Christa Avampato's Blog, page 74

A Year of Yes: NYC’s Secrets & Lies is 3 days away

What’s on tap for NYC’s Secrets and Lies at Caveat on Wednesday? Hidden New York City history stories of danger and deceit, disease and descent. I made a sneak preview for you. Have a look and then grab your tickets at  http://caveat.nyc/event/new-york-citys-secrets-and-lies-8-8-18. This show features the amazing talents of storytellers John Bucher, Leslie Goshko, Ashley Semrick, and Erin Hunkemoeller, and filmmaker Tom Rowley.

A Year of Yes: Here’s a 15% discount code for all Untapped Cities Tours of secret New York City places

Untapped Cities offers a huge variety of tours about secret New York City history. Alexander Hamilton’s historic home, the abandoned Ellis Island Hospital, Grand Central Station, abandoned subway stations, the Woolworth Building, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square, Penn Station, the Members Only Players Club, and the list just. keeps. growing.

As a little gift to you, I wanted to share a special discount code that gets you 15% off of ALL of their tours – just type in CHRISTA at checkout. You can share this with friends and use it as many times as you want. And there’s no expiration date. Because I love you, and I want you to have nice things. And by nice things, I mean adventures.

A Year of Yes: Becoming a licensed New York City Tour Guide

Thanks to inspiration from my friends, Ashley and Erin, I started studying for my New York City Sightseeing Guide License. Yes, we license everything in this town!

I’m excited to do this homework and take the exam. If you’d like to join me on a study walk in this glorious city, let me know! I like curious company.

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A Year of Yes: Untapped Cities features NYC’s Secrets & Lies storytelling show

Received a lovely writeup in Untapped Cities for the New York City’s Secrets & Lies show on August 8th. Our storytellers are diving into dusty archives and busted up boxes of historical footage to bring you the craziest pieces of NYC history we can find. Looking forward to seeing you at Caveat. Doors open at 6:30pm and the show starts at 7:00pm! Tickets available at http://caveat.nyc/event/new-york-citys-secrets-and-lies-8-8-18

 

A Year of Yes: NYC’s Museum of Trash

What is a museum? A collection of items meaningfully curated to tell a story. It can be large or small or any size in-between. It can be about 1 topic or about everything. It can be indoors or outdoors. There’s no right way to build a museum. Just make it matter.


 


That’s what I learned at The Treasures in the Trash Museum housed in the NYC Dept of Sanitation curated by Nelson Molina who worked for our wonderful city for over 30 years. He collected discarded items he found in the trash on his routes with DOS and there is now a mind-boggling treasure trove of items that represent the lives of countless New Yorkers.


 


I went with my adventure-seeking, history-loving pals, Ashley & Erin, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever seen in New York. Everything from diaries to dishes to photographs and diplomas and art and pez dispensers and view finders and typewriters and a Star of David made from the steal of the World Trade Center to stained glass windows from a church and yes, even taxidermy in the form of an old dog and a crotchety rooster.


 


I’d tell you more but I can’t think of any words adequate enough to describe it. So just go. Meet Nelson and get to know the fellow New Yorkers you’ll never meet by seeing the things they kicked to the curb.


 


Thank you New York Adventure Club for the tour!

A Year of Yes: Marrying writing, storytelling, business, product development, and science through biomimicry

Some news. Shark mucus sounds like an odd inspiration. Stay with me. After the podcast Ologies released its shark episode, I re-examined biomimicry as a way to marry my product development, business, and storytelling experience with my love for science. I owe host Alie Ward and Chris Lowe, who was the shark expert on the episode a million thanks. Here’s why:

I always loved science and actually started college in the engineering school. After a professor told me I didn’t “have a mind of physics”, I believed him and left all my dreams of working in science behind. I changed majors entirely and have always wondered what might have been if I hadn’t let this professor get into my head.

Fast forward a number of years. I’ve continued to learn about science and its applications. Over the years, I’ve thought about different ways that I could have a career that combined science with all my other experience & interests. Enter Ologies and sharks…

Shark mucus acts as a built-in antibiotic bandaid that allows sharks to rapidly heal. This may contribute to their long life spans of – wait for it – up to 470 yrs! We should apply this to our own medical research, right? We do! In the field of biomimicry.

Biomimicry is an applied science field in which the wisdom of the natural world plants and animals is studied and applied to the human-built world of products & environments in a sustainable way that benefits all beings.

After some research, I learned there’s a Masters of Science in Biomimicry through Arizona State University  Biomimicry 3.8 that’s a dream program. Multidisciplinary, online, created for working professionals, and with a travel research cohort component. Best of all, it leverages ALL my prior experience.

I’ve been a fan of Janine Benyus‘s work since reading about her 10 yrs ago. She founded this program. It’s exciting how much the field has grown & how vital it will be to use design + business + science to build a better world for all beings as we grapple w/our changing planet.

I’m now in application and scholarship hunting mode, hoping to begin the program in 2019. Finding the work we’re meant to do is a long and winding road. I hope my story inspires you to stay curious and to keep reaching for a life fueled by passion and goodness. The world needs us.

 

 

A Year of Yes: A new film project in New York City that needs you

On Wednesday, August 8th, my storytelling show New York City’s Secrets and Lies has a special guest. Tom Rowley is a filmmaker from Ireland and he’s creating an incredible geolocation-based mobile app of storytelling about New York City’s secret history. He’s going to share all the details of his project and he needs your help with it. Learn how to get involved by coming to the show. Tickets on sale now at http://caveat.nyc/event/new-york-citys-secrets-and-lies-8-8-18/.

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A Year of Yes: Trying my hand at some poetry with lessons learned

I’m trying out something new in my social media feeds – short poems about daily learnings. You can check them out on Twitter and Instagram. Here’s the one I put up yesterday:

What if you

could run hard

to the edge of the cliff,

take to the sky,

and fly.

Where would you go?

What would you do?

And why?

Me?

You’d find me

soaring higher, higher, and higher,

just to see how far I could go.

~CRA

 

A Year of Yes: The only work you have to do

The only work you have to do is find and do the work you’re meant to do. That’s enough; that’s always been enough. Just do that.

A Year of Yes: Inside an Abandoned Church on Manhattan’s Upper West Side

Thank you to Children’s Museum of Manhattan for the tour of this church that’s been abandoned for 15 yrs & will soon be the new home for the museum. My museum-loving friends & I had a blast! This church is across the street from the apartment building where I used to live and I’ve admired it from the exterior for years. It was fascinating to actually be able to go inside and explore it. From an abandoned ballroom to vaulted ceilings, a sealed safe, and the stunning stain glass, I was completely inspired by this space! Pretty sure Emerson Page is going to find her way in here…

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