From Miami to New York: Nicole Cueto’s Instagram Journey

Nicole Cueto is a New York-based travel content creator who primarily focuses on immersive travel. She shares her content with the goal of inspiring people to delve into the culture and history of their destinations and to engage with local life wherever they go.

Nicole Cueto began her Instagram journey in its early days while living in Miami. She frequented various restaurants and cocktail venues, which inspired her to start a blog and share her experiences. This naturally led her to post about the outfits she wore.

Initially, her handle was “Nikki_E_S_Cue,” a play on her name and her status as a lawyer (ESQ). After moving to Washington, D.C., and then to New York, she changed it to “Nikki Takes NY” and eventually settled on “The Cuban Carrie,” a nod to her Cuban heritage and Sarah Jessica Parker’s “Sex and the City” character, Carrie Bradshaw. Her account has over 7000 followers as of May 2024.

“While my content has morphed into more of a lifestyle and travel page, what’s remained true is that it has always been an authentic and genuine representation of my life,” said Cueto. “I try to stay grounded and share real and authentic accounts of my life, how I’m feeling and my connection to this world.”

Cueto said she begins her morning by expressing gratitude for three things, which helps her stay grounded, present, and focused. She practices hot yoga regularly, especially at Y7, and enjoys exploring New York City on foot or by bike to get her steps in. Additionally, she is taking French lessons and loves to travel. Her next destination is Rio, and she aims to visit 100 countries by the time she turns 50. At 41 years old, Nicole has already visited 54 countries and all seven continents.

“I romanticize daily life a lot and have always been [inspired by architecture and history], and so Paris is one of those places that makes me long to be there. I know visiting and living in a place are two different things, but it’s how I got to NYC and I’ve now been here 10 years – it was the best decision of my life, but I’m always open and ready for new chapters,” said Cueto.

In an ever-evolving yet disconnected world, Nicole Cueto aims to connect with her audience authentically and meaningfully. She often shares real and deep topics of conversation, and the flood of messages she receives from people experiencing similar things keeps her motivated. Her goal is to create beautiful, inspiring content that resonates with people in a genuine way, avoiding an over-curated or fake appearance.

Nicole Cueto is not a significant TikTok user due to the challenge of managing multiple platforms. While she does maintain an account, she experiences stress when creating content for both platforms, which she endeavors to avoid. Regarding the trend of “Tiktokification” across social media apps, she acknowledges it as a genuine phenomenon.

“TikTok is a successful tool for a reason and I can see why other apps want to model some of their features after it,” said Cueto. “Social media is a crazy, dystopian place!”

Outside of social media and content creation, Nicole Cueto is a passionate rescue dog advocate with a rescue dog of her own. She is currently writing a children’s book about the importance of adoption titled “Marty the Magician,” which will be available on Amazon next month.