AMERICAN WAY: How concerned were you about the possibility of being associated with a big, public flop?

TRUMP: I can tell you that I hated the 95 percent statistic. And if it had failed, the media would have been all over it. Reporters would have made it a front-page story. But now Sylvester Stallone, a friend of mine, is going to do a TV show, and he said that he's going to be just like Donald Trump. It's a crazy phenomenon.

AMERICAN WAY: Less crazy, and probably less fleeting, is the success you've had as a real-estate developer. What are the buildings in Manhattan that every visitor ought to see?

TRUMP: Definitely Trump Tower. It's the number-one tourist attraction in New York. I would also say that you definitely want to see the Empire State Building. It's a great building. You want to see the New York Stock Exchange. It's fascinating, but these days, tough to get into. Right across from it, 40 Wall Street [conveniently called The Trump Building] is a landmark and the tallest building in downtown Manhattan. And the Chrysler Building has always been beautiful.

AMERICAN WAY: You're known, obviously, as a guy who makes a lot of deals. Where do you go to celebrate a particularly big one?

TRUMP: I like going to Jean Georges. He's a tremendous tenant of mine [the restaurant is located in Trump International Hotel], a tremendous guy, and, most importantly, the food is great. It's his best restaurant by far. Daniel, likewise. I built 610 Park Av­enue and made the deal with Daniel Boulud to go in. He's hit a home run with his restaurant. Another spectacular place is Le Cirque 2000. Sirio Maccioni, the owner, is the great master. And I love the feeling of Downtown Cipriani. It's got a cool vibe. The beauty of New York is that there are so many great restaurants. You can go month after month to different restaurants, never eat at the same place twice, and be very happy.