David Rubenstein
is thinking about Fenway Park (but not the fun snacks you find there). And he’s always working.
Americans need to know about Fenway Park, as well as other historic landmarks, according to American lawyer, author, TV host, and billionaire business executive David Rubenstein, whose eight-episode series “Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein” premieres on April 26 on PBS. “I like to educate people about history by making it more attractive for them to learn about it,” said the 73-year-old cofounder and cochairman of the Washington, D.C.-based private equity investment company The Carlyle Group. “So I took eight symbols from different parts of the country to see how they came about, how they have been interpreted differently, and how they have evolved over the years. I did that through a series of interviews I conducted with people at these various sites.” In addition to Fenway Park, which is featured in the first episode, other sites of interest include the Golden Gate Bridge and the Hollywood sign. For the Fenway Park episode, Rubenstein interviews former
Red Sox including legend David Ortiz and onetime closer Keith Foulke, comedians Bill Burr and Stephen Wright, and architect/Major League Baseball executive Janet Marie Smith. “I learned a great deal. I didn’t realize why it was named Fenway Park, and I also learned more about the Curse of the Bambino.” Rubenstein, who lives in Bethesda, Md., and also has a home on Nantucket, said he is concerned at how little Americans know about their country’s history. “The theory of representative democracy, which is what the Founding Fathers gave us, is that we have informed citizens,” he said. “But if you don’t have informed citizens, you’re not going to have as good a democracy as you should have.” We caught up with the Baltimore native, who has three adult children and two grandsons, to talk about all things travel.
If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?
I would say today I think one of the most exciting places in the world to travel to is the UAE [United Arab Emirates]; just so many incredible construction projects and so many people are doing business things there — and the weather is actually pretty good. Normally, I would have said if I could go to any city in the world — and it might be the most beautiful city in the world, of large cities — I’ve always said Paris, but because there are garbage strikes there right now, I wouldn’t recommend it [the nearly monthlong strike ended in late March]. Probably the most exciting city over the last 10 years or so I would say is probably Shanghai, but because of challenges in the Chinese economy and other things of late, it may not be quite as exciting as it was.
Where was the first place you traveled to after COVID restrictions were lifted?
Probably to New York for business. In terms of vacation-related stuff, probably Palm Beach. I stay at the Breakers — been staying there for about 40 years. It’s a really great place.
What has been your worst vacation experience?
One time I went to the Caribbean, St. Croix, and somebody broke into my room while I was sleeping. Usually, you want a burglar to come in when you’re not there. I stupidly yelled “Get out of here” — I didn’t know if he had a gun or not — [and] fortunately he left. It was about 40 years ago, so a long time ago.
Do you vacation to relax, to learn, or for the adventure of it all?
I don’t really view anything that I do as a vacation. I’m always working all the time, either writing a book or doing a broadcast or interviewing somebody, so I don’t really view anything as a complete day where I’m doing nothing, so unfortunately, I’m a bit of a workaholic, so I’m not your average person who goes away for two weeks and just says disconnect me from the world, or I’m not going to think about work because everything I do in work is enjoyable. I don’t want to get away from it. I just want to sometimes maybe be able to do it in a different setting.
If you could travel with one famous person/celebrity, who would it be?
To me the most impressive American who has ever lived is Abraham Lincoln, so if I could travel with him anywhere, that would be great. I would suspect of the people who are living, I don’t know … but Lincoln is the person I would want to spend time with getting to know better.
What is your go-to snack for a flight or a road trip?
I’m trying to lose weight, so I’m trying to not think about snacks so much anymore. So today in my weight reduction program, I am probably only thinking about something like fresh fruit and granola.
What is your best travel tip?
When you’re doing a trip, keep your expectations low and you’ll probably be happier with the trip. If your expectations are so high, you may be disappointed. Take some time to sightsee wherever you go — whether it’s for vacation or business — you can’t see too many interesting historic sites. Learn about history wherever you go. And also bring an electrical charger that is able to be used around the rest of the world.