New York magazine’s 21 Questions column was always a favorite. It appears to have been discontinued circa 2015 and then resurrected for the magazine’s Curbed vertical in 2021. This Q&A with Hoteligence founder Shayne Benowitz is an homage to that column.
What’s the last hotel you checked into?
I just got back from the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. It was spectacular; exceeded my expectations. The original resort in Miami Beach means a lot to me, so this was a really special experience. They’ve done an incredible job honoring the original’s heritage, design and spirit, while totally embracing what makes Vegas Vegas.
Where are you checking in next?
I’m off to the Amalfi Coast in June for a week sailing through the Gulf of Naples with girlfriends. We’re spending a few nights in Ravello at the Caruso, A Belmond Hotel before we set sail. Afterwards, I’m meeting some other friends in Paris and staying at the Grand Pigalle Experimental, an adorable boutique hotel at the foot of Montmartre where I stayed just after New Years. It’s definitely a dream Europe trip for me.
What’s your most treasured travel souvenir?
I’m not much of a souvenir shopper, but I did buy these two small water color paintings—one of a sea horse, the other a blowfish—at a maritime antique shop in Corsica that I love. I got them framed and they’re hanging in my kitchen. I like to pretend they’re recovered sunken treasure from a pirate’s ship.
What museum do you always return to?
I love the Musee D’Orsay in Paris. It’s where I first discovered Bonnard; his sexy, Impressionistic post-coital bedroom and bathroom scenes, and the way he uses color. But I think it’s time to return to the Pompidou. There’s a Matisse painting in the museum’s collection that captures a view of the Seine from quai Saint-Michel where Matisse and I both lived, albeit about a century apart, and it’s very special to me.
What was the last restaurant meal to delight you?
Honestly, Komodo at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas was fantastic. I dined there with my whole family on their last night in town and everyone’s spirits were lifted by the vibe; it’s the kind of place that makes you feel like you can stay up all night. But the food was also excellent and our waitress designed the perfect menu for us, from the wagyu skirt steak tacos to the truffle honey salmon sashimi, the moneybag dumplings and the miso Chilean sea bass. The banana pagoda cheesecake for dessert was also outrageous. Dare I say, it’s a better experience than the original in Miami.
What’s your drink?
Vodka martini. Or Champagne. But I like to dabble. Now that spring has sprung, I’ve been on a bit of a tequila and mezcal kick.
What books are currently on your nightstand?
Okay, so I actually have two nightstands for books in my apartment. One is by my reading chair where most of my reading gets done. Right now, there’s just Aristotle’s Poetics and J.M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy, the novel version of Peter Pan published in 1911.
On my actual nightstand, there’s the second volume of Tennessee Williams’s complete works and his biography by John Lahr whose father played the Cowardly Lion in the Wizard of Oz. I think it’s so poetic that his son grew up to be a theater critic and scholar.
What’s the last show you saw on Broadway?
I guess that would be An Enemy of the People (through June 23). It was okay. Michael Imperioli’s performance was the best part. His physicality is incredible during this great hectoring monologue. The ending felt abrupt to me and spoiled the whole show, though, and Jeremy Strong didn’t quite deliver.
Off Broadway?
Teeth, a new musical by Anna K. Jacobs and Michael R. Jackson. The premise is something that normally would not appeal to me at all, but I am obsessed with Michael R. Jackson and his artistic journey and I will go see anything he creates. It did not disappoint. It was radical and brilliant. It finished its run at Playwrights Horizon, but it’s transferring to New World Stages in the fall.
Who’s your favorite New Yorker?
Jerry Seinfeld. And Nora Ephron.
What’s the best thing in or about your apartment?
I have an enormous, practically floor-to-ceiling, south-facing window that frames a view that I like to think of as a theatrical backdrop of Manhattan. There’s a big tree in the foreground and then layers of brick facades with water towers and a single skyscraper in the distance. And there’s so much sky. I love watching the clouds pass by and the seagulls flying to the Hudson River.
When was the last time you stayed out past 3 a.m.?
Sunday night, Memorial Day Weekend. LIV Las Vegas. And somehow I made it into the DJ booth with Calvin Harris.
What three people dead or alive, real or fictional, would you like to have dinner with?
A girlfriend posed this question last summer over lunch in Paris on a terrace on the Seine. It made for good conversation and a lot of laughs. My answer came to me surprisingly quickly: Ernest Hemingway, Elizabeth Bishop and Tennessee Williams. They are my holy trinity of writers. I identify with them because, like me, they all lived in Key West, they’re travelers, they love to drink and their love lives were chaotic. Oh, and, of course, because their writing is transcendent. I think it would make for a truly wild dinner party. I feel like we’d start in Key West and end up in Paris or Brazil or Rome depending on whoever was the most belligerent.
Where is the best view in Miami?
I loved the ocean view from my apartment in South Beach. If you really wanted to experience it, I suppose you could check into the 1 Hotel or head to its rooftop bar.
If you could live anywhere in New York City, where would it be?
Honestly, I think the Upper West Side, where I live now, is my dream neighborhood. The proximity to Central Park is everything.
But I’ve always thought it would be cool to live in one of those new buildings along the High Line in West Chelsea. In fact, I’ve picked one out on the occasion that I ever have one or more million dollars to spend on real estate. It’s called Jardim, designed by a Brazilian architect, and was built on top of a nightclub I used to frequent. Boy, has that neighborhood changed.
What do you hate most about living in New York?
Winter.
What color are you always drawn to?
Blue. Or sunset. Or what Elizabeth Bishop calls “most of the colors that swarm around the sides / Of soap-bubbles…”
Do you have any travel regrets?
This is sort of an inside joke between me, my sister and some of my girlfriends, but I like to say that my biggest regret in life is not buying a Chanel purse at the original flagship at 31 rue Cambon in Paris circa 2008 when it was priced at just under two thousand Euro. It was a full twenty percent of my three month travel budget, though, and I just couldn’t justify it, although I wish I had. It would have had zero negative impact on my life whatsoever; I would have just gone back to work, made the money back and I would have a Chanel bag right now. Those bags go for four times that today, which is insane, so I feel like I missed my chance forever.
What’s your favorite NYC restaurant and regular order?
Balthazar at the bar. Kir royale, steak tartare, frites and maybe the Balthazar salad.
Although, honestly, the food at Pastis is better. They make my favorite steak frites au poivre in the city, but the fact that it’s not the original restaurant from the early 2000s = points deducted.
What’s your favorite Miami restaurant and regular order?
For some reason, I never know how to answer this question.
But the last great meal I had in Miami was brunch at Klaw on its rooftop terrace overlooking Biscayne Bay. The name is unfortunate because it makes me think of a reality show about tacky manicurists, but the restaurant, itself, is gorgeous and the food and service was great. It’s actually named for the Norwegian king crabs it imports, but is it weird that the crudités with this incredible paremesan aioli was the most memorable dish for me? Well, it was next-level.
Worst piece of career advice you’ve ever gotten?
You can’t make a living as a travel writer.
Do you have questions for Shayne? Ask away in the comments below!
