Doorman Strike, People Required To Carry Their Own Stuff, Oh The Humanity

[C Reed]

I found the quotes in this article to be really funny. Not being political, just laughing at helpless people who can't open their own door.

Full disclosure: I live in a door maned building, 'cuz I'm a yuppie like that.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

I can't stand the idea of living in a doorman building. Maybe I'm a total misanthrope, but there are days when I don't want to talk to people. I don't want to have to say "hi" to some dude in the lobby every time I go in and out of the building. I don't want to feel obligated to stop and shoot the breeze. Furthermore, I don't like the idea of someone knowing who goes in and out of my apartment.

I don't live in a doorman building, but I live next to one. The doorman is very friendly. He's a nice guy. Sometimes it's nice to wave to him or say "hello" as I walk by, but it isn't always. There are days when I wish I wouldn't encounter him.

No, I could never live in a doorman building.

Edit:

All of that said, I do recognize the benefits of living in a doorman building. I guess that if I was married with children, my mindset might change.

 

[Evbo]

I live in a doorman building. And on days when I don't want to talk to them, I don't talk to them (beyond a simple "hello" or "goodbye"). Part of their job is to be courteous & helpful to the tenants, and you better believe that the tenants remember their behavior -- year round -- come holiday time. And yes, a doorman can be very helpful with families that have small children (like ours).

I hope they can work out a deal so there's no strike. And so does the building's staff. It's not good for us, but it's really not good for them.

 

[82R100]

My sister-in-law lives in Manhattan with three dogs. We hauled a bunch of stuff down for her last summer and I was positively impressed by the attitude and help displayed by her building's staff. In her situation it's the only way to go.

- Chris

 

[Alacrity59]

I'm not all that thrilled when I encounter washroom attendants . . . you go in cause . . . well you need to . . . then you come out . . . it would be a nice thing to dry your hands . . . hmmmmmmmm . . . all you have is linen . . . ??? No. . . my shoes are already ok . . .shoot . . . ok five bucks.

 

[SiBurning]

Not just the "entrance machinery operators", but people who collect the garbage and clean the building. They're asking us to store our recyclables and place the garbage in bags on the incinerator room floor because there will be no one authorized to operate the collector downstairs.

 

[blackfoot]

Initially, it does look amusing. However, I also see the title seems to be an over simplification. This would create a lot of problems, I am sure.

 

[garyg]

Let's see, can't open one's own door, carry one's own trash or luggage from a weekend trip, keep track of one's own kids .. hopefully something Darwinian occurs.

 

[Obsessed]

Initially, it does look amusing. However, I also see the title seems to be an over simplification. This would create a lot of problems, I am sure.

Yes - as a former longtime NYC resident, I can assure you that a doorman strike will be an enormous hassle.

Let's see, can't open one's own door, carry one's own trash or luggage from a weekend trip, keep track of one's own kids .. hopefully something Darwinian occurs.

If I may completely misuse Wittgenstein, "Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent."

 

[toucanlamp]

Yeah when I heard this on the radio I was thinking that this is a bold move because maybe they run the risk of people realizing, "hey I actually can reach out and open the door myself!"

But I assume it's a wealthy, expensive apartment kind of thing and people who can afford that want the added luxury of having a guy wearing a nice outfit hold open the door for them.

 

[C Reed]

I'm not saying my doorman's not nice, Just saying its not the end of the world if I have to carry my stuff around or let my own visitors in. The people quoted in the NYT article are in hysterics at the idea of doing things they are totally capable of, its totally amusing.

EDIT: I guess this didn't happen my door man is still on duty and he is union.

 

[SalvadorMontenegro]

I live in a doorman building. And on days when I don't want to talk to them, I don't talk to them (beyond a simple "hello" or "goodbye"). Part of their job is to be courteous & helpful to the tenants, and you better believe that the tenants remember their behavior -- year round -- come holiday time. And yes, a doorman can be very helpful with families that have small children (like ours).

I hope they can work out a deal so there's no strike. And so does the building's staff. It's not good for us, but it's really not good for them.

See, this is a problem I've had since moving into the city. In the suburbs, I didn't encounter familiar people on a daily basis. By familiar people, I mean people that you see regularly who are not friends, relatives or colleagues. Now that I've moved to NYC, I have the following familiar people in my life: other tenants in the building, doorman next door, guy who sells me coffee in the morning, dude who sells me gum at the Chambers St. red line station, doormen at my office, people who sell me lunch, people at the check out counter at the grocery store. I'm sure I'm forgetting some. This is a lot of people for me to possibly encounter. I have not yet mastered how to deal with these encounters. I like all of these people, but I am from down south and I have a hard time not gravitating towards "shooting the breeze" - even when I don't want to. If there was a doorman in my building I would probably never get anything done, because I would feel obligated to chat with him all the time. I have a hard time just stopping at "hi." I always feel like that is not enough, that I should say more. I feel like Judge Reinhold as the Close Talker on Seinfeld. "I could have said more! So much more!"

 

[C Reed]

I talk to all of those people (or the my life version of those people) why not, it makes every ones day a bit more pleasant.

 

[82R100]

Let's see, can't open one's own door, carry one's own trash or luggage from a weekend trip, keep track of one's own kids .. hopefully something Darwinian occurs.

Gary, it's a different world.

 

[thebikingengineer]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/21/nyregion/21strike.html?src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Fnyregion%2Findex.jsonp

Crisis averted. I gotta say though,someone to sign for packages would be a nice perk.

 

[SiBurning]

Glad this was settled. I can't imagine 1000 people on this block alone trying to get rid of their garbage.