I'm an idealist and an idea generator, non-profit founder, hockey coach, tea connoisseur, gadget guru, digital marketer, traveler, and a nerd in my own right.

I was born in Brooklyn, grew up on Long Island, moved back to Brooklyn when I had a choice, and back to Long Island when I didn't. Since 2008 I've pretty much only worn Brooklyn Dodgers caps, and have a tattoo of the Brooklyn Bridge, which still gives me goosebumps. I've only recently brought a Montreal Expos hat into the rotation (mostly because I'm moving there)...I guess I've got a thing for franchises that move.

I'm a realistic idealist...I believe that we can achieve so much in this life (and future lives), but I understand that not everyone is making the world a better place in their daily practices. It frustrates and saddens me, but I try to be the best I can and share positive experiences with everyone I meet/know.

I think I'm pretty easy-going. I'm not a party animal, but I love to socialize and have interesting conversations with interesting people, especially over a good drink and delicious food. I try to be honest and helpful and I'm not afraid to speak my mind, within reason.

PHILOSOPHY
-"When one has tea and wine one will have many friends." --Chinese Proverb
-"You're weird until you're successful, then you're unique." -- ME!
-I intend to make the most out of this life, regardless of whether there's another one after it. --also me
-The more I travel, the more I believe NYC is the greatest city on Earth, but I'll need to keep traveling to be sure...

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I joined Couchsurfing in 2009 when I traveled around Europe for nearly 2 months. I had an incredible experience throughout that trip and have kept in touch with many of my hosts. When I think back on my time in each of those cities, I often think about each couchsurfing host in the same thought, and the unique experiences we had together.

My situation over the past few years hasn't allowed me to host many travelers, and I haven't used CS in a while, but the concept and community are fantastic and have never left me. I love to travel, share experiences with people, and learn something meaningful about myself and others. I love CS because it enables many of these things all at once! It's great that people from all over the world open up their hearts and their homes. It's the truest way to experience different cultures!

There are a few couchsurfing moments that stick out in my mind that capture the awesomeness of CS:
1) I went on a midnight bike ride with nearly 100 people in Munich, organized by my host. Some bikes were outfitted with trailers carrying lots of beer, and one had a DJ booth playing while riding. We held a big party in a statue park.
2) Going to a board game shop in Berlin with my host & her friends, and spending hours playing a cooperative game that was originally American, but translated into German, that the Germans had to translate back in to English for me to understand. We lost every round but I had so much fun I now own the board game...in English
3) Being able to return the favor of my host from Barcelona & show him around NYC & LI, showing him spots around Manhattan & Montauk Lighthouse (commissioned when George Washington was President)

Interests

Ice hockey, tea, chocolate, coffee, delicious food (especially Pizza, poutine or BBQ), craft beer, whiskey (scotch, bourbon, rye), travel (obviously), board games, trivia, comedy, museums, amusement parks, roller coasters, NYC, trains, space

• animals
• dining
• chocolate
• wine
• beer
• coffee
• bbq
• coach
• partying
• drinking
• shopping
• trivia
• board games
• traveling
• socializing
• cycling
• hockey
• parks

Music, Movies, and Books

MUSIC: Beatles (I'm a fanatic), Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Jukebox the Ghost, Foo Fighters, Sara Bareilles, John Mayer, Fall Out Boy, Jason Mraz, Coldplay, Justin Timberlake, Miles Davis, Tchaikovsky, other classical jazz & symphonic music

MOVIES: Forrest Gump, Dumb & Dumber, Star Trek (all), Lord of the Rings, Bond movies (especially Casino Royale), Shrek, Slumdog Millionaire, Pitch Perfect, romantic comedies (Notting Hill, You've Got Mail, Prime, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Friends With Benefits)

BOOKS: Song of Ice & Fire, Nick Hornby books (How to be Good, Long Way Down, About a Boy, High Fidelity, Fever Pitch), Let My People Go Surfing, Ender's Game (whole series), T.C. Boyle books (World's End, Inner Circle), Star Trek (again), Bill Bryson

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I coach ice hockey in the Himalayas, and am the head coach of Team India.

If that's not interesting to you, I was on MTV when I was 16, because I was in studio to see Britney Spears & beat 2 girls in Britney trivia (I won a doll she signed for me...I still have it). I've also come close to making it on "Who Want's to be a Millionaire" many times (have been screen tested multiple times after passing the test, but not yet selected)

Teach, Learn, Share

LONG ISLAND FACTS:
1)The cow-pusher on a locomotive train was invented by the Long Island Railroad.
2)Both New England and Manhattan Clam Chowder came from Long Island.
3)Technically, Long Island is a peninsula, even though it's surrounded by water. You'll have to message me if you want an explanation.

NON-LONG ISLAND FACTS:
1) All tea comes from the species Camellia sinensis: white, green, black, oolong, pu erh...all the same species. If it's not that, it's called a tisane (a tea-like beverage), like rooibos or mate or chamomile
2) Space Shuttle Enterprise was named after the fictional Starship Enterprise. Both take their name from US & UK naval ships, including the recently retired aircraft carrier, "Big E". The Shuttle Enterprise, unlike the rest of the fleet of shuttles, never flew in space. It was a prototype used to test the landing approach, and was considered a few times, but after Challenger broke up, it was scrapped to build Endeavor. It's possible that in a few centuries a real Starship Enterprise could exist, which begs the question: "what's the inspiration for the name?"

What I Can Share with Hosts

Tea!

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Norway, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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