I’m Lara Salamano, and since July I’ve been the chief marketing officer of the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation. I grew up in Warwick and graduated from University of Rhode Island. Though I moved away to pursue my career in marketing, when my husband and I had kids I knew I wanted to raise them here, so I made the move, leaving NYC in the rearview mirror.

Well, almost. For a few years, I actually commuted a couple days a week back to Manhattan for my job. But I love Rhode Island so much it was worth it.

Now our two kids are growing up in East Greenwich, and we couldn’t be happier. We often walk down to Main Street for dinner - one of our favorites is Red Stripe. The food is delicious and the location is perfect! Another family favorite is The Shanty in Warwick - it’s one of Rhode Island’s hidden gems with a little bit of everything for any palate. Some other places we can’t get enough of are Broadway Bistro in Providence and Tallulah’s on Thames in Newport.

Considering that I moved back to raise my kids, it’s not surprising that a lot of our activities are kid-friendly. Over the summer, we buy the $30 season pass for Scarborough Beach, so that most weekends we can head over. Living so close to the shore is a definite plus.

To kick off the season, we went for a family camping trip to Burlingame. From there we went down to Misquamicut for the go-karts, carousel and the sweet, old-fashioned carnival.

When the kids want something different, we have a fun day at Rock Spot in S. Kingston, or catch a ball game at McCoy Stadium. There’s such a great variety of things to do in the state, and with everything so close, you can pack multiple activities into one day.

At the end of an action-packed day, I’m excited to get to help promote a place I’m so passionate about. Working with the tourism regions has helped me appreciate all corners of the state. And getting to hear other Rhode Islanders share their stories with #MyRIStory makes me realize that there’s so much to love here.

Photo Credits: Pics courtesy of Lara Salamano. Additional pics courtesy of PattyJ.com.

My RI Life: Meet Lara Salamano, CMO, Mom & PawSox Fan