Hey there I'm Daniel. I prefer to go by Daniel but you can call me 'Dan'. Just try to avoid 'Danny'

I recently finished my certificate program at Hunter College in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and I'm looking to have some fun and travel again before taking a deep dive into the professional world.

I couch surfed in the Netherlands and neighboring countries back in 2011 and then again in Canada in 2015. Recently I caught the CS bug and want to do more. See the section below about where I traveled if you'd like to learn more.

I enjoy meeting new and different people. I have a lot of experience from growing up here in New York and from traveling abroad. You may be disappointed to learn that I don't sound like a Texan, a Bostonian or a Mid Westerner. My accent is a cross between Latino and something else. You can form your own interpretation and tell me. Even though I grew up on Long Island east of NYC I don't share that dialect.

I love to experiment with different food dishes when time and resources are available. My new favorite dish is baked mac n' cheese. I discovered the recipe after having a Jamaica recipe in Crown Heights a couple years ago. I make a great Lentil Soup too. Mastering the Creme Brule is high on my to-do-list.

I bike a lot. If we meet I'll make sure to remind you. For me its an essential component to getting around in cities and won't clog the air with pollution. This passion arose from studying abroad in the Netherlands and learning about the Dutch system.

If you want to see my social media page (Twitter - @daniel_a_solow) (Instagram - @stormguru)

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Long Story! Back in 2011 Natalia Texiera. a friend also on Couchsurfing, invited me to celebrate Carnival in the South of the Netherlands. She connected me to so many people that I was convinced enough to try it again. The opportunity to meet people and save money was very appealing. So I later went to Den Haag, Brussels, Luxembourg, Salzburg to see the great places.

At the conclusion of that trip I returned home to New York and realized there was a whole community of hosts and surfers and just people looking to meet others that share a passion to travel. It has been an invaluable source of networking opportunities, great community-led events and some people I still maintain close relationships with.

Interests

I've been sailing since 2009 and have been out on the Atlantic Ocean a couple times. I had a scary experience out by Coney Island because a storm rolled overhead and visibility went to 0%. I really enjoy being on the water.

Ever since I went to the Netherlands in 2011 i've caught the biking bug and advocate for more pedestrian/cycling infrastructure in NYC in my spare time. A lot of progress has been made and I'm proud to be a part of the movement.

Even longer than sailing I've been playing the piano since 1997. I don't play seriously anymore but I always enjoy an opportunity to learn new music. A couple months ago one of the tenents of my apartment threw out their 66 key piano and i've been happily playing ever since.

• arts
• literature
• photography
• dining
• cooking
• spanish food
• partying
• traveling
• classical music
• latin music
• piano
• cycling
• sailing
• languages
• law
• ocean
• spanish
• jewish culture
• learning spanish
• puerto rico
• waterfront

Music, Movies, and Books

From the top of my head, I enjoyed 'A Confederacy of Dunces'. Most of the books I read tend to be non-fiction or a form of program documentation. Open to reading fun stuff too.

In no particular order I enjoy Latin music, Hip Hop, Classical, and Rock. Big fan of instrumental music and movie/game soundtracks.

I like the the Star Wars movies from the 70s, Lord of the Rings and the Reverent

Teach, Learn, Share

I can teach you a couple basic songs on the piano. I just learned 'U Remind Me' by Usher. It made a great sing along for 2015-2016 New Years party.

I'd love to learn more Spanish and even some German. I'd also like to learn programming (learning Python at the moment). Lastly if you know how to Windsurf or Kitesurf that would be neat!

What I Can Share with Hosts

I enjoy cooking and l have had good experiences cooking with hosts as a way to start conversations about different cultures. I can also try to put on some accents from places in the USA.

Countries I’ve Visited

Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Jamaica, Poland, Puerto Rico, Slovakia, Spain, United Kingdom

Countries I’ve Lived In

Netherlands, United States