I think politics is a dirty game. We've seen the sides that they take; we've seen the commentary they have had on my father.
If I want to hand one of my old shotguns that I've had for 50 years to my grandkid one day, I have to go through a federal transfer? It's crazy.
If I could miracle myself away, I would live out West.
I give to panhandlers on occasion, especially around the holidays, but have always been involved with charity, which was an important part of the way I was brought up. My siblings and I knew early on in life that we were incredibly fortunate and have never taken that for granted, so we recognize the importance of giving back.
I think Americans appreciate that my dad's a genuine guy. He's not gonna manicure every little word, and he's not massaging it. He's not running computer analytics to tell you what you want to hear and then do whatever the special interests tell him what they want him to do in the end.
To me, what defines a New Yorker is the edge that one develops from having actually lived here. Once you have it, it doesn't go away, and everywhere else in the world feels like it is in slow motion.
When we do deals, it's not, 'Ah, it's a million bucks, who cares?' The penny means something.
I've broken probably every major bone in my body. I currently have, in my body, fifteen pins and a plate. I've broken my femur, both wrists, both ankles - my left ankle twice. My tibia. Tore my rotator cuff.
It wasn't a typical 'Let's go play catch in the backyard' sort of father-son relationship. We always went to job sites with him.
If you can't handle some of the basic stuff that's become a problem in the workforce today, then you don't belong in the workforce.
Some people like to paint and sing. We like to create and build.
It's been a process of evolving within a family company to get the autonomy I now have from a boss like my father. If you're sitting there waiting for a pat on the back, you're going to be waiting a long time.
I avoided the spotlight when I was a kid. I always knew, 'Hey, it wasn't me. I didn't do anything.' If there was a camera around, I hid from it.
My wife and I like to cook, so we actually prepare our own meals often and can hold our own in the kitchen.
I may be one of the last New Yorkers who actually drives in the city daily.
When I spent time with my father, it wasn't playing ball in the back yard. I came to his office and listened to him do business or sat in on meetings. I walked job sites. On Saturday, we'd see my grandfather in Queens for a couple hours, and then he'd say, 'Let's go collect rent!'
I don't know if it's genetic or just because I was surrounded by it, but I was always fascinated with building and construction and development.
I think I probably got a lot of my father's natural security or ego or whatever. I can be my own person and not have to live under his shadow. I definitely look up to him in many ways - I'd like to be more like him when it comes to business - but I think I'm such a different person, it's hard to even compare us.
What makes us unique is that we actually build things. Unlike most hotel companies who just manage and have no experience building, designing, and developing a hotel, we started off on the opposite track. We started off building. We're construction guys first and foremost.
I've spent my whole life in real estate, whether it's in our hotels or looking at the competition, and it's my curse to walk into every room and not be drawn to the flaws and have the little imperfections drive me crazy - because they didn't need to happen.
