Ours is a typical San Francisco home on two levels (European first and second floors), with a guest suite on the street level: three-bedrooms, two-bathrooms (+ 1 WC), Edwardian (built 1912), with remodeled kitchen and bathrooms, can sleep eight (with queen-size sofa-bed in front room). Central heating for the occasional cold San Francisco day. Books in every room. Old-fashoined toys and books for children (ours grew up before xBox and Wii). We have three mens and two womens bicycles (locks and helmets). No smoking inside, please (large yard in back).

We live on a residential block with a mix of single-family homes and apartment buildings. Please note: the map shows us in the middle of the Richmond District, but we are actually 12 blocks west, at 26th Avenue and California Street. The three streets to the south of us are California (mostly residential, some cafes and restaurants), Clement (mixed, but predominantly commercial, with many restaurants), and Geary (a typical "high street" with all the usual shops, banks, etc., and yet more restaurants). Further to the south is the amazing Golden Gate Park. The exclusive Sea Cliff neighborhood and two popular beaches, Baker and China, are a couple blocks to the north. Lincoln Park to the west has a beautiful golf course with views of the Golden Gate Bridge (put "17th hole Lincoln Park" in google images), hiking paths along the cliffs, and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor with fine art galleries. We have good access to the Golden Gate Bridge and thus the redwoods, wine valleys, coast, etc., to the north.
May 27, 2012, was the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge; the fireworks pictures were taken that night from a friend's house in Sea Cliff, above Baker Beach, three blocks north of our house..

We have negotiated two long-term exchanges, one for 11 months in Manhattan (7 years ago) and one for nearly 4 months (4 years ago) in New Malden. We feel there is more than enough for us to do in another three or four months in New York and London, and are confident there is more than enough for anyone to enjoy for a similar period here in San Francisco.
San Francisco has a transportation card similar to the Oyster in London. The Clipper Card can be loaded with a senior monthly pass for $23. It is a great deal on the cable cars! Almost all buses have bike racks, so it is possible to bike all over the city. Of course there are other memberships and special programs which are valuable in the case of long-term residence.

For a long-term exchange in Greater London, any three or four months, up to nine if you need the academic year. Usually we do NOT travel in summer.

We are only looking for 2014 and beyond.
Any home or flat which sleeps two in Zurich, Geneva, or other Swiss city; Vienna, Austria.
We have had a long-term exchange in southwest London, so we would be happy in a suburb with good transportation links (e.g., Richmond, Kingston; Blackheath, Greenwich) as well as more central locations.
For the long-term exchanges, a home with at least two bedrooms, or one bedroom with a sleeper couch in another room, to accommodate visitors.
While we are always happy to receive inquiries, and always answer them, from places which we have not mentioned, it is unlikely we will accept an exchange.

Dick (69) is retired, Paula (67) still works part time in the SF City Attorney's Office. We have two sons, the younger still living in San Francisco and also working for the City as a firefighter. We have been exchanging for over 15 years and are now free to travel at any time, though we usually avoid the summer months. We enjoy theatre, walking and biking and finding the quirky places tourists have not discovered.
We are seriously seeking a long-term exchange in Greater London. Four years ago we enjoyed a 3-1/2-month exchange in New Malden and do not require a central location.
We are also open to a shorter exchange (one to three weeks) in just about any city in Switzerland, and, again, probably spring or fall.

English