attracted some very much unwanted attention on our way was not good. We were not dressed provocatively (long dress with leggings and heels), however people treated us like we were hookers!! On the way home we got a taxi which only came to $20 for both of us. It was quite a good night out, however be prepared to be turned away from clubs unless you buy a 'table', starting at $1500. This was a little bit out of our price range!!! Upon exiting the taxi, we spotted rats running around on the street outside the hostel, which was an unwelcome surprise!!!!

I would recommend this hostel, solely because it is SO cheap compared to others, and the subway is literally a 10 second walk. I was never really disturbed when sleeping, even though as said previously the light switch was literally right next to my head, and it was pretty quiet. However, be careful when you're walking around, I wouldn't say it is a neighbourhood where you could have a look at the sights!!! I would also recommend investing in some good dry shampoo and wet wipes, as the showers really are gross. I never saw the owners after arriving, so if you're looking for some advice from them on where to go in New York, find somebody else - everybody that we met were lovely and were willing to give us advice with directions/subway lines when we asked.