“The White House Correspondents Dinner is over around midnight. Very late for a town that goes to bed at 9.” ~ Bob Schieffer, Face the Nation
New York City is a town for people who don’t sleep. We go to bed late and get up early with an IV of coffee in between. It’s packed year-round with people 24/7. The beat of the city is matched by the beats of New Yorkers’ hearts and our rapid-fire footsteps. It’s been that way as long as anyone can remember.
Many times I’ve caught myself walking in D.C. at night and noticed that the sidewalks were mostly empty. For a New Yorker, this can be a bit unnerving on many levels. I know great things are happening in every corner of this city and those actions and decisions impact the entire world. So where are all the people in D.C. after the sun goes down?
This has been an adjustment, and one I couldn’t understand until this weekend when Bob Schieffer uttered the magic words above on Face the Nation. Unlike New York City, D.C. is not a 24/7 town. At night, especially during the week, people pack it in. They retreat to their private corners to reflect, regroup, and fight another day tomorrow. For all its focus on achievement and a desire to make a difference, D.C.’s rhythm isn’t a million miles per hour every hour of every day. Washingtonians work very hard, and then they go to sleep. For me, this is a novel concept and one I’m looking forward to trying.
After two months, I’m slowly beginning to figure out what makes this city tick. Thanks, Bob Schieffer, for pointing me in the right direction. I think I can take it from here, but if I have more questions, I’m calling you. Who knows this place better than someone who’s faced this nation through this city’s lens every week for a quarter century?
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
1 thought on “This just in: What Bob Schieffer taught me about living in D.C.”
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Christa Avampato 
Wow, this post iis pleasant, my younger sister is analyzing
these things, soo I amm going to inform her.
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