Glen Park with Bruce and Lawrence
Lawrence has lived close to Glen Park for almost 20 years. When he and Bruce started house hunting, they kept their search local. “It’s always been a comfortable and convenient neighborhood to live in,” Bruce explains. “Our house is a way of being in San Francisco without the big city feel.”
Home sharing has been both an economic safety net and opportunity to showcase the best of San Francisco. “Hosting is just a natural extension of [Bruce’s] personality,” says Lawrence. “The income aspect was attractive, but it gives Bruce the ability to take care of people.”
Making Dutch baby pancakes, recommending restaurants, and curating the city skyline, Bruce and Lawrence thoughtfully tend to their guest’s needs during their stay in San Francisco.
“I think [guests] appreciate that it’s a neighborhood they wouldn’t have visited,” Lawrence notes. “When they arrive at our house from the airport, [they] must think SF is just a bunch of hills and houses,” Bruce jokes. For a few interested visitors, they’ve driven back roads up to Twin Peaks to let the city skyline appear over the hill.
Some guests, however, have chosen to stay in Glen Park specifically to suit their travel needs. Guests visiting family nearby, business travelers seeking BART access, aspiring yogis attending workshops, and attendees of a wedding in the Sunnyside Conservatory have all enjoyed stays with Bruce and Lawrence.
To help their guests appreciate Glen Park’s character, Bruce and Lawrence highlight local shops that make this neighborhood unique.
Canyon Market has become a must-visit: the buenolitos, luxury chocolate bars, charcuteries, and cheeses are an instant upgrade to car or airplane snacks. Gialina’s farm-to-table pizzas, Le P’tit Laurent’s inexpensive prix fixe, and La Corneta Taqueria have become go-to dinner favorites. And Perch’s home goods and jewelry provide noteworthy products for those seeking a unique gift.
As guests explore the rest of San Francisco, Bruce and Lawrence make recommendations for any occasion. Coffee, or the namesake treats, from the Mission’s Dandelion Chocolate. A post-museum soft serve from Golden Gate Park’s Twirl and Dip food truck. Dinner at Heirloom Cafe, Epic Roasthouse, Monsieur Benjamin, or Petit Crenn.
Staying with an Airbnb host, Lawrence notes, is “like being able to stay with friends when you don’t have friends in a certain city.” Bruce and Lawrence, along with hosts across San Francisco, showcase the local places that make San Francisco unique.
60% of Airbnb guests in San Francisco say they visited local businesses based on their host’s recommendation. See more of Bruce and Lawrence’s recommendations at abnb.co/glenpark.