My first scary moment in Manhattan
Originally uploaded by lools.
I've been enjoying Manhattan so much that I hadn't really given thought to all the things that could go wrong in this city. Well, today I had my first taste of horror when I got stuck in the elevator of our building for a whole one minute.
One minute, you chuckle? But I tell you, that was the longest one minute in my life. I was on the my way to work this morning when the elevator decided to run amok. I went all the way down from the 28th to the first floor and then the doors refused to open. The alarm bells started screaching loudly and I could feel the heat rising through my body. I started peeling off my heavy coat and sweater and sat on the ground with my hands pulling my hair. If it weren't for the fact that Harsha and another guy were in the elevator with me, I would have totally freaked out. They called the doorman and we were soon rescued.
But this incident has left me a little shaken. I've been thinking all day about what it would feel like to be stuck in an elevator for hours on end. I've been thinking of the folks who got stuck in the subway when there was a blackout last summer and had to walk on rats in the dirty tunnels to get out. Yikes! I realized how very lucky I've been so far to be shielded from these experiences. I've been counting my blessings all day!
posted by lulu at 7:37 PM
4 Comments:
I'm thinking you need a cocktail to help you recover :)
good idea, amy! will have a drink for you as well ;)
I am reminded of an article I read recently about a project undertaken by some Japanese researchers regarding the distortion of waiting time by the human mind.They came out with an interesting finding that the actual experience is much less than what the human mind thinks.They made a group of people wait for an elevator for 20 seconds.Then,when each one of them was asked how long the waiting time had been it ranged from 1 minute to 3 minutes!.They therefore concluded that elevators must be designed to travel faster and that people's perception of waiting time need to be managed better.
Lulu,that does not in any way belittle the fear that you must have experienced when the elevator in 777 came to a halt and the doors did not open.What you require to do then is to keep your cool and not panic.Many years ago a pedestrian walking in the streets of London suddenly fell into a manhole which was not covered.Somhow he fell with his head down and legs up.But then he managed to take out his cellphone and ringup emergency.Help arrived soon and he was lifted out.
I sometimes do get nightmares of being pushed into the dicky of a car and the door shut.The very thought of such a happening makes me perspire.
Take care and relax.
gs
Lulu Honey, NY is too stressful for you. CA is much more relaxing...even in winter...
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