Hi there! I'm a journalist and poet, and traveling is my muse.

I'm originally from New York City, but after living in Anchorage, Alaska for a few years, I've settled in the Boston area. I love New England dearly, from the sands of Cape Cod to the mountains of Vermont, and feel quite at home here.

When I moved back east, I drove the whole way from Anchorage to Portland, Maine and CouchSurfed for some of it. I chronicled the trip here: refugeoftheroadsblog.wordpress.com (I later did the drive two more times!)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I really believe this site can be a force for good in the world. It may sound sappy, but I do. World peace begins with experiencing new cultures, places and people with generosity and gratitude. I know it's made me a better person.

Wherever I'm traveling, I would so much rather make new connections and stay with locals than get a motel room or camp. If you have time to show me around your town a little, I'd love that! And if not, recommendations for places to eat and sights to see are most welcome :)

I'm hoping to be able to host once I get a little more settled into my new home here.

Interests

I love to read and write poetry, kayak, bike, go to museums and art galleries and see live theater, and I'm always on the hunt for the perfect dive bar. I'm definitely a dog person, but I love cats too. I prefer "big talk" to small talk — enough about the weather, what do you dream about?

• dogs
• writing
• poetry
• architecture
• photography
• cars
• music
• karaoke
• sailing
• spirituality
• naturism
• lgbt
• museums
• radical faeries

Music, Movies, and Books

Music:
David Bowie
Kristin Hersh/Throwing Muses
Talking Heads
Bjork
Joni Mitchell
Red House Painters
Belle & Sebastian
Patti Smith
Sonic Youth
Mazzy Star

Movies:
Lost in Translation
Fargo
Night on Earth
The Royal Tenenbaums
Being There
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Hedwig & The Angry Inch
Spotlight
The Ice Storm
Encounters at the End of the World

Books:
"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt
"The White Album" by Joan Didion
"Let Us Now Praise Famous Men" by James Agee
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams
"Dubliners" by James Joyce
"The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Poetry: Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, Emily Dickinson, Wallace Stevens, Stanley Kunitz, Philip Larkin

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Soon after I moved to Anchorage, a friend and I drove up to Chena Hot Springs, which is northeast of Fairbanks, near the Arctic Circle. (That means it's at the end of a desolate road in the middle of nowhere.) It was around the winter solstice and the temperature was around -30 F. You have to change into your swimsuit in a little bathhouse and then walk outside along a path to the spring, which is pretty excruciating when it's that cold. But then we eased into the water and felt instantly relaxed. Snow fell on us as we soaked and our hair froze. Then we got a glimpse of the northern lights. It was too beautiful for words.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Stories, conversation, gratitude, and gifts!

Countries I’ve Visited

Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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