Jean was very welcoming and friendly. Her house is super cute, clean and comfortable. The kitchen is perfect and she's very generous about sharing cookware and shelf / fridge space. She also provided local information and complete access to the house. If you can bring a bike its a big plus, the area is very bike friendly. Jean even loaned me a better bike lock than the one I had and also lent me her bike locker card to secure my bike at the nearby BART station (5 min. by bike). Jean's house is a fantastic home base to explore Oakland, Berkeley, as well as San Francisco. The neighborhood is diverse and urban with the mixture of housing and people you would expect from that description. There are coffee shops, restaurants and a cute yoga studio all within 5 minute bike ride. I did not use the bus but that is an available option as well for getting around.