Category: New York City

luck, New York City, Sesame Street, television

My Year of Hopefulness – Prepare to be lucky

Christa Avampato

I’m in the middle of reading Street Gang: The Complete Story of Sesame Street. My sister, Weez, bought it for me because she knows how much I love those little monsters. I’ll write a review of the book as soon as I’m finished reading every last wonderful word of the book. There is one line in particular that I read this week that I have been thinking of constantly.

In the early years of Sesame Street and the Children’s Television Workshop things just seemed to work out, even in the most trying circumstances when there was little logical reason for hope. Joan Ganz Cooney often quoted E.B. White during that time. E.B. White is quoted as saying “If you’re going to be in New York, be prepared to be lucky.”

This saying can be construed a few different ways. E.B. White could be that if we want luck to find us in New York, then we need to always be prepared. Do our research, be ready to articulate our dreams and beliefs, have a plan for what we want to do and where we want to go and how we’re going to get there. White could also mean that we have to be open to luck finding us. We need to have an ardent belief in luck, that it is inevitable that good fortune will smile on us.

That saying has helped me keep my head up a little higher this week. It’s kept me looking up at the stars, even though my spirits have been down in the dumps. This is a lucky town if only we are willing to open our eyes and minds and hearts to give that luck a place to land within our lives.

entrepreneurship, friendship, New York City

My Year of Hopefulness – When Good Ideas Surface

Christa Avampato

Yesterday I had coffee at Grounded with my friend, Dave. We’re both aspiring entrepreneurs who are figuring out when is the right time to make the leap, and considering what ventures would be best to start first. We talked about building a life that’s filled with a lot of different, small ideas and whether or not that’s better than getting all of our income from one single source. We considered how many of our extremely talented and motivated friends are looking for work due to the layoffs caused by the current recession. And then we hit upon an idea that could make use of many incredible people are out there looking for a job. Silence.

“Yeah. Maybe we should think about that. Maybe we could do something like that,” we said.

As we finished up our coffee and walked to the subway, we decided to write down some thoughts and send them back and forth to see if we could get our idea to work. What surprised me is that the idea seemed so good and so timely that we were both sort of stunned into silence. Is this the way with all good business ideas? Does it seem so obvious, so practical that we have to sit with it for a while and make sure it’s real? Could we be dreaming that we just got this idea in a coffee shop in Greenwich Village? Maybe it’s all too cliche. But then again, we’ll never know unless we try.

family, garden, health, holiday, mother, nature, New York City

My Year of Hopefulness – Mother’s Day

Christa Avampato

I took Mom to brunch and to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens today for Mothers’ Day. It’s easy for her to hop on a train, I pick her up at Grand Central, and away we go. Though I love my family get-togethers it’s also fun to have my mom all to myself once in a while – something we had precious little of when I was younger.

All day I considered how Mom has shaped my life, how much I’ve learned from her, and how much comfort she’s given me over the years. We drive each other crazy from time to time also, though I think that’s more just the nature of mother-daughter relationships. I wouldn’t swap lives with my mom – she had a tough go of it for many, many years. She came of age in a time when women were starting to be treated with equality, though she endured many unfair circumstances that had nothing to do with her ability and everything to do with her gender. I know she lives vicariously through my accomplishments and I try to live up to that honor every day.

After dropping Mom at Grand Central so she could catch her train home, I hopped onto Facebook to see a note from my friend, Heidi, that she was spending the day celebrating the great lady who now watches over her from above. I reflected back on my day with Mom, thinking about how excited she was to smell the full scent of wisteria and see the azaleas in bloom at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. I’m so grateful for this time we have together – it’s one of the biggest reasons I came back to NYC. After my Mom’s cancer in 2006, I realized with a sad and painful awareness that she wouldn’t be with me forever, that someday I’d have to celebrate Mother’s Day the same way my friend, Heidi, did today.

For now though, Mom’s alive and kicking (or at least she will be kicking once she gets her new knee on June 1st) and time is of the essence. As we went up the escalator from the subway, my mom gave me a hug and thanked me so much for the day.

“You spent a lot of money, today, Christa.”

“That’s fine, Mom. I’m happy to be able to do it. It’s only money.”

And I meant it – it is only money, and I can always make more of it. I won’t always be able to get more time with Mom so we need to savor it while we can. Happy Mother’s Day to all!

New York City, nonprofit, philanthropy, volunteer

My Year of Hopefulness – NYC Service

Christa Avampato

“Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds.” ~George Eliot

Today Mayor Bloomberg launched a new initiative in New York City to make it easier and more efficient for New Yorkers to volunteer in our city. There are a number of services out there like Volunteermatch.com that are similar in mission though I find this new site, NYC Service, incredibly easy to use and its layout helps site visitors to sift volunteer interests more efficiently.

Don’t find an opportunity that’s quite right for you? No problem – you can create your own. Additionally, you can download a preparedness tool kit and a tool kit to help you reduce your carbon footprint. You can also get more information about NYC Civic Corps, similar to AmeriCorps specifically focused on NYC. Nonprofit can post a volunteer opportunity and businesses can sign up as partners of the effort.

And here’s my favorite part: the BLANK effort. Fill in the BLANK. Everyone has something to give. Time. Effort. Funds. Passion. Interests. Energy. These are incredible resources. And they exist everywhere, within all of us. We all have something to give. Regardless of circumstances, financial ability, skills sets, race, gender, religion, culture. We can all give, and our city will be better for our volunteerism. People move mountains, and we are surrounded by mountains. Lend a hand. Visit NYC Service today.

Junior Achievement, New York City

My Year of Hopefulness – Enjoy the View

Christa Avampato

Junior Achievement visited my company this week as part of a job shadow day. I volunteered to be part of the welcoming committee, greeting the students at our auditorium on the 26th floor. I was escorting the first group when they stopped short at our picture windows that look out over New York Harbor. Even though the day was overcast, the view was still breathe-taking. Governor’s Island, the Statue of Liberty, the promenade, and Colgate Clock. 


I remember the first time I went to the auditorium myself almost 8 months ago and I had that same feeling of awe, watching life go on down below as if no one could observe it. It changes perspective to climb up above the bustling harbor and watch the world go by. We are a very small part of this much larger world. I was overwhelmed by how beautiful New York is, and how peaceful it looked from that vantage point. 

Somehow looking out I was able to feel that perhaps the situation of our country will be improved with the latest proposals from D.C. Maybe we will come out of this, burned a little bit, but not to an irreparable degree. And honestly, I think we need a little burning to keep us from being too comfortable, to keep us honest, and to keep us striving. We are no doubt in the midst of a vast correction. I cannot imagine that New York City, nor our country-at-large, will ever be the same. We will be better, stronger, more creative, more open-minded, and of richer character than we ever have been before. 
economy, friendship, neighbors, New York City

My Year of Hopefulness – Look Up

Christa Avampato

I was walking along Amsterdam Avenue recently, taking notice of all of the store fronts now covered with brown paper and masking tape. A large “retail space for rent” sign hangs prominently on too many doors these days. I kept wondering how we slipped so far so fast, how in a matter of days and weeks businesses are opening and then shuttering their days. Less than two years ago I moved to the Upper West Side, grateful for an apartment under $2000, no store front left unoccupied. On what used to be one of the busiest blocks, 5 spaces are now available.

Equal parts nervous and confused, I was preoccupied with the state of our economy. And then a man and a woman whom I had passed in a rush had a 10 second conversation that made me almost stop in my tracks. The man said, “Oh look at that! The stone work on that building is beautiful. Have you ever seen that before?” “No,” she replied. “In all the time I’ve lived here I’ve never noticed it.” I looked up. I’d never noticed it either. And it is beautiful – cerulean blue, grass green, sunny yellow, and bright orange. How could I have been missing that magnificent splash of color all this time? I guess I’ve been looking down too often.

Sometimes it takes people new to a situation to help us see clearly. We are in such a rush, so used to our surroundings, that we often don’t see the beauty right in front of us, or above us as the case may be. We become so lost in our thoughts and concerns, that we miss out on what’s happening all around us.

We’re exposed to so many signals and messages and images with every step, that our mind has to filter just to stay somewhat organized. This filtering sometimes causes us to miss out on things that could and should bring us some amount of joy and happiness. I am a firm believer that eventually we will always find what we’re looking for. The flip side of that is that if we aren’t looking for something, we may not find it on our own. It often takes someone else’s perspective and experience to wake us up to the life we’re walking through.

art, New York City, theatre

My Year of Hopefulness – In the Heights

Christa Avampato

Way back when, I was a very poor new college grad, working for a Broadway management office, and living just off of 190th Street. Despite the long train ride, it was one of the very best experiences of my life to live in that neighborhood. I was the only non-Dominican on my block and I was enchanted by their culture. Maybe even a little jealous of them. At night in my current apartment, I sometimes think back to 190th Street (Wadsworth Terrace, actually) and remember the endless game of dominoes played on that street corner “at the top of the world”. Sometimes, I miss it.

Tonight I went to see In the Heights with my friend, Monika. Brilliant, funny, and poignant, it reminded me of all the things I love about live theatre. The music, acting, dancing, writing, and singing made it one of the very best all-around shows I’ve ever seen. It’s a beautiful tribute to an amazing neighborhood and Latin culture. It really is a love letter to New York City. It made me glad and grateful that New York City is my home.

And what I love most about the show is that it was one man’s dream to write a show about his neighborhood and his heritage. It doesn’t have any complicated plot lines, there’s nothing for the audience to “figure out”. It’s just a beautiful, simple story about life on a block in New York. You meet the colorful personalities, see some of their heartache, some of their joys, and all of their dreams. It’s as if for a minute I was back on that block, looking out from my apartment window and watching the comings and goings of average, everyday people. It made me think that maybe there is a story in all of us that is worth telling, and our only job is to tell is honestly, with heart. I’m grateful to Lin-Manuel Miranda for sharing his story with us.

child, childhood, children, family, New York City

My Year of Hopefulness – Ball, Dog, and Oprah

Christa Avampato

I spent this weekend with my niece, Lorelei. She’s one year old and came to New York to visit me with my sister and brother-in-law. We’ve been playing in the park, at the Children’s Museum, FAO. She is running around, beginning to say words that actually sound like words, and tearing up everything in her path. She gives me hope.

It’s easy to look at the situation directly in front of us and feel like it might not be such a good idea to get out of bed. Spending time with children forces you to take the long view. Some day they will grow up, they will continue on their respective paths. Every day they are learning something new. They discover and wonder at every moment, and we discover along with them. Her best words at the moment are ball, dog, and Oprah. I’ve never had such fun say those words, or any words for that matter, as I have saying them with Lorelei.

I think whether or not you want to have kids of your own is irrelevant. I do think spending time with them in some way, whether they’re nieces and nephews, kids of friends, kids you coach, teach, or volunteer with, they will change your life by changing the way you view life and the world we live in. They really are the most optimistic people you can ever meet. And in time when so many people feel like they’re down and out, it helps to spend time with kids who feel that their best times are yet to come.

hope, New York City, news, subway

My Year of Hopefulness – Let’s Get Wednesday

Christa Avampato

I boarded the subway an hour earlier than usual this morning for some early more meetings. I needed something to cheer about. Over the subway loud speaker, I heard “Let’s get Wednesday.” In New York, we’ll occasionally get a humorous subway conductor. They are few and far between and when I get one, I always appreciate their ability to fun up the a job that I am sure is not that much fun during rush hour on a Wednesday.

After entering my building, I hopped onto the elevator. We have these tiny TVs in our elevators that run a circuit of news and advertisements. As you can imagine, the news is not that uplifting these days, and certainly not something I need to be reminded of as I head to my desk. Today there was an ad on the screen with the simple statement “Go humans go.” It’s part of a new ad campaign by Quaker. I am beginning to notice a pattern here.

On Wednesday afternoons I teach a high school Junior Achievement class about Business Ethics for an hour. As I was crossing the street back to my office, the traffic cop asked us to wait for the light to change. “Let’s to live another day, folks. Your families need you at home tonight. They’ll be waiting for you and you don’t want to disappoint them by getting run over.”

Combined, these three signs today were signs of life for me. We are living in dark times, though even when it’s darkest, we have to do our best to find that little speck of light and do what we can to turn it into a bonfire. I stood a little taller today, walked a little quicker, and worked a little harder. It might sound silly to say that the subway conductor this morning set the tone for my day by making one simple, 3 word statement. And it’s truthful. Sometimes a little cheering is all it takes to keep our chin up. Coming up above ground and saying to myself, “Yes, let’s get Wednesday,” really did help me do just that.

The image above can be found at: http://startwithsubstance.com/images/facebook/img_main.jpg

books, entrepreneurship, Examiner, New York City, restaurants

NY Business Strategies Examiner.com: an interview with the owners of Baked, a bakery in Red Hook and Charleston

Christa Avampato

Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito are cooking up something special at Baked. a bakery with locations in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and Charleston, South Carolina. The duo have an extensive baking repertoire, serving up sweets that run the gammet: classics like chocolate chip cookies and carrot cake, new takes on old favorites like their apple pie with a splash of bourbon and vanilla bean, and wholly original offerings like homemade marshmallows and granola. Oprah named their brownies one of her Favorite Things.

To read the full article, please visit: http://www.examiner.com/x-2901-NY-Business-Strategies-Examiner~y2009m2d25-The-duo-behind-Baked-an-interview-with-Matt-Lewis-and-Renato-Poliafito