Sometimes, I wonder. Today I had 3 “interesting” elevator experiences. This afternoon, I had a meeting with a Japanese reporter at the September 11 Family Association offices. I headed over there after supporting the 11 o’clock tour and leading the 1 o’clock tour at the 9/11 WTC Tribute Center. (I mention that to show that maybe I was tired). Security in NYC doesn’t allow you to just walk into most office buildings. I checked in and was allowed through the security gates and pushed the button on the panel to “call” for an elevator. The panel lets you know which elevator is “yours”. You don’t get in any elevator. A designated elevator arrives and then delivers you to that specific floor. When you get in the elevator you don’t push a button for your floor like you do in a hotel. Anyway, I wasn’t paying attention and got on the wrong elevator which I had to ride all the way to the 33rd floor and back down again to the lobby. The guy on the elevator commented “I think you are on the wrong elevator but don’t worry it goes down faster than it goes up” which was actually a worrisome idea.

After my interview, I exited the offices and pushed the button to go down. The elevator came, I got in and waited. I thought wow, it is taking a little long to go 8 floors. Duh!?! Going down you have to push the L lobby button. And to finish my weird elevator day, when I got in the elevator at the parking garage a rabbi, a mobster and 3 steel workers got in too and I wanted to laugh out loud. Instead I tweeted “A steel worker, a rabbi & a mobster get in an elevator. Not punch line for a joke but stereotypes of who was just in the elevator with me!!” Go figure. Your average day in NYC. Hope stuff like this happens to other people or is it just me.

Speaking of elevators, my daughter was afraid of elevators when she was young. Every now and then I would catch her playing in the bathroom with her dolls. She would be opening and closing the door and when asked what she was doing she would say “I am playing elegator.” That isn’t a typo, she called “elevators, elegators” 🙂