>>461171They were hardly ever around, then again, neither were we. None of them did drugs of any sort. We bought them a pizza the second day, carried on conversation, etc. The girl from the site who hadn't been around called me to make sure we were comfortable. She is heading "out west" soon, another roommate is heading on a spiritual journey southward, and one is gearing up for a trans-continent bike tour. The remaining roommate works at an indie bike shop and drinks organic beer. Just to give you a picture of the prevailing lifestyle.
Definitely wealthy, absolutely privileged. But they were extraordinarily generous people and I felt bad I couldn't contribute as much as their more exotic guests. I positively repped the girl, however she has yet to do the same for me. I got the impression that we sort of bored the people we met- we aren't from an exotic place and we don't have crazy occupations like most of them do.
My ultimate impression is this:
Most CSers are one of the following:
1. People with enough money to travel whenever they feel like it, want to be 'cultured', and want to share things with others, whatever those things may be.
2. People who want a cheap place to stay so they can afford to travel. They may or may not want to embrace the cultural aspect.
There seems to be bad and good people of both types. It isn't fair to say the whole community is hippies or yuppies or crusties.
If you're just looking for a place to crash, I've heard there are better sites. CS is way, way more focused on the sharing and communion, for better or for worse, and prepare to feel awkward if you have little to share. I absolutely would not rely on CS as a sure-fire means of finding shelter, and I'd be wary of travel advice from your typical CSer. It's a bomb way to learn the area you're at, though.