The writer, journalist, and sharp chronicler of New York City’s life and denizens answers a few questions…
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
I believe in going out, not coming out.
WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU LEARNED IN HIGH SCHOOL?
History.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST PET PEEVE?
Foodies.
WHAT DO YOU WEAR THAT MAKES YOU FEEL STRONG?
Eau Sauvage cologne.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WITH A BROKEN HEART?
Eat lots of spaghetti with meatballs.
WHAT IS ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND?
1950s reading lamp, Cartier stainless steel alarm clock, Fiji water.
WHAT GIVES YOU GOOSE BUMPS?
The first sight of Venice as you come in from the airport on a vaporetto.
WHAT IS YOUR BAD DAY BACKUP PLAN?
Read a book.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE SUCCESS?
Achieving something worthwhile, whether others notice or not. (Though I love it when they do.)
BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
No matter what happens in life the only thing one can do is go on — from Dominique Demenil.
WHAT MAKES YOU FORGET TO EAT?
Writing going well.
FAVORITE WORD?
Privacy, because it is fast becoming archaic.
FAVORITE WORK OF ART?
Hieronymus Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights” in the Prado — so decadent! So Catholic!
FAVORITE BOOK?
The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran by Andrew Scott. Because it finally explains how and why the Shah came to be replaced by the Ayatollah Khomeini, a cataclysmic event that continues to negatively affect the region and the world.
Photo Credit: © Jonathan Becker
