Say What? Our Favorite Quotes From Owners Mag
Our favorite answers of the 2020 Owners Magazine survey.
By The Editors November 2, 2020 9:00 am
reprints
Has your “dead to me” list grown?
It was long to begin with. —Douglas Durst
Exponentially. —Rob Lapidus
Heck, I was able to be constructive with Leona Helmsley;
I can get along with anyone. —Anthony Malkin
Everything is on hold! —John Catsimatidis
How flexible are you with negotiating rents?
As a tenant, very much so! As a landlord, it’s like asking the captain of the Titanic if they like swimming in cold water—you don’t like it, but you do what you’ve got to do. —Laurent Morali
Favorite at-home quarantine foods?
Tequila and coffee chip ice cream.
—Rob Lapidus
Pancakes for dinner. —Daniel Moore
How f&*@ed is retail?
Four letter words cannot describe how ‘f’d’ traditional brick-and-mortar retail truly is right now. —Winston Fisher
It’s not prudent to catch a falling knife, so we are staying away from retail at the moment. —Nicholas Bienstock
Anyone who bought retail in the last few years based on the retail rents in 2017 and 2018 is in trouble. —Jeffrey Gural
What do you think will not go back to normal?
The current office environment has put us in the hospitality business, and our tenants are our guests.
—Marty Burger
I’d also love to think that a lot of men who have had a greater chance to spend time at home with their kids and more fully appreciate the challenges of domestic responsibilities might step it up to more equitably share those obligations. —David Dishy
Working from anywhere one to two days a week will likely become the new normal. —Jared Epstein
What do you think the city and/or state should do to help both real estate and the city?
Overhaul Community Boards. Currently the majority of CB members are anti-development, anti-liquor licenses, anti-cabaret licenses, anti-any type of change. Most CB members are anti-fun.
—Jared Epstein
We need a program for the conversion of hotels to housing, with a set-aside for affordable housing in return for a tax abatement. —Jake Elghanayan
They’ve gotta cut the sh*t about private ownership of real estate. I had hoped that the recession would help recalibrate the view of private development that existed pre-pandemic.
—David Kramer
I’d suspend the New York state and New York City mortgage recording tax and real property transfer tax for 2021.
—Jason Muss
Who do you like for mayor?
A hybrid of Rudy Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg and Ed Koch.
—John Catsimatidis
The next mayor may be confronted with the most serious financial crisis New York City has seen since the 1970s. —Justin Elghanayan
Biden, Trump or Kanye?
If Biden doesn’t win, I’m going to have to commute between the Hudson Companies and whatever country my wife moves to. —David Kramer
Or is the more interesting question: Harris or Pence? —Daniel Moore
Best WFH hack?
Initially well-intended, but you know the old saying about the road to hell. —Don Peebles
Sourdough bread, banana bread, other?
Seven-grain. How’s that for a walk on the wild side? —Leslie Himmel
Mayor de Blasio: Best Mayor or Best Mayor EVER?
Definitely deserves a superlative. —Douglas Durst
