I am so lucky to be a New Yorker. I pride myself on my intense love for and loyalty to this wacky and incredible city. Every day that I step outside of my apartment, I get a little twinkle in my eye and a pep in my step. I live in New York City.
As I was making my way home from the first day of the ad:tech conference, I stood on the corner of 42nd Street and 8th Avenue waiting to cross the street to the subway. A lot of New Yorkers hate Times Square. I love it. The energy. The lights. The creativity inside every door of every theater. I grew up in that area of the city when I managed Broadway shows in my 20s and so it holds a special nostalgia for me. As Sondheim said in Merrily We Roll Along, it’s where I began being what I can.
As I was waiting to cross 42nd Street, I felt a little tap on my shoulder. I turned to find two British women, probably in their 60s, visiting New York City for the first time.
“Excuse me,” said one of them in her perfectly lovely and lilting accent. “Is this Times Square?”
I smiled wide. “Ladies, you’re looking at it,” I said.
“Oh my!” the other one said. “And this is the real 42nd Street, from the musical?”
“The one and only,” I said as I pointed east. “Take a stroll that way and you’ll be smack in the middle of all of the craziness. It’s wonderful.”
They thanked me and crossed 8th Avenue, as excited as any kids I’ve ever seen on their way to a playground. And I was reminded again, just as I am every day, that this is one amazing town.
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
View all posts by Christa Avampato
3 thoughts on “Beautiful: I Love to Be The Ambassador of New York City”
Have you ever thought about writing an ebook or guest
authoring on other sites? I have a blog based upon on the same ideas you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information.
I know my subscribers would value your work. If you are even remotely interested,
feel free to send me an e-mail.
This one gave me serious goosebumps.
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🙂 Me, too!
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Have you ever thought about writing an ebook or guest
authoring on other sites? I have a blog based upon on the same ideas you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information.
I know my subscribers would value your work. If you are even remotely interested,
feel free to send me an e-mail.
LikeLike