Karena: I am originally from Greenwich, CT. We have been living in Riverside for four years. We have two boys, ages six and four.
Our boys love to run around and therefore run through clothes. For main staples we hit Old Navy in Stamford. And for special occasions we like Crew Cuts in Greenwich. Shoes are all from Target – they wear sneakers to school everyday and Target has just what they want whether it is a Star Wars or super hero themed shoe. Little Eric’s and Shoes & More also have good options. As for Children’s furniture, their bedroom furniture is modern and clean; their dressers, side tables and beds are from IKEA in New Haven. Most of their furniture is similar to some of the bigger, pricier lines, but we can go and look at everything in person and bring it home. I love to browse Sound Beach Avenue for personal touches – picture frames, paintings, toys, blankets, pillows and more at places like Back40 Mercantile, Paper & Stitch, and Abigail Fox….all so cool and on the same block.
My absolute favorite event each year is B*CURED’s A Field Day at Night (on Saturday, March 4, 2017!!), which raises crucial funding for brain cancer research. I am the co-president of B*CURED with Kristin Duda and my husband Peter is on the board. I lost my mom to brain cancer and have since lost several friends and family to the disease, so this cause is as close to home as possible. We organize our life around this event. Given there are so many fantastic charity events in Greenwich we have really tried to break the mold by hosting it at Chelsea Piers Stamford on the indoor turf. Everyone wears jeans, hits the batting cages, and hangs out like it’s a tailgate all while bidding on a very cool silent auction. Every single dollar goes to research. It is a very fun night and supports a cause that is so sorely underfunded. (www.bcured.org)
Our favorite restaurant, and where we end up almost every Friday night, is Applausi in Old Greenwich. The homemade pasta is awesome. It is a super low key and simple spot, but the food and drinks are great and the minute you walk in the door the owner Bepe greats you with a big smile. Some other favorites are Harvest (sitting at the bar), Louie’s, and the bar at L’Escale.
My favorite kid-friendly recipe is Gwyneth Paltrow’s “sticky rice.” It is sautéed kale, garlic and soy sauce mixed with brown rice. Kids love it.
Our favorite hobbies are watching all the local races in OG because Peter is usually running or racing in them. We are often screaming on the sidelines. We bike to OG whenever its warm enough, Peter takes the boys in the Babbo. And almost once a day, legos are being built.
