Weird Elevator Etiquette Rules

We call elevators 'lifts' here in England, and it's not the done thing to speak to anyone, even if you are nose to nose with them!Mind you, it's not the done thing to speak to many strangers here in any situation, it must be a shock to anyone coming here from the US.:D
 

I had to laugh, because this article caused a revelation for me - I haven't been on an elevator since before the invention of cell phones!

*sigh*

Color me old ...

I used to take a lot of elevators in NYC, pretty much on a daily basis, and my own plan was to get to the rear wall (if possible) and just watch the numbers over the door, letting my peripheral vision pick up anything interesting in the car. Rarely would one talk - well, that's standard issue for New Yorkers - unless someone asked for the time or for directions.

Damned tourists! :rolleyes:

Freight elevators are the pits - big and raw and you have to have some strength to open the cage. No Muzak in THOSE babies.

The only places I remember elevator operators were the tourist part of the Empire State Building and certain higher-class hotels. The rest were all self-service.
 
When I was in Germany. I rode an "elevator" that had no doors. It went up and down slowly, never stopped.

One simply stepped on or off when it came to their floor. I think it was in the I. G. Farbin (sp?) building in Frankfort.
 
Oh and BTW.....Did you know?

Mr. Otis did NOT invent the elevator! Elevators were in use for many years before.

Otis designed a braking system that would stop the elevator car from dropping should the cable break.
 
Falcon said:
Oh and BTW.....Did you know?

Mr. Otis did NOT invent the elevator! Elevators were in use for many years before.

Otis designed a braking system that would stop the elevator car from dropping should the cable break.
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The only reason I knew that is because my older brother had worked for Otis Elevator in its Yonkers, NY original location. They made a "Safety Elevator" that later became the leading seller in elevators.

When he came home I'd ask him how work was, and of course you know what he said -

"It has its ups and downs." :rolleyes:
 
A fifteen year old Amish boy and his father went to the big city for the very first time. They were amazed by almost everything they saw.

Eventually, they ended up in a high rise building and were especially amazed by two shiny, silver doors in the wall that could move apart and then slide back together again.

The boy asked, 'What is this Father?' The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, 'Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don't know what it is.'

While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, a fat old lady in a wheel chair moved up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened, and the lady rolled between them into a small room.

The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the small numbers above the walls light up sequentially.
They continued to watch until it reached the last number… and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order.

 Finally the walls opened up again and a gorgeous 24-year-old blond stepped out.
The father, not taking his eyes off the young woman, said quietly to his son.....
 'Go get your Mother' :magnify:
 
Great posts! About the only elevator I ride these days beyond 1 floor (tin knees don't like down escalators) is to my 6th floor orthopod & there is a whole other etiquette for staff vs pts, ambulatory vs wheelchairs or crutches etc. When I lived in Pgh we joked that we could always tell who was visiting from West Virginny because when the elevator would start up, they would look at the ceiling, hold their stomachs & go "ooooohhhh!" (No offense to WVA folk, just one of those state vs state things)
 
SeaBreeze said:
A fifteen year old Amish boy and his father went to the big city for the very first time. They were amazed by almost everything they saw.

Eventually, they ended up in a high rise building and were especially amazed by two shiny, silver doors in the wall that could move apart and then slide back together again.

The boy asked, 'What is this Father?' The father (never having seen an elevator) responded, 'Son, I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don't know what it is.'

While the boy and his father were watching with amazement, a fat old lady in a wheel chair moved up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened, and the lady rolled between them into a small room.

The walls closed and the boy and his father watched the small numbers above the walls light up sequentially.
They continued to watch until it reached the last number… and then the numbers began to light in the reverse order.

 Finally the walls opened up again and a gorgeous 24-year-old blond stepped out.
The father, not taking his eyes off the young woman, said quietly to his son.....
 'Go get your Mother' :magnify:
Click to expand...


That one was a real classic.

Here is a funny clip of the same joke.

An Amish Man and His Son See An Elevator
.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/Aw9lma-f6bM


.
 
Crazy things to do in an elevator:

Make race car noises when anyone gets on or off.
Blow your nose and offer to show the contents of your Kleenex to other passengers.
Grimace painfully while smacking your forehead and muttering: "Shut up, damn it, all of you just shut UP!"
Whistle the first seven notes of "It's a Small World" incessantly.
Sell Girl Scout cookies.
On a long ride, sway side to side at the natural frequency of the elevator.
Shave.
Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside ask: "Got enough air in there?"
Offer name tags to everyone getting on the elevator. Wear yours upside-down.
Stand silent and motionless in the corner, facing the wall, without getting off.
When at your floor, strain to yank the doors open, then act embarrassed when they open by themselves.
Lean over to another passenger and whisper: "Noogie patrol coming!"
Greet everyone getting on the elevator with a warm handshake and ask them to call you Admiral.
One word: Flatulence!
Stare, grinning, at another passenger for a while, and then announce: "I've got new socks on!"
When at least 8 people have boarded, moan from the back: "Oh, not now, damn motion sickness!"
Meow occasionally.
Bet the other passengers you can fit a quarter in your nose.
Frown and mutter "Gotta go...Gotta go..." then sigh and say "Oops!"
Show other passengers a wound and ask if it looks infected.
Sing "Mary had a little lamb" while continually pushing buttons.
Holler "Chutes away!" whenever the elevator descends.
Walk on with a cooler that says "Human Head" on the side.
Stare at a passenger and announce "You're one of THEM!" and move to the far corner of the elevator.
Burp, and then say "Mmmm... tasty!"
Leave a box between the doors.
Ask each passenger getting on if you can push the button for them.
Wear a puppet on your hand and talk to other passengers "through" it.
Start a sing-along.
When the elevator is silent, look around and ask "Is that your beeper?"
Play the harmonica.
Shadow box.
Say "Ding!" at each floor.
Lean against the button panel.
Say "I wonder what all these do" and push the red buttons.
Listen to the elevator walls with a stethoscope.
Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and inform the other passengers that this is your "personal space."
Bring a chair along.
Take a bite of a sandwich and ask another passenger: "Wanna see wha in muh mouf?"
Blow spit bubbles.
Pull your gum out of your mouth in long strings.
Carry a blanket and clutch it protectively.
Make explosion noises when anyone presses a button.
Wear "X-Ray Specs" and leer suggestively at other passengers.
Stare at your thumb and say "I think it's getting larger."
If anyone brushes against you, recoil and holler "Bad touch!
 
Bonnie said:
Crazy things to do in an elevator:


Wear a puppet on your hand and talk to other passengers "through" it.
Click to expand...

I had purchased a ventriloquist's dummy at a magic shop in NYC, on the 5th floor of a commercial building. Of course I took him home without a bag or a box.

From the moment I entered the elevator, through walking down Broadway, getting on the train to go home and finally grabbing a cab, my vent dummy made more friends in that 2-hour period than I've made in a lifetime.
 
The highest floor I have been on [by lift/elevator] is 8. We just don't have the tall buildings here in the UK [though London does have some.]What is the highest floor you have been on?
 
Oakapple, Yes there is such a place. I stay there for a week back in 1969, and what I found funnier than the and of Yonkers, was that the police force had black and white VW bugs for police cars. They reminded me of Mickey Mouse for some reason.
 
Yes, Oakapple, Yonkers is a genuine place! :)

I remember people having the job of 'elevator operator' when I was a child. What a boring job that must have been. Then 'elevator music' replaced them eventually. Thankfully, there is no more elevator music... (but oh lawzy me, the crap you listen to when you get put on hold while trying to phone someone..:( )
 
oakapple said:
Is there really a place named Yonkers in new York? I ask, because it seems so unlikely.:D
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I hope there is - I was born and raised there! :D

Just wondering - why is it so unlikely? Because it was a common punchline in vaudeville days?

Like many towns in New York, Yonkers used to be an elite suburb of New York City. There were beautiful estates all over the place and only the people with money could afford to live there. Now of course it's a rat-hole. :(
 
Oh my gosh, thank you so much, Sea! Getty Square was my old stomping grounds for many years. I even took a total of ONE dance lesson at Arthur Murrays! :eek:
 
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