I three ago I purchased a family membership at the Harlem YMCA. The app is a good tool to have. You can do workout activities online and you can connect to a nutrition app to track your food and activities. The downside is that in person activities are constantly canceled and the pool is being cleaned or renovated. This does not happen at the other YMCA facilities. It’s a shame that the residents need to leave the neighborhood to receive consistency.

Harlem YMCA cancelled the Saturday evening reservation of three Japanese young ladies just as they were boarding the plane to NY. The booking.com message said it was 'cancelled due to repairs and call them for assistance in finding another hotel. That would have been nice, but NO ONE answered their phone. It would be put on hold for 15 minutes then ring and go right back on hold. Don't be fooled by their care and concern mission. They made three visitors to NYC sleep in Newark Airport because NOTHING was available anywhere.

If you are looking for a cheap place that throws you out to the streets of NY and not think about coming back until bedtime, this is the right place for you. No luxuries, just convenience. Very close to public transportation. The rooms are very small and the bed rather uncomfortable. There is no security box either. There is no snack / beverage machine so you have to bring your own. Wi-fi is free but it did not reach our room.

Been there with a friend last August who booked a double room for 3 nights. Despite the low cost for the accommodation, comparable to other hostels in central Manhattan, we had free acess to several facilities, such as: swimming pool, sauna, gym, basketball court. It has been an awesome surprise, I'll definitely go back there next time in NYC

I did feel scared for my safety. On many occasions my friends went to lower floors to use showers/go to the loo. Numerous times they were warned by cleaners to stay off these lower floors as the people on them were dangerous and that their was a gang on level 7 and that only floors 10 and 11 were safe. Wierd people also sometimes hanged outside the hotel. There was also likely prostitution as someone came out the showers on level 5 with her breasts exposed and asked if anyone wanted to have sex with her. I stayed at the YMCA for 2 nights. It is good as it is a very short wall from the metro. The gym, pool and basketball courts looked great! However, I felt the rooms were very claustraphobic and our light would keep turning on every 30 seconds after being turned off. Therefore, my friend had to unscrew the light from its electrical supply which meant we could sleep in the dark, but also spend the whole time we were in the room in the dark also. The Wifi, only reached half of the corridor on floor 11 and unfortunately that didn't reach our room even though every room is meant to have free wifi. Also, due to staying with a large group of friends there were long queues for the showers, which there were only four (which were nice and large).