“I said, to be a New Yorker you have to live here for six months, and if at the end of the six months you find you walk faster, talk faster, think faster, you’re a New Yorker.” ~ Ed Koch (Thanks to my pal, Sara Alvarez, for posting quote.)
Yesterday, New York City lost one of her greatest residents and best advocates. Former Mayor Ed Koch left us at the age of 88. It’s hard to think of New York City without him. He is as iconic as the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, and the Statue of Liberty.
His love of New York was infectious and he helped us all keep our egos in check by constantly asking his trademark question, “How’m I doin’?” New Yorkers by nature like to one up each other with how long they’ve lived here, how well they know the city, and how much of a New Yorker they are. Ed believed that this city belonged to anyone who had the courage to move here. In his eyes, New York was for everyone.
And so it’s with a couple of tears in our eyes and heavy hearts that we bid you a fond farewell as you take up the next leg of your journey. We can only hope that you love the place you now call home as much as you loved this city. Thanks for believing that together we could make this a better place, even when the future seemed so bleak.
To read a beautiful retrospective of his life in the New York Times, please click here. Ironically, a documentary about him appropriately named Koch opened nationwide on the same day that he passed away. Ed always knew how to go out with a splash.
Published by Christa Avampato
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
“I said, to be a New Yorker you have to live here for six months, and if at the end of the six months you find you walk faster, talk faster, think faster, you’re a New Yorker.” ~ Ed Koch (Thanks to my pal, Sara Alvarez, for posting quote.)
Christa Avampato 