Hi :)
I'm Gary. I live in New York (born and raised).
I'm the younger brother of an older sister. I have two nephews (1 and 4 years) whom I'm very close to. I spend as much time with my family as I can.

Earlier in my life I was in the US Army infantry for a few years where I spent a year in combat in Iraq. After my military service I studied Early Modern European history at Columbia. I also taught English in various countries around the world. I then went on to work at an investment bank on Wall Street. I've recently exited that in pursuit of something more meaningful.

I was also once married to a very beautiful person. We divorced. I'm not sure how much detail we're supposed to put into these profiles--as much as we want, I suppose. ;)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I would like to meet new people in hopes of sharing stories and experiences. The exchange of ideas and thoughts is something that is very appealing to me. Normally I would say I would like to meet like-minded people, but I'm also very much open to meeting people very different than myself.

Travel has always been a very important part of my life. At an earlier age when I first started traveling I felt that the better I understood the world--and the people with whom we share this world--the better I understood myself. I still feel that way.

My next trip is to travel around the world on a motorcycle.

Interests

• arts
• motorcycles
• nature
• good conversation
• sunsets
• magic carpet rides
• swimming in the sea
• star-filled skies

Music, Movies, and Books

My favorite song is Hotel California.
'some dance to remember, some dance to forget...'

My favorite book is The Stranger by Albert Camus.

I also love the cinema very much.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I traveled for two years from Indonesia to London by land.

Teach, Learn, Share

I used to teach English and that's a skill I'll always have.

I've also taught someone how to swim and ski before. Given the opportunity, I'm pretty sure I can do it again.

I can also teach land navigation using a topographical map, a lensatic compass and military protractor. I learned land navigation from the very best in the business--the US Army Special Forces.

What I can share is everything I know about my city. I can show all of my favorite places. My favorite place in New York is actually a beach. So it's random things like that that I'm really into. I'm also really into art so I have membership to all of the big museums in New York--The Met, MoMA, Guggenheim, Whitney. I can get free tickets.

I'm also really into music, particularly classical music. I really love going to piano concerts at Carnegie Hall and the New York Philharmonic.

I'm also a Wildlife Conservation Society member. I really love all animals--both wild and domestic.

What I Can Share with Hosts

All of my experiences and stories.

Countries I’ve Visited

Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, France, French Guiana, Georgia, Gibraltar, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russian Federation, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

Portugal, United States