Elevators

In case there is any confusion, this is where people like to stand in an elevator:



Elevator fanclubs? It's a thing. Here's an interesting write-up on Jacob Bachta's unique hobby of elevator appreciation. From his YouTube channel:

For as long as I can remember, I have loved elevators. Since I do not have the knowledge of a trained elevator technician, I appreciate elevators from a passenger's point-of-view. I focus on cab aesthetics, fixtures, ride quality, and age.

I wouldn't have thought many people would find this too thrilling, but his channel has over a thousand subscribers. If in the future he decides to favor uniqueness and originality in his criteria, this Popular Mechanics article, featuring odd elevators like the Gateway Arch tram in St. Louis and China's outdoor Bailong Elevator, might be a good place to start.

Popular in Europe, the paternoster works as a vertical conveyor belt that perpetually moves a series of shelves that create individual cubbies. A simple concept made even simpler; one goes up, one goes down.

Staring a paternoster, a short film on the ups and downs of life.





From the New Yorker a few years ago I remember Nick Paumgarten's terrific piece on elevators titled Up and Then Down. He gives a fascinating historical and engineering account of elevators, including the origins of the metal embossed OTIS you see on the floor of the doorframe of nearly every elevator.