CURRENT MISSION

Enjoy life as much as possibe through international traveling, volunteering and hosting.

ABOUT ME

I live in Reston, VA, a five minute walk to the upscale Reston Town Center. The town center is filled with many upscale shops, restaurants, a movie theatre, an ice skating rink and music stage. Public transportation into DC is close to my home. Total commute 45 minutes. I often take guests into the city and tour them.

I am a very active, divorced, retired male with eclectic interests. I have widely traveled and know DC extremely well. I am a volunteer DC tour guide for the National Park Service(20 years) and a volunteer at Travelers Aid, Dulles Airport (10 years), which is 10K from me. DCA (Reagan) Airport is 35K.. Both can be reached by public transportation. I like to cook, dance, bike, sail, ski, hike, do photography, scuba and much more. I go into DC quite often to dine, attend embassy and Kennedy Center events, art openings, to volunteer, attend theater and more. I live in a very nice three story town home in Reston, a premier planned community. Before retirement I was a voice president at Yale and Stanford Universities. My two grown children live in Colorado.

PHILOSOPHY

Politically very liberal; spiritual. Member of Insight Meditation Community of Washington (www.imcw.org), the Bhavana Society (Buddhist) (www.bhavanasociety.org), and the Cambridge (MA) Society of Friends (Quakers). Have devoted my professional and personal life to non profit causes -- St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Yale- New Haven Medical Center, Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University, the National Children's Brain Tumor Foundation, the Guatemalan Human Rights Commission, Empowered Women international, etc. I believe in equality of sexes and races, in non violence, in social justice and assisting our fellow human beings.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I frequently host guests from all over the world. I welcome travelers who are interested in Greater DC and what I personally can offer. I am not interested in people just looking for a free room, for one night guests or those not respectful and grateful for what a host offers. I want to relate with my guests, get to know them and them me. Upon arrival guests must offer me passport or license for me to make a copy. A way to provide security and record of guests.

IMPORTANT: Please read: https://www.couchsurfing.org/tips_for_surfing.html

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

Through the hosting groups to which I belong, I have hosted, traveled and stayed with people all over the world. As a volunteer for Travelers Aid at Dulles Airport (IAD) I also host distressed travelers. My experiences with guests have been excellent...we have gone dining in ethnic DC restaurants, toured DC, danced and done all types of enjoyable things. My references speak for themselves.

Interests

Dancing, hiking, photography, cooking, history, biking, scuba, travel, sailing, museums, skiing, concerts, ballet, opera, reading, and more. Volunteer with the National Park Service giving tours in Washington, DC and with Travelers Aid at Dulles Airport, am a US State Department "Citizen Diplomat," involved with the Humphrey and Fulbright Fellowship programs, and the National Defense University. Am into an energetic socially, culturally and athletic lifestyle.

• fish
• arts
• theater
• photography
• concerts
• dancing
• ballet dancing
• swing dancing
• causes
• human rights
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• wine tasting
• meditation
• reading
• traveling
• music
• jazz
• blues
• opera
• cycling
• fishing
• hiking
• scuba diving
• sailing
• skiing
• history
• tourism
• volunteering
• tours

Music, Movies, and Books

Indie and art films. Widely read. Enjoy a variety of musical styles. Often go to the Kennedy Center for symphony. Dance East Coast Swing, Zydeco, Cajun and waltz. Attend many cultural events nd many burial events..blues, bluegrass, symphony and more.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Great travel experiences: four trips into the Amazon Jungle...spent time in romantic Paris...experienced the remote Choco Coast of Colombia, several times to Italy and Sicily, Mexico as just a few examples. Great vacations in Viet Nam, Venezuela, Brazil, Turkey, Mexico, Colombia, Sicily, Nicaragua, Republic of Georgia, Europe and more. I usually am away for three to five weeks at a time. I plan my own trips and do not rely on organized tours (not into cruises).. Have volunteered for Vaughan Town in Spain and then "wandered" the country. Have lived in all the New England states except Rhode Island, in Boston, near Philadelphia, San Francisco and now, for the last 20 years, 30 K from Washington, DC.

Teach, Learn, Share

Always learning, taking classes - wine tasting, travel planning, history, etc. Know DC very well. I have quite a few skills and interests that I will gladly share. Love to interchange ideas with guests.

What I Can Share with Hosts

My in depth knowledge of DC. ...locations of great interest and enjoyment, off the tourist trap route. Swing dancing, Monday Night Blues, Sunday night jazz, Eastern and Union Markets, memorials at night, Great Falls National Park, Maine Avenue Fish Market and more. For years, have been a volunteer tour guide for the National Park Service. Know the city very well. Am a Couchsurfing "ambassador" due to my many years as a member, long list of references and support of the CSing mission.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Italy, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Spain, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Vatican City State, Venezuela, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States

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