“The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark." - John Muir

“One always begins to forgive a place as soon as it’s left behind.” - Charles Dickens

I’m Lily, 34, from New York 🗽

In my past lives I studied Geography, worked as a plumber and urban farmer, even in a movie theater.

In December 2021, I took a 6-month backpacking trip originating in Turkey. From there I traveled overland westward through the Balkans, Central, and Western Europe all the way to Calais, where I took a ferry back to the UK.

I bused it up to Glasgow and am currently in the center of the city and working both as a social worker and at a hotel.

Switching up my way of life every six months or so seems to be my homeostasis. I hope to encourage other folks to see that now, in 2024, it’s more important than ever to backpack!

I love active travel and off-the-beaten path adventures.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

Looking for adventure, I have couchsurfed in Spain, Italy, Greece, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, India, Ecuador, Peru, the Philippines, and the east coast of the USA. I have hosted travelers several times at my apartment in NYC, people from Germany, Israel, and India. I'm fond of attending meet-ups.

Interests

-sampling the strangest item on the menu
-exploring our urban and natural environments by foot or bike.
-working with my hands - I'm not afraid of getting a little dirty!
-Music, of course!! Although I likely have the musical tastes of your grandfather.
-NYC history and geography

• architecture
• wine
• world music
• hiking
• swimming
• geography
• historic sites
• urban exploration
• jogging
• swimming holes
• healthy food
• urban planning
• disco music
• foreign films
• flaneur
• musuems

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC:
-I like lots of world music, new age, new wave, disco, funk (gap band, James brown), soul (bill withers), jazz (Nina Simone), classic American Rock (10cc), classic British rock (David Bowie, supertramp), classic hip-hop and rap of course
-I'm rather obsessed with classic Italian music, such as Mina, Milva, Franco Battiato
-la touche français music!
-klezmer and brass bands
-classic 90s trance and techno
-classic American divas who sing the "standards" (Barbara Streisand)

MOVIES:
-I like artsy old movies, such as French New Wave Cinema and anything foreign

BOOKS:
-the classics (siddhartha by Herman Hesse is my favorite)
-I also like books that feature a geographic place almost as another character (such as NYC in Tom Wolfe's "bonfire of the vanities")

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

-Cycle touring in the northeast of India
-Drilling out cave rooms in Spain
-Leading cliff jumping tours in India
-Taking care of Carpathian water buffaloes in Ukraine
-Hitchhiking from Greece to Ukraine

Teach, Learn, Share

TEACH:
-English language/American slang
-American culture/music interests
-we can make fun of trump together
-construction skills!!
-workout coaching (I'll be your running buddy and you can laugh at me when I slip and fall)

LEARN:
-European languages (especially Spanish and Italian)
-gardening/farming

SHARE:
-a drink, my best healthy salad recipes, my expert playlists, my plumbing skills
-I LOVE my hometown of New York and consider myself an expert on everything there is to know about that city. Ask me anything!
-I’m a big history nerd in general, If this is something that would interest you I know we will hit it off!

What I Can Share with Hosts

Meals, Coffee

Countries I’ve Visited

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Macedonia, Mexico, Montenegro, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

England, Scotland, United States