I had a great stay at Fred's place! Because I arrived early, and was coordinating with others as well, Fred was kind enough to not only let me drop off my luggage early, I ended up checking in early as well. The condo is in an area that was very convenient and also pretty cool in its own right. I ate at some great restaurants (suggested by Fred -- the recommendations were spot on), and was within walking distance of the center where my conference was being held. San Francisco was a lot of fun too, but in the end, I also got to truly appreciate Oakland.