Google Plus Business   Pinterest

800.ELLIMAN

NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps

Couch surfing?

I'm sure some of you at least have heard of CouchSurfing.org. Does anyone know anyone who lets out their couch via the website in NYC? I'd be interested to know how that has worked out, or in any experiences regarding the site at all really!
Question asked via StreetAdvisor The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
8 people following
this discussion
Report

29 Comments

Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
I know someone who uses this a lot, and I guess it works well otherwise people wouldn't do it. Not my thing, though. I'd never do something like this myself.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
I knew a girl who lived in Bushwick - or rather the part of Williamsburg that is so close to and as crappy as Bushwick that it's called that - who did it. I think she used it more to travel than anything, but she had a few of her own couch surfers. One girl stayed in her living room for quite a long time, but I don't think she minded at all. It's a good way to travel on a budget, or just travel extensively and freely. I keep waiting for the Couch Surfer episode of Law and Order though....
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
The Law and Order writers are probably to stodgy to have heard of couch surfing.

It seems like something you do in your early twenties, but after a certain age you get yourself a job and some money to pay for hotels.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@DBlack I tend to agree - with the latter statement, anyway.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
Seems like Couch Surfing would be a great thing for people who travel to foreign countries and make friends with those in local communities of the places they visit.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
I've surfed in Zagreb and Budapest, met up with people in Paris, NYC, and Vienna, and hosted in Oxford and Vienna. By and large I've had great experiences hosting and a mixed bag with meeting/staying - most people were great, but I had one creepy-ish experience in Budapest (nothing too scary, just a bit shady, so I left a day earlier) . It works on a trust system/reference system, and it's easy to tell the guys who just are looking for a hot girl to stay at their pad from the CS community.

And no more Law and Order episodes of ANYTHING - waah!
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
Weird - my post seems to have gotten deleted. But I wrote to say I've had plenty of experience with CS, and most of it has been fine. It's ranged from totally great to slightly odd if I didn't get on with a host, but never dangerous or creepy as such
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@DBlack, BroadwayBK totally agree with you..
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
That all might well be the case, a jadeidealist, but I would never find it a good idea to couch surf rather than work a while longer and pay for my own hotel. Maybe that makes me old, but...
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@JenMac I don't think so - I'd bet that it is mostly just poor college kid types. Travelling in such a manner tends to be the right of passage for educated early twenty-somethings, doesn't it?

@ajadedidealist Thanks for the insight!
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish I think I am that old, too. It's much more comfortable to have some private space to go back to whist vacationing.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK Are you British? I'm asking because of the "whilst" which I think I've seen you use several times?
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
so true BroadwayBk I also value a nice, clean bathroom when I travel I dont necessarily have to stay at a five star hotel but a hotel with a clean room and a decent bathroom fits the bill.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
I agree on the personal space. I can't even do a bed and breakfast situation because I don't want strangers up in my kool-aid when I'm trying to relax. We get enough of that in this city as it is.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@DBlack Ha..no. I did spend some months in London a few years back. One of my writing gigs centers around British pop music, which is likely where I picked that up. Either that or I actually took one of my writing professors seriously when she said that it was in bad taste to ever use the word "while." Not that "whilst" is much of an improvement.

@uptowngirl And a nice, clean, spacious bathtub! With little soaps!

@everyone But I do like that this site exists - I like the idea that even those of us on seriously limited budgets can vacation in the Keys or the mountains or where ever.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK I am sitting here writing posts with a sore back, I pulled a muscle earlier on and now all this tall about vacations is making me want to go run away on vacation ...wait isnt the Fourth of July weekend in three weeks??drat I have a deadline for a small project which I haven't even touched as yet!!
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
I could use a vacation too... But with my current budget, I would be forced to go couch surfing.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
But don't you guys have a handful of good friends from college or whatever who you could visit and therefore do a kind of couch-surfing vacation? Just the idea of staying with absolute strangers that makes me uncomfortable.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish That's actually an excellent point. I just wish I knew someone who lived in very close proximity to a body of water.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish I actually have some friends who will be working in Newfoundland this summer, so I'm considering just such a couch surfing vacation with friends. Since everyone always wants to come to New York, I'm in a pretty good position to be able to repay the favor. I mean, this is probably the one city where you could have your pick of couch exchanges with far-flung friends.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish me too but couch surfing with friends or even mere acquaintances seems somewhat doable..
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
Golly I need a vacation and this is not likely to happen any time soon...
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
I think I'm getting too old to CS. The types on there tend to be young adults who want to "party" with people from other cultures - emphasis on that "partying." I'd love international exchanges, but wish there were exchanges for those of us who prefer a nice cup of tea, a stroll through the city, or a museum tour to a "party."
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@ajadedidealist Indeed. And curling up under some clean linens on a nice bed instead of on a couch after a leisurely day would be nice, too.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish I was literally just telling a friend the same thing about myself. Can't wait until my days of retirement in Paris...
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
In addition to working too much, I also get to move, and have all the fun that moving entails. Sweaty lugging of boxes, painting, scraping away kitchen grime accumulated over aeons...sigh. Yeah, it would be really great to at least take a weekend somewhere. I'm starting to see that one of the indications of being a grownup, aside from owning a couch, is that you actually take yourself a vacation and learn to relax.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish You certainly picked an interesting month to do all that heavy outdoor lugging and lifting. I walked outside today and immediately began to sweat. Did you at least land a place in the desirable Boreum Hill?
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish Congratulations may you be very happy in your new abode!
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.
BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish Yes, congratulations! And good luck not having a heat stroke.
Report
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual and not those of Douglas Elliman.

Add a comment

Corporate information:
Services:
Affiliates:
© Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
All Rights Reserved.

All data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by the RLS or Douglas Elliman. See Terms of Service for additional restrictions.

All information regarding a property for sale, rental, taxes or financing is from sources deemed reliable. No representation is made as to the accuracy thereof, and such information is subject to errors, omission, change of price, rental, commission, prior sale, lease or financing, or withdrawal without notice. All square footage and dimensions are approximate. Exact dimensions can be obtained by retaining the services of a professional architect or engineer.

The number of bedrooms listed above is not a legal conclusion. Each person should consult with his/her own attorney, architect or zoning expert to make a determination as to the number of rooms in the unit that may be legally used as a bedroom.

© 2014. Douglas Elliman Real Estate. All material presented herein is intended for information purposes only. While, this information is believed to be correct, it is represented subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice. All property information, including, but not limited to square footage, room count, number of bedrooms and the school district in property listings are deemed reliable, but should be verified by your own attorney, architect or zoning expert. Equal Housing Opportunity.