Elevators

I have real fears.
I have fears of losing loved ones, letting people down, failing at my job or school, and death.
I have fears of being late, losing my keys or my wallet, or getting mugged on the street.
Fears are real, and they cross my mind daily. I could take a stab at addressing best practices for dealing with fears, but I'm not a therapist, so I'm not going to.

Instead, I'm going to talk about elevators and moving, because elevators are scary. Especially in New York. The alternative to elevators are stairs, and lots of stairs. We all know this, but you have to realize that there are so many staircases in the city. 

Even the school I work at has 5 floors, so I'm constantly going up and down. Luckily, I live on the 2nd floor at my apartment building.  

On Saturday I helped a friend move into a loft apartment in Brooklyn. People move all the time in New York, and it is lots of work. Some people haul their stuff on the subway, and it's quite entertaining watching people carry coat racks and boxes onto the train. My friend did it the smart way and rented a van. It was super bowl weekend so the roads in the city became all the more difficult to maneuver, but the three of us made it safely through Manhattan and into Brooklyn!

Parking fail. 

My friend trapped in a cage (also known as the freight elevator) about to bring up all of her belongings.

That freight elevator was freaky! The tenants who have gone before us warned that it was a death trap. They encouraged us to hire a moving company so we could avoid both the death trap and the stairs. The elevator was filled with graffiti and bricks. Once you're in, you can't get out until someone lets you out. We learned this the hard way when Kara and I went outside, but left the keys with J-mo. J was in elevator...but there was no way for her to get out. We had to wait for another person to open the main door and let us in to rescue her.

I suppose elevators make our lives easier. (Who wants to walk up all those stairs?) But they are still creepy. Let's be real:

• 99% of the time they do not have windows. 
• They are small. In NYC, they are dirt-small. Practically a box. 
• They are mysterious
• They smell. We all know the elevator smell. 
• They could crash and drop.
• If you're stuck, you're stuck
• They are heavy
• The music is always awkward. 
• You never know who might ride the elevator with you.

In New York, you're best bet is the stairs. 

Do elevators creep you out? Do you like elevators?