After growing up in Vermont, I lived in Rhode Island, Brooklyn, and then for the last 20 years the Hudson River Valley in New York (about 100 miles north of New York City). I have also lived for shorter periods in Arkansas, Ireland and France.

The summer I was 18 I worked in the kitchen of a school called The Experiment in International Living in Brattleboro, Vt., where I met people from around the world. The following fall I traveled around Europe for seven months and continued my cultural explorations. I love food, music and art and discovering their various forms around the world.

I'm shy but funny, bookish but sociable, active and lazy, an eclectic mix. I have been divorced eight years and have two teenaged children who live with me part of the time, and 2-3 cats.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I want to make my world both smaller and bigger! I want to increase my connections with people from around the world. I want to travel widely (and in fact am about to launch a food/travel blog focussed on fish and seafood) and I'd love to have friends everywhere I go. Traveling is always ever so much better, the experiences so much richer, when you meet the people who live in the cities you visit. I would also love to meet visitors to my area and introduce it to them; it's very beautiful and has a lot to offer, not to mention easy access to New York City.

Interests

Food, travel, music, art, books, films, nature, hiking, biking, dance.

• cats
• arts
• seafood
• cooking
• reading
• traveling
• music
• hiking
• beaches
• food
• dance
• museums

Music, Movies, and Books

World music, blues, reggae, calypso, classic rock, alt rock, American roots, baroque and other classical.
Movies across most genres from quality action or thriller to classic love stories.
Books: fiction, cookbooks, non-fiction on food, travel, self-help, health, writing, the arts, technology, design, architecture, interior design.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Backpacked solo around Europe when I was 19.

Teach, Learn, Share

Teach cooking, writing. Learn languages, computers.

What I Can Share with Hosts

Cooking, info about New York City and vicinity.

Countries I’ve Visited

Andorra, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Viet Nam

Countries I’ve Lived In

France, Ireland, United States