People have asked me what I’ll be doing in Cuba next month. I just got the rundown of my itinerary. I can hardly believe that this is really happening! I’ll be taking pictures and sharing stories while I’m there (provided I can access wi-fi), and I’m hoping I can convince many of you to travel to Cuba, too! I’m so grateful to Yolo Travel, a local D.C. business, for organizing everything! http://www.yoloworldtravel.com/cuba/
Arriving in Miami a day early to enjoy one of my favorite U.S. cities! The flightto Havana leaves very early the next morning so I’ll be relaxing and resting up for the week ahead.
Day 1: Arrive in Havana early in the morning via charter flight. Spend the day and evening exploring Old Havana with dinner at a private restaurant. Then exploring the nightlife that the city has to offer.
Day 2: History tour of Old Havana. Visit to the fishing village Jaimanitas and the home of artist Jose Fuster, who has turned most of his home and most of the surrounding neighborhood into a work of art with mosaic tiles.
Then we’ll take a 4-hour drive to the scenic village of Vinales. Caving, hiking, and exploring the many agriculturally-rich fields are all on tap. Vinales is known for its local music scene so I’ll make sure to check that out!
Day 3: Tour of an organic farm in Vinales and meeting local farmers in the area. We’ll also learn the art of cuban cigar making from an expert cigar maker. In the afternoon, we’ll take a traditional Cuban cooking class with local chefs using all local ingredients.
Day 4: Drive to Cienfuego to tour that city and then make a visit to the Bay of Pigs. We’ll check out the museum there and then go snorkeling.
Day 5: We’re off to the colonial city of Trinidad, the best preserved city in Cuba. We will be able to sit with and learn from the caretaker of the Afro-Cuban temple to Yamaya. Trinidad is known to have the biggest live music scene and we’ll be exploring that along with taking salsa dance lessons.
Day 6: Hike to waterfalls outside of Trinidad in the Valley of Sugarmills – the perfect white sand beaches I’ve been dreaming about in Cuba for so long! Options to go snorkeling, scuba diving, and horseback riding. Then it’s back to Trinidad to relax and explore. That night we’ll have a bonfire on the beach and a meal prepared by local chefs in Trinidad.
Day 7: We’ll visit Manaca-Iznaga plantation in the Valle de los Ingenios where we will learn more about Cuba’s slave trade. Then we head to Santa Clara to learn about the life of Ernesto Ché Guevara, one of the most famous Cuban Revolutionaries. We’ll have lunch at a small family farm near Santa Clara and head back to Havana to enjoy a fun evening in the city.
Day 8: We have all day and night to explore Havana and take in everything that the city has to offer.
Day 9: We have breakfast and say goodbye to our guides and drivers before heading back to the U.S.
Published by Christa Avampato
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/
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Great Post
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Thanks, Mukul! I can’t wait for this trip!
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all the best, welcome
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