General Information
Languages- English (United States)Expert
Groups I Belong ToPhotography 6319:4854 Why: Running a Nikon d50
| Cyclists 6643:4631 Why: I LOVE CYCLING!
| Geocachers 363:197 Why: I love geocaching and couchsurfing! :)
| Running 1408:1208 Why: I ran 2 full marathons, and 7 half marathons in 2008!
| Active in 2 more groups. Show them all |
Couch Information
Couch Available: Definitely! Preferred Gender: Any Max Surfers Per Night: 4
Shared Sleeping Surface: Depends Shared Room: DependsWhere they would like to sleep, for the most part YES. I have two places, one in South Texas near South Padre Island, and my Apartment in Chicago.
Chicago is the one that I use for couch surfing since Chicago is more of an international destination!
It is a small "Chicago" like Apartment, I have a couch that is a sofa sleeper that can fit at least two , depending on how good of friends you guys are :)
I also have two small dogs, one can be bark a lot at first, but never bites. The other loves people almost more than I do !
This is the view from my Apartment, as it is in the middle of Down Town Chicago, just North of the Famous Navy Pier.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3579/3649654070_0fa385af93_b.jpg
The apartment if right next to Lincoln Park where there is a free zoo in walking distance, and the bus stops right in front of my apartment that takes you to the "Bean" and "Grant Park" This is still only 1.5 walk or bike ride. Navy Pier is right across the street and so is the beach. If you are an avid runner or cyclists the Lake Shore Drive will definitely call to your attention !
A QUICK NOTE: IF you are traveling by CAR, please know that parking is impossible to find for FREE in CHICAGO. It is on an average 25 dollars a day. Friends (12)
Robie Finch 25, Male Orlando, Florida United States Friends since January 2009 "Couch Surfed with him, and Worked with him. Good Friends now" Friendship Type: Good Friend
5 |
Marco Valdez 22, Male McAllen, Texas United States Friends since August 2006 "travel buddy" Friendship Type: Close Friend
30+ |
Philip Lauri 26, Male Ferndale, Michigan United States Friends since December 2008 "CouchSurfing" Friendship Type: CouchSurfing Friend
30+ |
Nancy Nguyen 26, Female Baltimore, Maryland United States Friends since August 2009 "surfed his couch in chi-town!" Friendship Type: CouchSurfing Friend
1 |
Nathan Fluellen 26, Male Chicago, Illinois United States Friends since February 2008 "We met couchsurfing with a friend" Friendship Type: Good Friend
15 |
Jessica Powell 32, Female Grand Rapids, Michigan United States Friends since May 2009 "I hosted Stephen for 2 nights. " Friendship Type: CouchSurfing Friend
2 |
Ulrike Braun 25, Female Spaichingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg Germany Friends since September 2009 "surfed his couch" Friendship Type: CouchSurfing Friend
3 |
Mona Sørensen and Jacob Nielsen 27, Several people Odense, Funen Denmark Friends since September 2009 "We had a lot of fun surfing his couch for 2 nights" Friendship Type: CouchSurfing Friend
2 |
Kevin Dziuda 23, Male Orlando, Florida United States Friends since January 2009 "Superbowl" Friendship Type: Friend
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destinee Campbell 24, Female Coyoacan, Distrito Federal Mexico Friends since August 2008 "we held hands and hearts talking about lynn canyon.. okie.. only half that story ways true" Friendship Type: CouchSurfing Friend
| | 2 more friends |
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Personal DescriptionI've spent the last two years of my life traveling around the United States following endurance sports around the nation.
I've learned a lot, I've grown a lot, and I want to give back to society as best as I can. Whether it deserves it or not ;)
I love running a marathon without training, the harder something is and the less everyone else want to do it, the more I want to.
I am a lover of bicycles, photography, and mass transportation.
I was born in Arizona, lived in California, North Carolina, Texas, and now in Chicago, IL
Overall I like to Surround myself with people that are high energy and motivated.
Personal quote: Adventure Bekons! from the book "The Life of Pi"How I Participate in CSI host, therefore I am >>>CouchSurfing ExperienceCrazy! But fun, and a great experience! You can learn a lot and see everything from another perspective!Interestscycling,running,hiking,geocaching,traveling,graphics,photography.PhilosophyTo begin... you must know and fear your enemy. To win... you must know and fear yourself.Music, Movies, BooksAnything that involves adventure.Types of People I enjoyEnergetic, outgoing, not afraid to experience life!Teach, Learn, ShareI know a lot of endurance sports. I basically live the industry.One Amazing Thing I've Seen or DoneOne of my best moments was jumping over broken lava rocks in the middle of the night, to see where the fire fights for power, into the ocean under a full moon.Opinion on the CouchSurfing.org ProjectAmazing, it's not just about saving a couple of bucks, it's about the people and the experiences...References
From Evelyne Gander Geneva, Switzerland Oct 3 Positive Very nice and funny guy who is aslo an almost professional photograph (really!!). He host us at the last minute, so it has really helped a lot! We thank him one more time. He has a perfect location close to everything in Chicago. Nice building with a view on the Michigan Lake. See you, Evelyne & Damir
From Mona Sørensen and Jacob Nielsen Odense, Denmark Sep 22 Positive Stephen is a funny and impulsive guy. We had the pleasure of staying two nights with him and ended up being 7 surfers in his condo having a great time. We sat up talking to 3 am. and did crazy night photography of Chicago from his roof top. Lee Lu, his poodle, is maybe even more friendly than him and very social. We are really glad that we got to meet Stephen.. If you want to visit us in Denmark be sure to sent a mail pigieon in advance in case we still do not have electricity:)
From Ine Williams Long Beach, United States Sep 21 Positive Stephen embodies the couchsurfing spirit in every way. He tries to host as many people as possible and he makes you feel completely welcome in his place. His neighborhood is ideal for exploring Chicago and his talents run the gamut from self-taught photography to athletics, so you can have some great conversations with him. Even though he travels a lot for work, he always tries to host when he's home. His fiancee travels a lot too, yet she still manages to "host" by leaving welcome messages for us surfers. What a nice surprise! It was such a pleasure to meet and stay with Stephen and I hope I can reciprocate one day if he comes to Long Beach.
From Vidmantas Pranka Vilnius, Lithuania Sep 21 Positive Stephan was our first host in our couchsurfing expierence. Thank you for letting us stay in your apartment with so much luggage, dance pro evoliution game and a night tour on your house's roof :)) I hope we will meet someday in Lithuania.
From Mark Cafiero Denver, United States Sep 21 Positive What a guy! A dedicated couch surfing host, and his fiance who I never met seems awesome, too. She wrote up a guide on Chicago and of their place which includes dog handling instructions for their two poodles, internet password, and more!
Stephen is a multi-talented guy who obviously has passion for about a million things. I like that.
He even hooked me up with some brand new Crocks that he just "happened" to have in his closet.
Thanks for being a great guide and while short, it was nice meeting you and the pups!
Mark
From Traci Green Coral Springs, United States Sep 16 Positive I spent one weekend with Stephen and made 11 new friends :) Great first couchsurfing experience! Just be sure to practice your Dance Dance Revolution skills before you stay with him!
From Ulrike Braun Spaichingen, Germany Sep 14 Positive Stephen is one of the most easy going people I know. Even though he really works a lot he's always in a good mood and laughs as much as hardly anybody else I know! if he sounds a bit weird on the phone, don't worry, he's not in real life ;)
From Amber and Matt Bristol, United Kingdom Sep 3 Positive We really enjoyed our stay with Stephen, he was easy to get along with, kind, and generous. We all had a lot in common, a love for photography and passion for riding, perfect. Although we arrived quite late he stayed up and chatted with us and also showed us the amazing views from his roof top. Great host, very interesting guy, Thanks!
From Nancy Nguyen Baltimore, United States Sep 1 Positive My very first CouchSurfing experience was with Stephen as host and what can I say, I don't think anyone could have cared for us better. :) My friends and I decided to do a spontaneous roadtrip from Maryland to Chicago -- and unlike other hosts we contacted that need time to plan, Stephen did not hesitate. He accommodated us at the last minute. The man took us cycling to see the city, let us raid his cereal pantry, and gave us tokens of love. :) Btw, I never thought I'd say this; but the Olivia's are the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn! I'm pretty picky, so by me rockin them, my friends have slightly changed the way they feel about crocs!
Stephen is the sweetest - he's extremely laid back, impulsive and the epitome of wanderlust. Thank you for sharing your world with us! (and being patient with me. lol)
From Alan Jaw Lexington, United States Aug 15 Positive Stephen was the perfect host! Loved his beautiful dogs and comfy couch (best couch I've ever slept on). He took us on a memorable bike tour of the city and showed us some of his favorite places in Chicago. Stephen likes to joke around and is funny most of the time :) Thanks Stephen!
From Cliff Chung Rockville, United States Aug 15 Positive Stephen made my first couch-surfing experience very enjoyable. He was very hospitable, talked with us, offered us food, showed us around the city his own way (on bikes), and was just a great host overall.
From Philip Lauri Ferndale, United States May 13 Positive everything is possible with stephen. he is a good dude to know and can be trusted. he will go out of his way to help you.
a good man.
From Jessica Powell Grand Rapids, United States May 11 Positive I'm still new to hosting and I couldn't have asked for a better guest to continue my journey in the couchsurfing world! From the moment I met Stephen his easy going and cheerful personality immediately made me feel comfortable and at ease. He's very easy to talk with. He has an amazing outlook regarding couchsurfing and how it brings people together and strengthens communities. We can all use a little of that in our lives! Overall it was a pleasure hosting Stephen! It's always nice to be around someone who enjoys life and adventure! :) Thanks Stephen!! I enjoyed your company! :) Oh and my dogs loved having you around too! Trixie says hello!
From Kevin Dziuda Orlando, United States Feb 19 Positive Great guy, fun to be around. Honest and dependable.
From Robie Finch Orlando, United States Feb 6 Positive He is an awesome well respecting guy. Very easy to get along with and always has a smile on his face. He is a great person to know and a great person to call friend.
From Pat Lawhead Tampa, United States Feb 4 Positive Stephen is most welcome to return to our couch.
From destinee Campbell Coyoacan, Mexico Aug 21, 2008 Positive dude.. i got to see you like 2 times! you need to get our half mexican half gringo ass back up here and spend more time !
but no.. seriously.. this guy is dope with a capital D... so Dope.
great guy filled with adventure!
From Craig Mclean Vancouver, Canada Aug 21, 2008 Positive Stephen was a pleasure to host. Very talkative guy, really really enjoys his karaoke.
From Nathan Fluellen Chicago, United States Aug 20, 2008 Positive Steve is a riot! We have great times together. I introduced him to couchsurfing and he is totally hooked. Steve is a great guy!!!
From Marco Valdez McAllen, United States Aug 20, 2008 Positive Steve-O ..... he sucks at the Wii... Hes a geocaching junkie... and he likes rainbows.... and bikes... and talking about crocs. Dislikes my music... Frenchies... and German feet.. |