I have been a host and surfer in Couchsurfing for 15 years (with a break in the middle), and have met truly amazing people. Couchsurfing is a community where people from all over the world can meet and share ideas, culture, food, laughter, and lives. It is a place to be who you truly are, to learn about others, and to grow!

Many things have changed within this website since I was away after graduate school, but I hope the attitude of inclusion, acceptance, and community endures. I stepped away for a while to build my career, but am now in a more senior role with more freedom to host and travel again!

I am a developmental psychologist (not a therapist or psychoanalyst!) at a non-profit organization that engages individuals living with disabling mental illness. We work together as partners to build lives of greater independence, autonomy, and liberty. Our community-based model of rehabilitation has been replicated in more than 300 cities throughout the world. If you want to know more, visit www.fountainhouse.org. (This is not an advertisement -- everything we do is completely voluntary and free.)

I love my work and always hope to be a "big brother" who teaches and learns at the same time. I want my home to be a casual, comfortable place where all people can be their true selves.

I live in Brooklyn, in a safe neighborhood that is 20 minutes to Manhattan with access to every subway line. New York City is filled with people seeking new opportunities and experiences. 45% of its population was born outside of the United States. This combination of cultures and lifestyles is inspiring and exciting.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I love exchanging ideas and experiences. This is the soul of Couchsurfing and community.

I want you to feel at home here while seeing the best of New York City. I love NYC and know it well, and have lots of tips about places to go, how to get there, and what to avoid. I've written a guide to my home and city, and it's important that we get to know one another a bit before you arrive.

Through Couchsurfing I've had the opportunity to host amazing people from all over the world of every description -- male and female; old and young; singles, couples, and families; straight, gay, and in between; new and experienced travelers; and even a circus trapeze artist, a nudist, and a Navy submarine officer. How else could one get to know such an enormous variety of unique and diverse people?

I believe strongly in free exploration of people, cultures, and places. This is not just a place to sleep. Let's explore and connect this world a little closer, together!

Interests

My interests? It's a very long list -- some of my favorite things are good books, big smiles, long conversations, hugs, new experiences, laughter -- well, maybe there are too many!

• culture
• books
• photography
• concerts
• cooking
• gardening
• reading
• traveling
• volunteer work
• podcasts
• hiking
• camping
• baseball
• teaching
• history
• languages
• philosophy
• psychology
• science
• travel
• friends
• football
• friendship
• whiskey
• hugs
• conversation
• new experiences
• deep conversations
• museums and exhibitions
• open mind

Music, Movies, and Books

My apartment is full of books -- I read constantly, and love a good book on any almost any subject.

I think the quintessential NYC song is "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin. In my opinion, nothing else captures the city quite so well. Here is an amazing performance by Leonard Bernstein, conducting and playing the piano at the same time: https://youtu.be/cH2PH0auTUU?si=c9ac3ZiVZYMADPkY

If you're interested in a great description of New York City, nothing compares to E. B. White's essay, "Here Is New York." What he wrote in 1949 is still true today: https://langurbansociology.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/white-on-nyc.pdf

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I campaigned for (future) President Obama in 2008 -- I spoke with people all over the country, both for and against, listening to their personal stories and discussing their hopes for the future. It was an absolutely amazing experience that taught me so much about my own country, both good and bad (and in between).

I can think of many others, but the question asks for one!

Teach, Learn, Share

I hope that teaching, learning, and sharing are a part of everything I do, every day. I've been a high school teacher and college professor... I loved to teach, but no teacher can be successful unless they are willing to learn who their students are. (This was part of why I enjoyed teaching high school so much more than university.)

Now, I work with people who live with disabling mental illness, often accompanied by homelessness or addiction, and I spend a lot of time leading and teaching our staff. But again, it is a community of sharing and learning, in which true recovery and rehabilitation occurs.

I teach one central principle to our staff: it is always possible to find healthy parts of every person. It's easy to find weaknesses or imperfections, but people are much more than that. When you focus on strengths and abilities, the weaknesses fade away. I think it's a good philosophy of life!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I'm not travelling at the moment, so I don't expect to have a host soon. When I was young and free, I explored the world. Now, I bring the world to me, through Couchsurfing!

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Haiti, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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