Elevators are not my friend
By CW Ross
After I had got done writing and posting my piece about apartment living recently my very special friend Kelly emailed me asking why I didn't include the building's elevators in it. I told her to be honest I had completely forgotten about them.
My experiences with my apartment building's elevators have verged on being a nightmare. So I guess I had tried blocking it out of my mind.
In my lifetime I have been on many different elevators both old and new but the ones in my apartment building have an evil side like I've found on no others that I've ridden before.
There are two elevators in the building and both have the reputation as not being a pleasant experience to use. One is larger and used for when someone moves in or out of the building so their big furniture can fit into it. The other is smaller in size but just as mean.
It's the rare occasion when a ride on the them goes without incident or a strange assortment of noises and sounds.
Everything from grinding and scraping sounds to shaking and up & down jerking motions as they try to settle on a particular floor before the doors open.
Like a tradition you aren't considered a real resident of my apartment building until you have been stuck on them. My official membership in the building came only several months into my move into the building one early evening. I had just returned from visiting my mother who resides in a nursing home. This was pre-Covid while in person visits were still allowed. But that's a story for another time.
I entered my apartment building's lobby and headed to the elevators and pushed the up button. The door on the bigger elevator opened and I got inside. Before the door closed another woman around the same age as me came around the corner and also got in it.
I forgot to mention on the way home I had gone through the local Mcdonald's drive thru and got a quarter pounder and some fries to bring home to eat for my supper meal that night. I was all ready for a nice peaceful night eating it and watching some tv in my reclining chair but the elevator had other plans for my night.
I pushed the button for my floor and asked the woman what floor she wanted pushed hers and the elevator doors closed. But instead of moving nothing happened. So I tried pushing the floor button again and nothing. So I tried pushing the open door button which produced no results.
I had heard the horror stories of other tenants having gotten stuck on the elevator and I tonight was my time to be added to the building's elevator folklore.
I looked at the woman stuck with me and said I guess I better push the emergency button which I did. Seconds later the voice of a local 911 operator came through the elevator's small speaker and said, '911 what is your emergency?'
I explained that we were stuck in the elevators and she told me to remain calm and that help was on the way.
As we waited for help to arrive, me and the woman had a short conversation. I'm not claustrophobic but don't enjoy being trapped either so I was a little bit nervous. I could see old movies playing in my mind where people got stuck on an elevator and having to be rescued through the elevator's ceiling and the little escape hatch.I'm not a small person so getting through a hatch located in the ceiling wouldn't have been a fun experience .
As in most stressful situations time doesn't seem right. It seemed like a long time but in reality it was only like 10 minutes until the fire company located only about ΒΌ mile down the road arrived and knocked on the doors to let us know that they were working to get us out.
We could hear banging on the doors and after about another 10 minutes using a big pry bar they managed to get the doors open and checked to make sure we were okay.
Looking back on it, what happened next was probably one of the dumber things I've done. We got out of that elevator and went and got on the other one right beside it and tried to use it. I live on the 8th floor and not in the greatest health suffering with a-fib among other health issues so walking up all those steps wasn't something I wanted to try to accomplish. Also since several firemen got on the elevator with us I figured if it did get stuck at least we had the help right there with us.
Luckily the ride in that elevator went without incident and I made it safely to my apartment and could finally enjoy my food.
Since then I've not gotten stuck in the elevators again although I have encountered some scary rides and on more than one occasion have jumped quickly off after having pushed the button to close the doors and nothing happening.
The apartment building I'm living in now was built in 1977 so the elevators have some age on them but I have no idea what the expected life span is of a commercial elevator? I can tell you though that these have seen better days.
About a week ago I had to go for a regular 6-month checkup at my family doctor who is located in a building that's only a few years old and the experience I had in those elevators was like a dream compared to the ones in my building.
First the elevators talk to you in a pleasant soothing voice. The open and closing of the doors are nearly silent with no grinding or banging sounds. And the ride was so smooth that it didn't even feel like I was moving. The difference was like riding in the finest air ride suspension car compared to in an old horse and buggy.
I appreciate and enjoy things with age on them but when it comes to elevators give me the new and improved ones!