Queens, here I come! My Manhattan apartment building is being converted to condos. Because I’m a market-rate tenant, my lease isn’t being renewed and there’s no inside deal to buy my place. This is the tough and ugly part of New York City real estate: landlords hold all the cards. I’ve looked around the Upper West Side, the neighborhood I’ve called home for 7 years, and found that I can get much more for my money someplace else. The Brooklyn brand has caused rental prices to skyrocket there far beyond the rental rates in my current neighborhood so I’m looking at Queens. I’ve lived there twice before and loved it. Prices have gone up there as well but not to the same tune as Manhattan and Brooklyn. It also has the benefit of tremendous transportation convenience, lots of amenities, and authentic community, three things that are important to me. Come April 30th, Phin and I will shove off on a new residential adventure. Here’s hoping the apartment karma gods are with us!
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
1 thought on “Inspired: In Search of A New New York City Home in Queens”
I am really enjoying the theme/design oof your web site. Do you ever ruun into any internet browser compatibility issues?
A handful off my blog visitors have complained about my site nnot working correctly iin Explorer but looks great iin Safari.
Do yoou havee any solutions to help fix this problem?
I am really enjoying the theme/design oof your web site. Do you ever ruun into any internet browser compatibility issues?
A handful off my blog visitors have complained about my site nnot working correctly iin Explorer but looks great iin Safari.
Do yoou havee any solutions to help fix this problem?
LikeLike