CURRENT MISSION: reestablish my credibility in the CouchSurfing community! I was a poor citizen of my profile for too long and did not respond as quickly or frequently as is respectable, so I apologize to everyone who messaged me and did not hear a response. As of late April, 2015, I've turned over a new leaf so please try us again!

ABOUT ME

I like to meet people. Washington, D.C. is where I have called home since late 2012. I live right on Capitol Hill and have a blast at being right at the center of it all.

Another very important something: I live with my girlfriend, Heidi, (check her out here: http://www.couchsurfing.org/people/hnikbloom/). We'll be serving as co-hosts during your stay here in DC, so check her profile out too. She's MUCH awesomer than I am, so if I don't interest, surely she will.

visited 20 states (8.88%)

visited 38 states (76%)

PHILOSOPHY

Personal philosophy. That is kind of deep for just having met each other, no?

I just think that if people wouldn't focus so much on little things- trivialities, we would all be much better off.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I have surfed and co-hosted. I'm super excited about all the opportunities to host that living in DC offers!

I must be honest: I have not lived in DC very long, so I cannot offer an intimate, native-esque knowledge of the city. I know it pretty well, though and I would LOVE to do some exploring with you!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I surfed in Switzerland and Italy. Amazing! Met great people. I have only been able to host one time (and it was a mere co-host at that), but I would definitely consider myself friends with surfers.

The CouchSurfing concept is the type of thing that, when deeply considered, you give yourself a facepalm and say aloud to yourself, "It's genius! Why didn't I think of this??"

Interests

I'd like to tell you I spend my time pursing intellectual endeavors of the highest degree and creating beautiful art and speaking seventeen languages, but that would be a shameless lie. I enjoy reading classics, books about food (I repeatedly attempt to cook and fail, I am on the outside looking in at the 'foodie' world, but in all truth I still prefer a trip to the local taco shop than coughing up the big bucks for a fancy meal at the ritzy restaurant downtown), am fascinated with the Spanish language and Hispanic culture (I do not speak Spanish very well, but I sure as hell try), watching baseball (long-suffering Kansas City Royals fan), and drinking a locally brewed beer.

• arts
• culture
• humanities
• books
• beauty
• dining
• cooking
• beer
• drinking
• shopping
• reading
• socializing
• kayaking
• camping
• baseball
• languages
• hitchhiking

Music, Movies, and Books

Mark Twain is my authorial hero. The good doctor Hunter S Thompson as well. And Michael Pollan writes things that interest me (I'm in the thick of his latest book- Cooked, right this instant, actually). Speaking of Pollan... you cook some of your native food for me, and you have a MUCH better chance of getting hosted! Maybe this is a good point to interject a little pop quiz to make sure you are offering a unique request to each different host: if you stay at my place, what would you cook for us to share? NO NEED to make it fancy, because my personal cooking capabilities are SUPER limited (mac and cheese, anyone?) but I'd like a taste of where you come from, no matter where that may be. Let me know!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

-Traveled via bus (whenever possible) from Buenos Aires to Mexico City hitting most of the Spanish-speaking countries in between. Safe to say it was a transformative experience.

-I "super-tramped" over 1,100 miles around Alaska one summer after a fantastic failure of a summer job. The hitchhiking more than made up for the lack of work emotionally, if not financially.

-Road-tripped both directions across the western United States one summer, after yet another failed summer job. I seem to have a knack for those...

-Spent a February week kayaking/camping Lake Powell (twice), well before the houseboats, water-skiers, or anyone else arrived, remembering the beauty of no cell phone reception and feeling a million miles from civilization

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Uruguay

Countries I’ve Lived In

Bolivia, Spain, United States