Before you arrive

Arrival

No keys to collect, nobody to meet, no front desk. A four-digit code, texted to you before your stay, opens both the gate and the front door — so you can arrive on your own schedule and walk straight in. Here is how it all works, and the nicest ways to reach us from the airport.

Your door code

One number opens everything

Shortly before your stay we will text you a 4-digit code. It opens the keypad on the gate and the keypad on the front door — one number to remember, and nothing to lose.

Check-in is flexible. We do not run on a hotel clock: tell us when you land and we will agree an arrival time that suits you.

TipSave the code in your phone before you land — signal on BART is patchy underground.

If the code does not arrive or does not work, text Harry (317) 625-0490 or Yang (650) 387-5436. We reply quickly.

The gate & the front door

Two keypads, one code

  1. At the gate Enter your code on the keypad, then turn the knob to open.
  2. At the front door Enter the same code on the keypad. The lock releases; push the door open.
  3. Mind the cats Lenin and Noelle find open doors fascinating. Step in and close the door behind you before you set your bags down.
PleaseMake sure the gate and the front door close fully behind you, every time. The cats are indoor cats — the neighborhood is theirs only through the window.

Once inside, you will find the garage clicker on the entry bench. You only need it for the trash bins, or if we have arranged parking for you.

From San Francisco International (SFO)

13 miles · 20 km · about 40 minutes

13 miAirport to house
~40 minBART + a short walk
$11.70BART with Clipper
$45–70Uber, Lyft or taxi

By BART — our recommendation

Fast, cheap, and no traffic. Trains run straight to our neighborhood with no changes.

BART
Follow signs to “AirTrain / BART”The BART station is in the International Terminal. From other terminals take the free AirTrain (Red or Blue line) to “Garage G / BART”.
YR
Board any San Francisco-bound trainYellow (Antioch) or Red (Richmond) — both work. Tap a Clipper card or your phone wallet at the gate; see Clipper.
16th
Get off at 16th St MissionAbout 25 minutes. Take the escalator up to Mission Street.
10′
Walk to RamonaHead west on 16th St toward Church and Dolores, then north. A flat, pleasant ten minutes — or open the address in Maps below.

By car

Uber and Lyft pick up on Level 5 of the Domestic Garage (follow the signs for “Ride App Pickup”); taxis wait at the curb outside every terminal. Either way, plan on $45–70 and 25–40 minutes, more when it is raining or a big game has just let out.

About WaymoYou will see the driverless cars everywhere, and many visitors love them. We do not ride them. In October 2025 a Waymo ran over Kit Kat, the much-loved cat of Randa's Market, eight minutes from our door — and the company's first account of what happened did not match what the store's cameras showed. The whole story, briefly → We would love it if you took a cab or a car driven by a person instead; your call, of course.

Directions by transit Directions by car

From Oakland (OAK)

Also easy — and often cheaper to fly into

Take the BART-to-OAK shuttle train from the terminal to Coliseum station, then any San Francisco-bound train to 16th St Mission — about 45–55 minutes in all. A car across the Bay Bridge is 30–50 minutes and roughly $50–75.

Arriving by car?

A word about parking before you drive in

There is no parking spot included with the house — our car lives in the garage. Street parking nearby is permit-controlled, but if you tell us in advance we can arrange a visitor parking pass ($10 a day). Occasionally we can offer the garage; that too needs to be arranged beforehand.

Everything about parking, including the garage video →

Your first hour

A gentle landing

  • Say hello to the cats. They may hide for a minute; let them come to you. Meet Lenin & Noelle →
  • Join the Wi-Fi. Network raindrops and whiskers — scan the QR code on the home page or copy the password there.
  • Make it cozy. Say “Ok Google, make it cozy” and the living room dims to an evening glow. All the lighting commands →
  • Make a coffee. The Nespresso is the easy one — pods are in the holder under the upper kitchen cabinets. Coffee →
  • Shoes off, please — there is space by the entry bench.
  • Hungry? Mezze and Mooore is a two-minute walk; Spot Lite Market is three. The neighborhood →

Then text us to say you are in. We like knowing you have arrived safely.