Having seen a review here re reservation confirmation, I was worried that our reservation might not be a confirmed one although I had confirmation from the booking agent. I got onto Skype to speak to the B&B direct - it was fine and the owner, Carl, was extremely helpful.
I noticed that they are slow to respond to email and I think they are more people than computer orientated.
The whole essence of a B&B is that you trade 24/7 hotel staff for (usually) a couple of people, but you can't expect 24/7 hotel service for the price as they have to leave their room to go and sort out any problems, attend to cleaning etc. We helped a fellow guest contact friends using our Skype connection as her mobile wasn't working and she was freaking out because she couldn't get an answer knocking at their door. B&Bs are not great if you expect instant service like that.
The place is kept clean in a shabby chic sort of way and the decor is eclectic and interesting (the owner's wife is an art teacher). I personally prefer that to an anonymous hotel room. Interesting accommodation can be a hit or miss and when you're travelling 3,600 miles, you don't want a horror story at the end. I pulled out of a New York hotel booking because of reviews saying the hotel had bed bugs. There were no bugs at the Awesome B&B.
There are steep stairs to negotiate with a suitcase and Carl helped us both times get in and out.
The shared bathroom and toilet were basic but the shower pressure was good and we always had hot water despite showering at different times in the morning. The tiles were a bit slippy so take care or pack some flip flops.
Breakfast appears regularly around 8am and you pick up your orange juice, coffee (good) and either bagels or muffins (neither very special, but they hit the spot if you're hungry) and take them back to your room.
When we arrived we got the option to move to a quieter room as the current construction work (we were there in May 2008) can disrupt some people's sleep. As my husband is a light sleeper we moved to a bigger room on the second floor, which had 2 double beds and it was lovely.
There was noise, but a wee nightcap plus earplugs, and a lot of walking around the town meant we slept well. We did notice however, the walls are thin and we could hear more than we wanted of our neighbours.
There is satellite TV in the room, plus free wi-fi access, and at least 2 power sockets in the room we stayed in
Given hotel rates in Manhattan (even on hotwire.com) and the absence of a big network of B&Bs (and the best of these appared to rivall the hotels for rates), only Newark offers comparable rates in a hotel, which is miles away. This B&B in Brooklyn was a good budget choice.
The area is starting to come up with new condos being constructed but it still has a buzz. Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge (recommended) is about 10 mins walk away from the B&B.
Prospect Park in Brooklyn is a few subway stops downtown from the B&B opposite the botanic gardens and both are a good respite from the city. Prospect is bigger than its uptown counterpart: Central Park and more restful, but Central Park is well worth visiting too.
The B&B has the Lawrence St subway station across the street which will take you into Manhattan on a local train via the stop for the Staten Island ferry. There's usually a policeman on the corner at the subway and we found the neighbourhood friendly.
Faster lines go from nearby Jay Street.
The subway Metro card covers unlimited travel on subway or bus for 7 days - $25 (and longer periods options are available) or you can buy 6 trip tickets that save you a couple of dollars and you can share the card. Brilliant value and although some people warned the subway wasn't pleasant at night, we had no problems.
The free subway map is not as good as the London map. There is also less integration between the different lines. Some trains pass through stations (look at the map station dots very carefully) and where lines branch, the new branch takes a new letter or number. The trains can run a tad erratically and are subject to change as there's a lot of scheduled works taking place just now. There can also be several versions of a station with the same name on different lines separated by 2 or 3 blocks. However, the big surprise was how helpful New Yorkers can be. Pull out a subway map and much of the time you'll get an offer of help without having to ask. Just stay flexible and allow enough time for critical journeys for catching trains and planes etc.
There's a handy deli opposite the B&B that serves excellent egg rolls and sandwiches where you can pick up supplies in the morning. They do a mean salad bowl or other food if you miss the rest of the eateries late at night.
The Tex Mex round the corner was good value.