21 questions

Hoda Kotb Will Not Put a Price on Dealing With Weather-Sensitive Hair

Name: Hoda Kotb
Age: 46
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Occupation: Journalist. She’ll be discussing and signing her new memoir Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee next Wednesday, October 13 at the Barnes and Noble in Tribeca.

Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Billy Joel.

What’s the best meal you’ve eaten in New York?
I am torn: it’s either the miso cod at Nobu, the shrimp scampi at Frankie & Johnnie’s, or a burger at Shake Shack.

In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
Laugh and scratch and occasionally drink.

What was your first job in New York?
Dateline correspondent.

What’s the last thing you saw on Broadway?
Lombardi with Kathie Lee and Frank. Amazing.

Do you give money to panhandlers?
Yes.

What’s your drink?
Champagne.

How often do you prepare your own meals?
Twice a week (when I have company).

What’s your favorite medication?
Ben & Jerry’s Mint Cookie ice cream.

What’s hanging above your sofa?
A painting of Buddha.

How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
Come on… Can you really put a price on weather sensitive hair???

When’s bedtime?
9 P.M.

Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
I like the new Times Square — tables, chairs and all!

What do you think of Donald Trump?
You mean Mr. President, don’t you?

What do you hate most about living in New York?
That I didn’t move here sooner (arrived in 1998).

Who is your mortal enemy?
My alarm clock. It goes off at 4 A.M.

When’s the last time you drove a car?
Is that the thing with four wheels that is NOT yellow? Four months ago… and I was rusty.

How has the Wall Street crash affected you?
My 401(k) got clobbered.

Times, Post, or Daily News?
The trifecta. I start with the Post, then the Times, then the Daily News.

Where do you go to be alone?
I run in Central Park while the sun is coming up.

What makes someone a New Yorker?
Someone who tells it like it is… and makes you laugh while they are doing it.

Related: See Hoda Kotb Lose Her Mind at Surprise Beyoncé Appearance [Vulture]

Hoda Kotb Will Not Put a Price on Dealing With Weather-Sensitive Hair