Name: Jason Pomeranc
Age: 39
Neighborhood: Soho
Occupation: Co-owner, Thompson Hotels. This summer the restaurant Plein Sud opened up in their latest New York property, the Smyth. They also recently opened their first international property with the Thompson Toronto.
Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?
Alvy Singer, Woody Allen’s character in Annie Hall.
What’s the best meal you’ve eaten in New York?
Fourteenth-birthday dinner at the Pool Room at the Four Seasons. Caesar salad, hamburgers, Baked Alaska, mini-croissants from their bread basket.
In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?
Jack of all trades, master of none.
What was your first job in New York?
Intern at Bear Stearns.
What’s the last thing you saw on Broadway?
Rock of Ages.
Do you give money to panhandlers?
Only if they are really creative.
What’s your drink?
Tequila on the rocks.
How often do you prepare your own meals?
Once every fiscal quarter.
What’s your favorite medication?
Ambien.
What’s hanging above your sofa?
Vic Muniz Chocolate Series, Peggy Guggenheim and Max Ernst.
How much is too much to spend on a haircut?
$30, but I spend $150 because I am so vain.
When’s bedtime?
Any time there is one and a half hours of mindless TV after getting into bed + Ambien (see favorite medication).
Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?
Seedy old Times Square.
What do you think of Donald Trump?
He is in a long line of boisterous New Yorkers who are essential to the character of the city, such as George Steinbrenner, William Tweed.
What do you hate most about living in New York?
When people pretend it’s preferable to take the subway.
Who is your mortal enemy?
The airport process. I can’t think of anything less pleasant that I do on a regular basis. It’s become completely dehumanizing and continues to get worse.
When’s the last time you drove a car?
Last weekend, four and a half hours of traffic on the LIE.
How has the Wall Street crash affected you?
We have to understand that our audience no longer thinks it’s chic to be flashy and to adapt accordingly.
Times, Post, or Daily News?
Post during the week, Times on the weekends.
Where do you go to be alone?
I like to go to movies alone. I never really go to the movies as a social activity anymore. So I will often go to the Sunshine or Angelika near my home and take the luxury of a few hours of air-conditioned, big-screen solitude in the midst of an otherwise chaotic existence.
What makes someone a New Yorker?
Sarcastic but upbeat, aggressive but friendly, glamorous but gritty.
