I'll caveat this review with the assumption that my experience was atypical, but it was an experience nonetheless.
First I'll start with Gary's space—
It's beautiful, quiet, and well-appointed. The high ceilings make it feel much larger than it is, and the huge floor-to-ceiling wall of windows make the space feel open and airy. The garden area is amazing. It's easily walkable to 24th Street and all of its offerings, and street parking wasn't much of a hassle. Ample water pressure in the shower, plenty of clean towels, and very safe and secure. Note that there is no microwave, so leftovers from the neighborhood restaurants might be for naught.
Also be weary of the bed. It's very firm—something I wish I had known before plopping down upon settling it. Oof...
Now to my experience—
Check-in was rather stressful, things felt as though they were hastily readied/flat out missing, and I felt as though I was inconveniencing Gary by being a guest in his space—something I've never felt before during an Airbnb stay.
More on the check-in—my partner and I moved away from the Bay Area about half a year ago, and we planned a nice day in Oakland with old friends including brunch, drinks, and dinner for which a sitter had already been booked. Knowing we were going to be tied up across The Bay most of the day I thought it proper to let Gary know we wouldn't be checking in until 10:00pm (something I assumed wouldn't be a problem given there wasn't any sort of check-in window in the listing (update: there is now (because of me))). Gary made it very clear that our schedule was a huge inconvenience for him, and really soured our entire day with our friends. We eventually ironed things out and met the next day, but the fact remained that we nearly looked elsewhere given how our first interaction went down.
There were other small details like the coffee jar had about a scoop and a quarter left in it when we checked in, the linen towel bags had not been placed in the bathroom, and the wifi was really shoddy at times—annoyances that stood out amidst the quality of everything else in the space.
I enjoyed my stay at Gary's on the whole, and was glad we had an opportunity to stay in our old neighborhood for a few days. However—I do believe that the onus is on the host to make the stay memorable and enjoyable, and while Gary and I did finally smooth things over we couldn't help but feel like the initial dealings were awkward and uncomfortable. I suppose the moral of the story is to make sure your check-in arrangements are solidified in advance and you'll probably have a wonderful stay.