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TCQ&A: Francesca Kennedy
The rules: Answer as many of the 47 questions as you like (but a minimum of 15, and you must answer #1–4). Please limit most answers to the general geographic area.
1. How long have you lived in the area? Where did you move from? Where are you originally from? I have lived in Tribeca for three years and have been in New York for eight years. I grew up in Pennsylvania, but my family is originally from Guatemala. They left during the civil war in the eighties and moved to the United States to start a family.
2. Married? Partnered? If so, what’s his/her name and occupation? I’m dating someone special who works in finance.
3. Kids? Pets? None yet! I would love to get a Yorkie, but my building doesn’t allow dogs.
4. Where do you live? In the Truffles building on Desbrosses.
5. What do you do for a living? I recently launched a sandal company called Ix (pronounced eeks), which is the Mayan word for vitality. For every pair purchased, we make a donation to charitywater.org to provide clean drinking water to children in Guatemala. Check us out at ix-style.com.
6. The best deal around: White or pink spider mum flowers from any deli. They cost about $10, last almost two weeks, and really brighten up your apartment. The online deals at Tribeca Spa of Tranquility are also great. I highly recommend a Korean scrub—you’ll never feel cleaner in your life!
7. Most-frequented restaurants: Locanda Verde: I am a huge fan of their brunches and go weekly for the ouvo modenese, honey ricotta, mushroom or foie gras crostino of the day, and the seasonal caramelized onion bread. The Bloody Marys are excellent. Marc Forgione: The spicy Bloody Marys are perhaps the best in town, and the spicy lobster eggs are a dream. I clearly have an obsession with spicy foods (and Bloody Marys)! Warning: they are only open for brunch on Sundays. Hey, Marc, when will you open for brunch on Saturdays? Nobu Next Door: For the truffle spinach salad, yellowtail jalapeño sashimi, and miso fluke sashimi. This would be my last meal. Benares: I always order in aloo papri [above] and chicken curry. I’ve never dined there and I don’t know why! Tamarind: Another great dine-in Indian restaurant, but the delivery just doesn’t taste the same as dining there. Wei West: It’s my go-to delivery for dumplings and lettuce wraps.
8. For special occasions, I go to: Aire Ancient Baths to treat myself to a salt bath and steam. For celebrations, we toast with spumante with friends at the garden at the Greenwich Hotel.
10. Sweet-tooth satisfaction: MaxDelivery delivers Sugar Sweet Sunshine cupcakes and pinot noir. I have consumed lethal doses of both during the winter months.
12. I usually order in from: Just Salad, and I always order mixed greens with a boatload of quinoa, avocado, and hot sauce.
13. I can’t resist popping into: Fika, the Swedish café under my building every morning, for a cappuccino and chocolate croissant.
14. The last non-essential item I bought: A cowhide rug and a huge Buddha candle from Argentina. I had to buy a new suitcase to get them home, and I’m pretty sure I saw the same items in a store nearby. Oops!
16. I’m so glad: Max Delivery is in the neighborhood, because without it I’d have an empty fridge.
17. How I stay fit: I’m a fan of Barry’s Bootcamp [right]. I also sign up for a few destination and local half marathons throughout the year and train for them by running on the West Side path. My friends and I are going to run to raise money for charity:water for our next Disney run in Orlando. Join us! Get more information at Ix Style on Facebook.
18. Where I get beautiful: Nails at Yaya Salon on Beach; steam, facials and scrubs at Tribeca Spa of Tranquility; and Japanese straightening at Hair Village in Queens. A famous stylist turned me on to this less-than-glamorous, assembly line salon. Don’t be surprised if they ask you to dry your own hair. It’s worth the legwork and trek!
19. What’s the area’s best-kept secret? The garden in the Greenwich Hotel is quite special. You must be a guest of the hotel, so have your out-of-town friends stay there.
20. A recent enthusiasm: Complimentary mimosas with blowouts at Drybar.
21. A worthy splurge: Facials at the Shibui Spa in the Greenwich Hotel.
24. Rainy-day activity: Shake Shack (for the Smoke Shack burger with cherry peppers) and a movie.
27. I’ve never been to: Chris and Gwyneth’s place for tacos and guac, and I don’t know why???
30. I tend to take out-of-towners to: Locanda Verde for a great meal and Megu (out-of-towners just love that huge ice Buddha).
31. I wish I lived in… 55 Vestry, 250 West, or any apartment with a water view on the West Side. Or the 1 N. Moore penthouse with the rooftop pool would be nice, too.
34. If money were no object, I’d… turn every Tribeca rooftop into a green roof with a vegetable garden and pool.
36. My most memorable celebrity sighting: In Tribeca, there have been so many. In typical New York fashion, I tend to respect their privacy and leave them alone (except once… keep reading). I’ve seen Jay-Z a bunch of times. Once I was making my way home from a friend’s spa party, with a face mask still on, and I ran into Jay. That was pretty embarrassing. I can tell when the Hov family is in town by the vehicles parked outside their building. I’ve seen Gwyneth Paltrow riding her bike, Pink pushing a baby stroller, Gisele strutting her stuff on Greenwich, Tobey Maguire, Rose Byrne, and Demi Moore in the Greenwich Hotel. But nothing compares to meeting my idol, Lena Dunham. She is the writer, director, producer, actress, and all-around powerhouse of the HBO hit show “Girls.” It was last summer and I had just finished watching the first season…. I was walking towards Hudson to grab a cab, and there she was coming out of her father’s (artist Carroll Dunham) apartment. I couldn’t help myself, so I talked to her and expressed how much I adored her show and character. She introduced herself, gave me a hug and talked to me like an old pal. Anyway, Lena, your show and success inspired me to launch my own company (at 26, you had a hit TV show so what was I waiting for?). Thank you!
38. The most romantic spot around: Watching the sunset from the lawn by the West Side path—sitting on a blanket, drinking rosé with your significant other—it just can’t be beat.
39. Tribeca could use a really great Mexican place and fewer pizza shops.
40. If I could change one thing about the neighborhood: I would love it if cool, local artists could paint on the walls of those old parking garage doors, dilapidated walls, and the scaffolding around Desbrosses Street. The peacock painted on the garage door at 431 Washington Street is adorable. Whoever painted that—could you pull a Banksy-style move and fix the rest of the block? We would greatly appreciate it!
46. If I couldn’t live here, I’d live in… Roatán, Honduras, or Guatemala with my family.
Recent TCQ&As:
• Leah Singer
• Doug Tedeschi
• Kalyn Johnson Chandler
• Claire Hollander
• Karen Sachs
If you want to suggest a TCQ&A subject (it can certainly be yourself), email tribecacitizen@gmail.com.
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