Similar Posts
And To Think That I Saw Bees On Mulberry Street
I was just going through an old hard drive when I came across some pictures of one of the odder things I think I’ve ever come across scouting… Last August, I was scouting around Little Italy when I suddenly noticed a crowd of people forming at the corner of Mulberry & Grand. On closer inspection,…
The Strange Main Street USA on Roosevelt Island
Did you ever play with the Fisher Price Little People when you were a kid? Or Lego village sets? Did you ever notice how every store was simply named for its purpose, and there was zero competition? For example, the market was called “Market,” the barber shop was called “Barber Shop,” and the pet store…
The Fanciest Mouse Hole In New York City
I was walking up Wythe Ave in Williamsburg last week when something caught my eye… Wait for it… Getting closer… Almost there… And here it is: the fanciest mouse hole in New York City, featuring a Federal-style doorway complete with pilasters and a pediment! Alas, a scan of the code in the doorknocker area reveals…
Strangeness Afoot in Old Trinity Cemetery
I was scouting the Old Trinity Cemetery when a guy walked up to me and asked if I had seen any chickens. OK, that sounds like the beginning to a joke. Before I delve into my odd story, let me give a quick rundown on one of the most beautiful and interesting outdoor spaces in…
A Tree Grows in Queens (Right Through An Auto Body Shop!)
I was driving down 27th Ave in Astoria the other day when a rather large tree in front of an auto body shop caught my eye. Nothing too special about a random tree…but something didn’t seem right… …And then I realized: was that tree growing through the auto body shop??
I Should Really Be Driving This Car
I’m speechless… I wish I could say that this is the new “SCOUTING NY” official website car, but it’s not. It was sent to me today by frequent reader Jack, who noticed it in Williamsburg. Who is this impostor, and how could he be so insidious as to steal my monicker for his car doors??…
13 Comments
Comments are closed.
Growing up in a NYC apartment building back in the 70’s we got into all sorts of mischief. This was back in the day when kids rode on the back bumper of city busses and even the outside the back car of moving subway trains. I personally never rode on the outside of an elevator, but as a kid my friends and I love to go to the top floor of the building and drop things down the shaft including fire crackers (not sure what our reasoning was) Anyway, I eventually turned into a responsible adult ! 🙂
I remember these signs growing up in NYC housing authority buildings.
Same way people ride on the outside of the trains!
Elevator surfing was an activity that filled some college evenings when cash was scarce. Since you asked about how…
The largest challenge is getting into the elevator shaft. This can be accomplished through the obvious methods of breaking into an access room or by using an elevator key to open the doors. We were fortunate enough to find such a key. Once inside you need to get on top of the elevator. The easiest way to do this is to climb up supporting steel structure to the 2nd floor and wait for the elevator to come down to floor 1. Then just hop on quietly so you don’t get caught. Other methods are more harrowing. things to watch out for are the counter weight and the obvious things like sticking body parts out while the elevator rises or falls. Since most elevators have controls on top, you can raise or lower them, stop them or otherwise overrule the floor selections of the passengers. Stalling elevators and then sliding down the supporting cables is fun, but can generate enough heat to burn your hands or other parts that you might foolishly wrap around the cable. Depending on the occupants state of intoxication, overruling their desired floor selections and/or stalling the elevator can be quite entertaining.
Elevator Antics, you forgot to add “allegedly.”
🙂
Makes me think of the film “Five Corners.”
Sadly, I can recall several incidences of teenagers dying while “surfing” elevators in NYc over the last 30 years.
I said the same thing about cow tipping when I first heard about it!
When I was young, I used to climb up and out to the end of the swing arm of construction tower cranes, and drink beer. This elevator thing sounds a bit dangerous, though.
Just yesterday: http://gothamist.com/2013/05/04/brooklyn_worker_dies_trying_to_craw.php
I believe I have seen this sign in parking lots. It is written to address the parking valet/lot attendants operating the automobile elevator. They are supposed to put the automobile (car) in the elevator (car), push the up/down button, and then take the stairs to the cars’ destination, and then unload the car from the car. It is tempting, however, to just hop onboard the car with the car and ride with it. This is perhaps dangerous…thus the sign.
Unfortunately, riding outside of the car is a frequent (and frequently lethal) pastime, especially in NYCHA buildings.
I have riden on the top of an elevator. The company I worked for was moving into new offices in Hutchinson, Ks. We had a long table that would not go around the corners of the stairwell and was too large to fit inside the elevator car. We dropped the car down half a floor, opened the doors and rode up 7 floors on top of the car. My employer has desighed the building. You would think he would have planned ahead better.