I'm the founder/CEO of a urban design software company, State of Place, looking to make cities more walkable, livable - and all around more awesome! I've been passionate about make places better since my days as a teenager growing up in the suburbs of Miami, FL, where my most exhilarating memory was essentially play a real-life video game, tightroping down pencil-thin sidewalks as I tried to cross strip-mall lined highways, masquerading as streets, all to get to a mediocre chicken terriyaki sub! I knew early on that quality of place matter and have made it my life's mission to quantify the value of great places! I've lived in many amazing cities since then, including LA, DC, NYC, Boston, and Shanghai! I split time between Shanghai and Boston, as my fiance also owns his own business in Shanghai. I can say life is never dull. When I'm not riding the startup rollercoaster, I'm cooking (been doing so for over 30 years - since I was 7 years old - so if you host me, get ready for some amazing meals!!), working out, analyzing city streets, and traveling.

I'm also a professor at NYU. And I'm a data geek. And a former Fulbright Scholar (yup, I'm a nerd). And just a really empathetic (sometimes it's overwhelming) person...so that means I am ridiculously thoughtful!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

The impetus for joining is that my startup has been accepted into this amazing accelerator in Zurich called Kickstart Accelerator: http://bit.ly/SoPKickPR and we - my CMO and I - are in serious need of an affordable place to stay while we are there, from Sept 4-Nov 18th. My startup is still in bootstrap mode and we'd love to be able to reduce our housing costs - while getting to know Zurich and its ecosystem direct from locals! I'd also love to give back. We have an amazing place in one of the most dynamic cities on this planet - Shanghai! I'd love to show folks around my new found home.

Interests

• cooking
• yoga
• pilates
• traveling
• urban planning
• urban exploring
• urbanism
• urban design

Music, Movies, and Books

Love indie music and movies!

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hiked a completely not safe for tourists area of the Great Wall of China!!

Teach, Learn, Share

I can tell you ALL about what makes cities amazing - and not so amazing
I'm ridiculously good at math and stats :)
I am an amazing cook...31 years and counting.
I LOOOOVE mentoring folks RE their careers - indeed, I teach a class about this

What I Can Share with Hosts

See above

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Vatican City State

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Switzerland, United States