Aaron's place in University Heights is really great. It is well organized and the backyard is really peaceful. There is not a lot of traffic noise and you can relax in the sun in the backyard and then go out the front door and have easy access to just about anything San Diego has to offer. I have decided to begin writing my airbnb reviews in the context of sustainability ratings as this is my field and passion. So with that being said...
Aaron's place is in close distance to Hillcrest Farmer's market that is on Saturdays and features local produce and one of the largest in San Diego. The whole foods not tooo far away has some local produce to offer. There is a farm to table restaurant within walking distance and some other places we did not try.
As far as the house....and these are recommendations for a very nice invisible host:
The house is great. My bed was super comfy, my mother thought that her smaller one (I shared the large one with my son) was not that comfortable but I didn't try it.
There are some lemons, kumquats and tomatoes in the backyard but no information on whether they are sprayed etc. We ate some tomatoes and then stopped when we saw some chemicals and fertilizer stuff on the side of the house.
There is a composter in the front but it looks out of commission...should get it up and running as throwing food in the garbage seems like a crime in a warm and sunny place like San Diego.
There is plenty of bags and things to use for shopping in the house and there are some products from the Trader Joes just near the house..lots of spices and some condiments, but the oils seem rancid and need to be thrown out. The stove is gas and there is a great gas grill but teflon pans that have some scratches (yikes).
Lots of water saving signs but a garbage disposal(??) and no biodegradable soaps and scented laundry detergents and dryer sheets which is not good for the hypoallergenic. There are shampoo and conditioner and shower gels and even toothpaste if you forget yours.
The deck should be sanded as we had some splinter events which is not a big deal but walking barefoot from the kitchen to the yard does require some attention unless you have good tweezers with you.
It would be great to have a list of local things such as markets and restaurants that locals frequent and are good, just helpful information. We loved the house and the location and has a really good stay. Aaron was very accommodating and polite in our exchanges. I give it a sustainability rating of 2 out of 5 with a potential to have a 4 if some thought was put into it. But a great place to stay and we would do it again!