The Steeple Times asks realtor and star of ‘Million Dollar Listing San Francisco’ Justin Fichelson: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
Carpe Diem.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
Success is the best revenge.
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2015?
Men wearing flip-flop shoes around town when not at the beach.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
More time in the day.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
Immortality.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?
Greed, if left completely unfettered, will run amok.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
No.
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
‘Do what you can, with what you have, where you are’ – Theodore Roosevelt.
I personally am on the board of the Exploratorium Lab, which raises millions of dollars for the Exploratorium, one of the world’s leading interactive science museums. I am also a supporter of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
Never have a mobile phone present at a dining table and never look at the phone while meeting and or talking with someone unless you have excused yourself.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
Scott Fitzgerald, Woodrow Wilson, Queen Elizabeth and Jack Nicholson.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
Sushi with a glass of Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year onboard Musashi (or any other larger yacht) somewhere off the coast of Saint Jean Cap Ferrat.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
Anytime after noon.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A Negroni.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
Any party thrown by the Getty family in San Francisco because they are always unique and done to perfection. I also enjoy house parties thrown by my friends in London, among them those of the artist William Roper-Curzon. Brits just know how to have a smart time.
Who is the most positive person you know?
My grandmother and Gavin Newsom.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
High-end spas and watching Downton Abbey.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
A well dressed lion.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
A late 60s Mercedes-Benz 600 limo in red or black: Classic, rare, luxurious and understated.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I started a marketing company for small businesses at the age of 11.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
My small collection of vintage coronation cups going back to King George, a book on artist Thomas Hart Benton and a gazelle head right above it.
As a realtor and one of the stars of the BRAVO TV show Million Dollar Listing San Francisco, Justin Fichelson focuses on the marketing of extraordinary properties in the San Francisco Bay Area. A native San Franciscan and a graduate of the University of San Francisco, Fichelson is a founding board member and current treasurer of the Exploratorium Lab, which raises money for the San Francisco Exploratorium. He is also an active member of the Junior Committee of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, The San Francisco Fall Antiques Show and is a past board member of the SF Symphony Symphonix. He loves world travel and considers himself somewhat of an Anglophile, traveling to London often.
Follow him on Twitter at @JustinFichelson.
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Only a few years ago I would have thought that collecting coronation cups for the mantelpiece not a terribly good idea. Times and ideas change, thank heavens.