Bill Marshall

Bill Marshall

Current Mission: "Exploring the world and making new friends... one couch at a time!"

Personal Designations

Traveling at the moment Vouched for4

Community Designations

Nomadic Ambassador
Contribution
United States
New York
Lat: 40.71417, Lon: -74.00639
Show nearby Couches (100 K)

General Information

Bill Marshall is a CS Nomadic Ambassador!
Bill Marshall has been vouched for
VERIFIED MEMBER Identity Checked, Location Verified (3) more info
Couch availableTraveling at the moment
CouchSurf requests replied to61%
member sinceMarch 11th, 2005
profile views5177
age42
genderMale
membernameMRDIGITAL
occupationGraphic Artist - Web Designer - Computer Consultant, Health Counselor
educationU.S. ARMY, American Business Institute, LIFE UNIVERSITY: "School of Hard Knocks" -- somewhere on the road less travelled.
grew up inManhattan, NY, USA
ethnicityThere is only one race... HUMAN!!!
Direct Profile URL

Languages

  • EnglishExpert
  • GermanBeginner
  • FrenchBeginner
  • PortugueseBeginner
  • SpanishBeginner
  • ItalianBeginner

Groups I Belong To

Ambassador's Public 6306:9912Burning Man 3019:4897
Why: My first Burning Man experience was BM Decompression 2004 at Spirit last December. I'm hooked!
Alternative Ways of Living & Consuming 6332:6149
Why: HEMP and other CLEAN alternative ENERGY will save the planet from complete Petrochemical disaster!
CSC Nelson NZ, 2006-2007 - Public 272:466
Why: Believe in helping CouchSurfing make a difference!
Active in 9 more groups.
Show them all

Couch Information


No couch currently available for surfing.

Couch picture


Greetings from the Big Apple!

My apartment is a very large two bedroom located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan (with views of Central Park & Times Square). The living room has two very comfortable couches (with nice pillows, fresh sheets, blankets and towels) plus a big TV, DVR, DVD, Xbox, and wireless internet, all at your disposal during your visit. The guest BR has a King-sized bed, dresser, desk, TV and walk-in closet.  No cigarettes inside but 4:2O friendly.



Practically everything you have ever imagined seeing in NY is just steps from this building... -- REALLY you say?? -- Well if it's too far for you walk, there are plenty of subways and buses less than a block away.

Since my time at home is intermittent, please send formal requests only if you are one month or less away from visiting NYC.

For those of you who MUST plan months in advance, feel free to drop me a note and I will respond... eventually. (;

I welcome any free spirited, kind and considerate CouchSurfers to come stay in the guest room or on my comfy couches for a couple nights and enjoy an awesome city, beautiful home and CS Ambassador hospitality.

Peace, love and joyful travels to all!!! ~Bill

Friends (35)

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World map
Map of friends
LAO-TZU LAO-TZU
46, Male
New York, New York
United States
Friends since January 1994
"I have known Bill since the early 1990's. We met through a mutual friend."
Friendship Type: Close Friend
Met in person   Surfed10  
FLOWING8 FLOWING8
43, Female
Paris, Ile-de-France
France
Friends since June 2008
"When he opened his home door and we first glanced at each other, our smiles so very obviously felt at home with each other. The short time we spent together just confirmed that. "
Friendship Type: CouchSurfing Friend
Met in person   Surfed2  
Dana ReginaDana Regina
25, Female
Brooklyn, New York
United States
Friends since June 2008
"Met at Karoake"
Friendship Type: Acquaintance
Met in person  
Jason Lisko Jason Lisko
29, Male
Mahopac, New York
United States
Friends since June 2008
"living in NYC; we met through a mutual friend."
Friendship Type: Friend
Met in person  
Karen montfoortKaren montfoort
54, Female
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland
Netherlands
Friends since May 2008
"we met when bill stayed in my house in Amsterdam"
Friendship Type: Friend
Met in person   Hosted2  
moominT moominT
104, Female
Washington, D. C.
United States
Friends since May 2008
"couch surfing the big apple"
Friendship Type: Friend
I vouched for Bill Marshall
Met in person   Surfed2  
MONIS7MONIS7
22, Female
Augsburg, Bavaria
Germany
Friends since March 2008
"surfed his couch for 2 nights"
Friendship Type: CouchSurfing Friend
Met in person   Surfed2  
Jan Lenz Jan Lenz
28, Male
Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate
Germany
Friends since March 2008
"He was my first host with CS"
Friendship Type: CouchSurfing Friend
Met in person   Surfed2  
Caro BertelmannCaro Bertelmann
22, Female
Goettingen, Lower Saxony
Germany
Friends since September 2009
"We stayed at his place for a couple of days/nights and had a lot of fun together"
Friendship Type: CouchSurfing Friend
Met in person   Surfed5  
Jennifer Rowe Jennifer Rowe
49, Female
Boulder, Colorado
United States
Friends since February 2008
"Bill hosted me during my visit to NYC"
Friendship Type: CouchSurfing Friend
Met in person   Surfed3   Traveled4  
25 more friends
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Bill Marshall
Bicycling in Mahattan with Katharina, Carolin and Melanie from Germany
View all 32 photos

Personal Description

Lover of all life who is confident, open-minded and a passionate free spirit.

How I Participate in CS

Originally became an Ambassador helping design the current Surf Shop and am a volunteer to redesign the Surf Shop as well as create some exciting new CouchSurfing promotional materials (T-shirts, patches, stickers, etc.) for our rapidly expanding international community.

CouchSurfing Experience

Many CouchSurfers have surfed my home since early 2005 and EVERY person has been terrific. As a host in NYC I have made several new friends from all over the planet. . . It always brings a smile to my face witnessing how CouchSurfing brings so many like minded spirits together to share homes, hospitality, culture and ideas.

Interests

Helping others, making a positive difference in the world, improving health and nutrition worldwide, travelling, cooking, swimming, sunrises & sunsets, animals, flowers, architecture, art, music and movies, just to name a few ...

Philosophy

NO FEAR! LIVE FREE! LOVE ALL!


The Greatest Achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg; and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities..

Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not long remain so if you but perceive an Ideal and strive to reach it. You cannot travel within and stand still without... Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain or rise with your thoughts, your Vision, your Ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration. --James Allen from As A Man Thinketh



"I have the audacity to believe that people EVERYWHERE can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits."
~Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Music, Movies, Books

I enjoy most movies especially sci-fi and action films, but a good tear-jerker gets me every time... Favorite movie, CONTACT (it has a little bit of everything in it) ----- My eclectic musical taste includes Rock, Jazz, Electronica, Classical, R & B, Pop, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Blues and Funk... Favorite female artist, Alanis Morissette ----- Favorite male artist, Lenny Kravitz----- Favorite Band, Led Zeppelin ----- Favorite book, "Conversations with God (Book 1)" by Neale Donald Walsch (READ IT! AWESOME!)... ALSO, "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne is another personal favorite that better illustrates the meaning of the James Allen quote above.

Types of People I enjoy

Kind free-spirits with a sense of humor, adventure and a sincere desire to make a positive difference in the world.

Teach, Learn, Share

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others,
even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be
greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career
however humble;
it is a real possession in the
changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you
to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit
to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham,
drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy. 'The Desiderata'

One Amazing Thing I've Seen or Done

I lived only two blocks from the beach and boardwalk in Asbury Park, NJ when hurricane Gloria hit. Several cities were evacuated but my roommate, our two downstairs neighbors and I stayed. When it got really intense we went outside in 120+ mile per hour winds, witnessing 60 foot waves crash OVER the HUGE 4 story Convention Hall and debris of every imaginable shape and size flying in a vortex all around us. It seemed like we were standing on a porch in some tornado scene from "The Wizard of OZ"... !! A WILD once in a lifetime experience.

Opinion on the CouchSurfing.org Project

The "Golden Rule" in action! . . .
It's a karmic trip baby!

Locations Traveled

TRAVELED: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, The Bahamas, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, US Virgin Islands
LIVED: Germany, United States
WANTS TO GO: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Vatican, Vietnam
IS GOING TO: Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand

References

 
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Caro Bertelmann
From Caro Bertelmann
 Goettingen, Germany
 Sep 28
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 5 days  
Positive

I spent 5 days/nights together with two friends at Bill's apartement. We had a really great time together and he made us feel very comfortable right from the beginning. His place is awesome and he is a really open-minded person. We did a lot of stuff together (e.g. partying, bike ride, yankee's game) and even got to know his friends. He really did his best to make our vacation the best and I hope, we gonna see each other again someday.

KAMECA
From KAMECA
 Goettingen, Germany
 Sep 28
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 5 days  
Positive

I spent 5 days/nights together with two friends at Bill's appartement. We had a really great time together and he made us feel very comfortable right from the beginning. His place is awesome and he is a really open-minded person. We did a lot of stuff together (e.g. partying, bike ride, yankee's game) and even got to know his friends. He really did his best to make our vacation the best and I hope, we gonna see each other again someday.

ERINBUTTERFLY 
From ERINBUTTERFLY
 Torrance, United States
 Jul 13, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Not only did Bill have the gusto to grace us with his presence at my random CS birthday meetup, he then invited the whole group back to his place to continue on in a more intimate and CS friendly environment. He is very generous and friendly with lots of interesting stories to share. Thank you again for being a part of my NYC memory and my bday!

Stephanie Schwarz
From Stephanie Schwarz
 Vienna, Austria
 Jul 4, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

Bill knows great places to get great food,his apartment is amazing and he is a nice and open minded person!He is the perfect host for your first cs experience and Sara and I would love to meet you in Vienna, Bill!!

FLOWING8 
From FLOWING8
 Paris, France
 Jun 26, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

When Bill opened his door to me, our smiles so very naturally felt at home with each other. Dinner with his friends upon my late arrival also was very natural and easy. So, we spent the next full day together!
Bill is a rare generous soul, full of attention and care. Staying with him was a wonderful introduction to the CS spirit to the newcomer that I am...

Jason Lisko 
From Jason Lisko
 Mahopac, United States
 Jun 10, 2008
Met in person Friend,  
Positive

I met Bill through a mutual friend of ours who, though not as CSr, is certainly an emblem of what couchsurfing IS in practice. So; it is no wonder that Bill and I struck a chord. Bill graciously invited us back to his place to take a break from the bar.. His place is a hot spot of tranquility and elegance. I was not surprised after I asked Bill if he knew of CS -his response was "I'm a member". Bill is a person that will give you new concepts and stories to ponder while respecting your point of view. If you can find your way to Bill's home you will be rewarded with an environment of peace rare to NYC. Cheers BILL!

Maybel Chua
From Maybel Chua
 Cheras, Malaysia
 Jun 2, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

I met Bill while I was in NY. Though I did not surf his couch, I did dropped by to say hi :D
He is truly friendly and made me feel comfortable at his place with his friends.

moominT 
From moominT
 Washington, United States
 May 30, 2008
Met in person Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Bill is the true Renaissance man you've only read about. Think motorcycle gangs, Army war stories, street life and a spiritual vision quest. He walks the talk and he's a nice guy. Consider yourself very lucky if he hosts you. He is truly making the world better one couch surfer at a time--thank you Bill!!

MrRico 
From MrRico
 Montreal, Canada
 May 25, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

Bill is a great guy. Available to show us the city, take us to a nice restaurant and told us all about the New York city way of doing business. He's laid back, easy going, interesting to listen to.

MAGGIEROSE
From MAGGIEROSE
 Findlay, United States
 Mar 21, 2008
Met in person  
Positive

Besides Bill having a great location and a beautiful and artistic apartment, he is a very interesting person who taught me a lot. He has the coolest bathroom faucet too! Bill had work to do most of the time I was there but still took out time to answer my incessant questions, to show me the nearest grocery and health food store, let me peek out his windows (holding onto me so I wouldn't fall out when I was taking pictures) and made me feel comfortable being in the middle of Manhattan. He went above and beyond the call of duty the last day standing out in the cold with me over a half hour helping me find a cab.

MONIS7
From MONIS7
 Augsburg, Germany
 Mar 16, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Bill was a wonderfull host, he showed us the best burgerpalce in town and his apartment is so central we couldn't believe it!
If you come to New York try to stay with him!

Samantha Kopp
From Samantha Kopp
 Gilching, Germany
 Mar 16, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Couchsurfing with Bill was awesome. The apartment is so cool and you have to ask him about the burger place, its really tasty!!! Thanks for having us and all the insider tips.

Jan Lenz 
From Jan Lenz
 Mainz, Germany
 Mar 11, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 2 days  
Positive

Bill is a great host with a luxurious couch and a weatlh of experiences to share. Also he's the perfect guide to NYC.

SuperLieschen Glücklich
From SuperLieschen Glücklich
 Berlin, Germany
 Mar 9, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

best host ever!

Jennifer Rowe 
From Jennifer Rowe
 Boulder, United States
 Feb 6, 2008
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 3 days Traveled 4 days 
Positive

Bill is magnificent. He lives by the Desiderata's creed and is a shining spirit of hospitality, wisdom and fun. Namaste, Bill!

Gerdine Vermeer
From Gerdine Vermeer
 Deventer, Netherlands
 Jun 16, 2007
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 4 days  
Positive

Wow what a great last weekend Bill gave us!! I will never ever forget that time! Great people, great music, great appartment, great couch, great person!!
What more do you want?? -xxx-

Thomas Ploszaj
From Thomas Ploszaj
 Grafton, United States
 Sep 26, 2006
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend,  
Positive

Visited for a meal and conversation. Had a nice time visiting with Bill who took us to a nice place to eat and then a definite #1 NYC cheescake dessert. Went out of his way to invite us over and exchanges ideas and views. I would definitely give him a call when back in the City

JEROME_CNC 
From JEROME_CNC
 Bordeaux, France
 Jul 19, 2006
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 3 days  
Positive

To a new friend. He's very helpful, open-minded and strongly right about lot of things. We had good dicussions even with my bad english - thks for your patience ;) . He made me discover new things (hihi:) and realize how it's important to do what we really wanna do. Come and visit me as soon as you can Bill, you'll be welcomed!

Yasmin & Graeme Davy-Watts 
From Yasmin & Graeme Davy-Watts
 Aldershot, United Kingdom
 Jul 19, 2006
Met in person CouchSurfing Friend, Surfed 5 days  
Positive

Easy going New Yorker. Bill's a laid back guy with a gentle, open minded outlook on life. We had several long discussions about life, the universe and everything. He knows his city inside out and back to front, he'll tell you all the cheap places to eat, the best things to see and do and the right way to do them. You're welcome to surf my couch in Australia anytime, Bill!

Doug Mitchell
From Doug Mitchell
 Tampa, United States
 Jul 19, 2006
Met in person  

my oldest friend. Bill is a long time friend of mine. I have known him for 35+ years. He is very trustworthy and a great conversationalist. He is very laid back and will try to make you feel comfortable. He has crashed at my house for weeks at a time and he will always be welcome in my house.

Joop van Hout
From Joop van Hout
 Amsterdam, Netherlands
 Jul 19, 2006
Met in person  

Great stay plus 2 cats. It was great staying in Bill's apartment. We stayed for 3 nights, so close to Central Park and Times Square and David Letterman's studio. A recommendation for sure!!! Thanks Bill, it was good meeting you! See you in Amsterdam. Bubbye, J+R

little evil grasshopper
From little evil grasshopper
 Palo Alto, United States
 Jul 19, 2006
Met in person  

Last Minute Stay. We couldn't find an inexpensive hotel soon enough in NYC, so we sent out a bunch of requests through Couchsurfing, and Bill replied almost immediately. He offered us a place to stay when we had given him only one day's notice. He's laid-back, easy to talk to, and very accomodating. His place is better than great - location can't be beat and the apartment itself rocks. Plus, his cats are very sweet creatures. I wanted to take them home with me. Bill, thanks so much!

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