Please read entire profile including "About" and "Home" description before requesting to stay. Lots of important information. Message me with arrival and departure info + any dietary restrictions. I use a first come first served system and a calendar to keep track of open couch dates so I'll be able to respond fairly quickly.
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I have a small guest room in my new house and would like to host awesome, open minded, interesting people once in a while. I work full time running a gardening company, and work primarily raising veggies for Xavier University and restoring old gardens all over the city. I also have a professional art practice and have a studio instead of a living room.

I have a dog named Gary, three box turtles, two lizards, a fish who are all rescues, and also breed pedigreed rare Dwarf Hotot and the critically endangered Blanc de Hotot rabbits for exhibitions. There are usually a few baby rabbits around in the yard. (Potential surfers must LOVE animals).

I go to a lot of the radical queer and alternative community events in the city, lots of parades, music shows, site specific themed parties, and more. Sundays are Secondline parade days and are a great way to see live brass bands in diverse neighborhoods in New Orleans for free. Even if I'm not going out I would be happy to point you in the right direction for events, restaurants, etc.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am used to living with other people but now it's just me and the animals.

I'm looking for people who are open minded, polite, not messy, not going to stumble in wasted (moderately drunk is fine anytime, the bars never close here), and who will be respectful of my neighbors and neighborhood.

I live in the Treme, and it is the oldest historically black neighborhood in the country. My house is new since Katrina but many of the homes are old, abandoned, and need TLC. My neighbors are mostly African American and have been here a whole lot longer than the 20-30 year old white people moving in. Don't be a jerk and you'll do fine. Respond when someone says "good morning" or "how ya doing". Be polite.

Interests

Organic gardening, animals, art, cooking, egg tempera painting the old school per-renaissance way, long walks with the pup in the abandoned part of City Park (come join us, you might see a gator!), bass guitar, noise music, rabbit shows, and being relaxed drinking white wine on my porch with friends.

• animals
• dogs
• fish
• rabbits
• arts
• books
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• white wine
• running
• partying
• drinking
• gardening
• shopping
• clothing
• reading
• painting
• music
• guitar
• cycling
• fishing
• boxing
• track and field
• volunteering
• wwoof

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm always reading, lately nonfiction. Feel free to borrow books on indefinite loan.

Teach, Learn, Share

REFUGEES:
Priority given to refugees fleeing ISIS or economic hardship. Couch/spare room open to you for a month or two if needed. Documentation required please. I have a Couchfugee profile.

ORGANIC FARMING/WWOOF:
If you are interested in a longer stay (1-2 weeks) and would like to WWOOF on my urban farms (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms), please apply through wwoofusa.org or send a PM with your info, desired dates, farm/garden background, why you want to farm, current WWOOF membership number, etc. Must be able to lift 30 lbs comfortably, work in all weather conditions, have appropriate work boots and clothing, and not have a bee allergy. We work M-Sa in a variety of urban farms and gardens. Three meals a day and/or access to groceries provided, but you must volunteer a minimum of 20 hours/week and sign a work release agreement and liability release form.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
Consider spending a few hours at any of these outreach/non-profit groups during your trip. Volunteering is a great way to meet locals, help those in need, and see different sides of the city.

- Community Kitchen (Tuesdays 10-2pm) cooks produce and food donations and distributes a meal to the homeless. Also distributes groceries to neighbors in need. Cook in the morning, serve in the afternoon.

- Books To Prisoners (Sundays 4-7pm) distributes free reading material to prisoners in Louisiana. Our state incarcerates more people than anywhere else in the world and basic services are often non-existent. Help pack, sort, and mail books.

- RUBARB (Rusted Up Beyond All Recognition Bicycles, Sundays all day, Weekdays after school) refurbishes donated bikes to distribute to community members without reliable transportation free of charge. They also have a build-a-bike program for kids that teaches bike safety, maintenance, and the kids earn a free bike. Excellent snack time also!

- Hollygrove Market & Farm (M-Sa 9-2pm) grows and distributes food in the Hollygrove neighborhood. They need help harvesting and packing produce for distribution. Hollygrove is an African American neighborhood without many healthy grocery options.

- New Orleans Community Print Shop (volunteer hours vary) provides local artist studio space and darkroom facilities, but the cool thing is that the neighborhood kids hang out and work on their own projects, have snack time, and learn how to sell art. Even if you don't have darkroom or printmaking skills they often need help cleaning and supervising kids projects.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I have a good grasp of the city, events and places off of the beaten path, and live really close to the French Quarter, City Park, Bayou St. John and the Lafitte Greenway. The house is across the street from Dookie Chase and Willie Mae's Scotch House restaurants, which are always voted the #1 and #2 best fried chicken in America. Worth the wait in line.

****Please spend money at our local restaurants, attractions, bars, and museums. New Orleans only economy is the tourist economy. If you need help finding Locally Owned or Black Owned businesses to support, let me know. Consider spending a day volunteering with locals. Tuesdays a really cool program called Community Kitchen cooks for the homeless and distributes produce to the neighborhood. We are still hurting from Katrina! Please be sensitive and aware of this!****

Also FUCK AIR B&B. Landlords here are kicking tenants out in favor of short term rentals to tourists, and out of town investors are buying multiple homes to rent to tourists, taking units out of the rental system. By some estimates 40% of our housing stock is still gone since Katrina and 23% of all rental units are now short-term only. Try to be a "good tourist" and not another "out of town asshole".

Countries I’ve Visited

Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Netherlands, New Zealand