Hello.

Me, my place, and Couchsurfing.

I have been living in Brooklyn since 2007 and accepting couchsurfers for nearly as long. I've had hundreds of guests and my attitude is, the more the merrier. It gets crowded sometimes, but there's also the opportunity to have a great time with other couchsurfers.

So you want to stay here

• Don't use the CS messaging/request system.
• Include the dates you want to stay in the subject line of your email.
• Include a link to your HC or CS profile. NB: "http://couchsurfing.com/profile.html" is not a link to your profile! Please get this right: finding you on the CS site is a pain in the ass and I'm not doing it without the link. Use the "Direct Profile URL" found on your own profile.

If you do these things, I will definitely answer you.

If you want to stay a week, just say so. If you want to stay overnight and bail in the morning, say so. I'll probably be fine with it. If you already know when and how you will arrive in New York, let me know in that first message so I can figure out where I'll be at that time and advise you accordingly.

If you write me very far in advance of your trip, I'll usually reply like this:

Hey, you: I see no problem hosting you then, but I don't make promises this far in advance. Write me again as your trip approaches and we'll work it out. In the meantime, why don't you IM me on XMPP/AIM/MSN/Skype/Yahoo and we'll talk about your trip?

You may also write me at the last minute; I've bailed out more than a few couchsurfers whose other plans fell through. If I can do it, I'll do it.

Also, whether I host you or someone else does, let it be known that all hosts appreciate things like dishwashing, keeping the place stocked with toilet paper, and anything else you can think of to keep the place running smoothly. Hosting is a joy, but it is also a strain on household sanity.

So I told you you could stay here

I live in Cobble Hill, within walking distance of just about every subway line in the city at the Jay Street and Borough Hall stops. If I agree to host you, I'll usually direct you to the firehouse (if I'm going to be working when you arrive) or else I'll give you my address.

• When you shower make sure that the trap remains in place over the drain. Otherwise that drain will clog and we'll all be taking baths, whether we like it or not.
• When done showering, pull the curtain closed so it can dry.
• Don't break the couch. If you have difficulty restoring it to the upright position in the morning, give up. I'll take care of it.
• Yes, I do have wi-fi. The network is called "Hell City," for reasons that may become obvious during your stay. At the moment the key is Couchsurfers@Cobblehill1.
• There are already many people sharing that bathroom. Keep it quick in there.
• You may write on the mirror in dry erase marker. You are encouraged to write in that red spiral-bound book, and read what other couchsurfers have had to say.
• I am a fireman here in New York. I work in Ladder Co. 11, quartered at 222 East 2nd Street in Manhattan, between Avenues B and C.
• The computer with the big screen is for everyone. Do whatever you want with it. There are a bunch of movies and television shows, a few thousand hours of music, and whatever else for those rest or rainy days travellers occasionaly need. I also encourage you to upload your pictures or some distinctive music you have or anything like that.
• No smoking cigarettes inside unless I'm doing it too. That includes when I'm not there.
• I often neglect to warn my roommates that you are coming. Please introduce yourselves and consider them your hosts as well.
• You may store things in the refrigerator, use my cooking utensils, and et cetera. Hopefully it goes without saying: use them with care, and clean them.
• Regarding references: I won't leave you a reference unless you leave me one first. This is not because I don't like you; it's because I can't keep track of all these people coming and going. I also have to like you, but luckily that has rarely been a problem. If you were glad to have stayed here, I appreciate you leaving a positive reference, and I will likely reciprocate.

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