What's the point of living in a building with doorman?

What's the point of having security guards anywhere then OP?

The better buildings have a concierge behind the desk and then a man at the door.

Keeps out the underclass.

Are you poor btw? Try lifestyle blogging. It works wonders for people.

^ tuff uptowngurl - says it like it is.

To keep people like you from getting near people like me, OP

OP wants to Defund the Doormen.

Well, you never know OP but some doormen may have big dicks and we simply can not argue with that. We must accept their existence in this crude world.

I often made a bet with friends I could get past their doorman. I always won. Paper towels and french bread in a grocery bag to cover the face while you mumble a greeting using their name. Works every time.

doorman open doors for you, announce visitors and monitor who comes into a building and would deter 'burglars'

To provide witty banter to the main character of a film or television series, silly.

There will always be an ex who charms past the highrise doorman, and gains entry into her condo despite the restraining order. The doorman claims lack of English understanding, but seems to have had domestic violence issues and be of a Muslim background that generally denigrates women.

You fink I give a rats bout yr fat white ass or who I let up to yr fancy dancy books on chairs & abstract fistin art on the walls crib wen I’ barely makin the rent on a shithole dive for me & the missus?

Try tippin me major!

For busy tenants, doormen provide some valuable services. Like accepting your mail and packages when you are away. Or letting in repairmen who have an appointment. In posh places, doorman ring tenants when guests or someone with an appointment arrives. They also check with a tenant when random people show up and ask to be let in to visit said tenant.

If you tip them well, they don't cause a fuss about your "special" guests like hustlers, escorts, or your drug / pot dealer.

Has no-one watched the first episode of Modern Love?

in some buildings, the front doors are locked at night.

I dream of having someone to sign for my packages so I never have to come home to one of those “We missed you” noticed again (always in the one five-minute period I leave the house while waiting for a package).

For security, it’s not just about burglaries. Having a doorman prevents someone from sneaking up and strong arming you when you’re coming into a building at night (this happens in some rape cases).

Yes, there’s security because no one is going to follow you randomly into your building. No one can be let up without the security guard letting them. Generally, robbers would tend to skip buildings with security guards.

They also hold packages and deliveries for you, which is a big deal in the age of Amazon. When I had a couch delivered, for example, the door man let them into my apartment with my permission. I was at work.

Are confusing doormen with security guards. One is a funnily dressed person who acts high and mighty because they work in a posh building, the other one is a frustrated cop-wannabe.

R16, they are basically the same in a doorman building

So when you die in your bed, someone can call the funeral home before you get to the putrid stage.

Or the Realtor.

I would like the convenience of someone to sign for packages. But not the lack of privacy when it comes to getting a cocksucker over at 1am.

[quote] When I had a couch delivered, for example, the door man let them into my apartment with my permission.

Honest question, who is watching the door while the doorman is letting people into your apartment?

How much do you have to tip these guys at Christmas? Based on how many packages they accepted throughout the year?

That one doorman/scientist on Law and Order was a murderering postdoc, so that’s a possible solution.

OP must be one of the poors.

No one in our set would ever live in a building without a staff. Never.

R20, I hooked up with a guy about midnight at a fancy apt building.

The lobby had about 4 doormen and it was as if they were escorting to the elevators. Obviously this wasn’t the first time. They knew the resident had many hookups so immediately know, when I walked in, what apartment I was going to.

R21, there was a doorman, super, and two assistants to the super. The doorman usually had one of them substitute at the front desk when he had to oversee deliveries to apartments

As others have said, the real benefit is not just security. It's about having someone there to accept packages and deal with letting in people to your place while you are away. That can be very convenient.

Iived in a building with a doorman. You couldn't even enter the foyer unless you had a key fob or they let you in. Plus they would sign for packages and let deliverymen up with authorization. It was very convenient and in several years, buglaries and thefts weren't an issue.

My roommate would leave our apartment front door unlocked because we had a doorman and she thought it was safe. Then one day I caught a Chinese food delivery man in the living room from another apartment's delivery and that put the kibbosh on that.

Two words: Dry Cleaning!

The doorman stops the homeless from coming in and taking up residence in the lobby

You never hear about porch pirates at doormen buildings.

Isn't the word doorman transphobic? You should call them "People Who Attend To Doors".

[quote] You should call them "People Who Attend To Doors".

Doorthem?

I had a cute (but very high on meth) guy follow me in off the street one time and hit on me in the elevator. I thought he was with a few others coming in with me, so you really aren't safe from riffraff by having a doorman. My Dominican doorman did have a big cock, though. He had big dick energy. God I loved living off NYC's Union Sq. Wild times.

Sleep tight!

I live in a hi-rise. When the building was built 60 years ago, I assume the doorman actually opened the door and called upstairs to announce guests. Today, the "doorman" never touches the door and seldom leaves his position behind the front desk. His primary task is accepting food deliveries for residents. For security reasons, delivery people aren't allowed past the lobby and residents must come down and collect their delivery.

Front door staff add a lot of cost to the residents' monthly assessment. Most buildings staff in major cities are unionized and the position requires 3 people, each works an 8 hour shift.

Who else is going to ask how last night's trick went?

The Doorman, the movie.

That's your contact for all things apartment related.

Package security depends on the clerk. We had a drinker who passed out leaving the front desk unmanned at the same time many people lost boxes.

While they provide some security measures, they're not going to touch anyone. I've helped lure a homeless dude out of the lobby (cigarettes).

Years ago the shortish Puerto Rican doorman one building down had an enormous dick and was sucked off by most of the guys in the neighborhood. He would arrange to go to their apartments after his shift ended.

So, there's that.

most of the gays^

It's nice having someone to say, "Good Morning" and "Good Evening" to me...

R37 How much do doormen make?

Doorman

I live in a doorman building and I love it. How I went without one for so long puzzles me. I love the added everything. No comparison!

I lived in a building that had a doorman. It was nice. No, it's not the same as an armed guard, but it is an extra layer to get through if someone wants to burglarize a unit, etc.

R44, just checked at our condo building's budget. There's a range (set by the local union for doormen and building maintenance workers) between $50,000 and $62,000, plus benefits.

I will say, they deescalate some weird shit.

Lately, we've had an increase in the 50+ white, female, beauty school for clowns graduates who display signs of hysteria.

In the past, they dealt with neighbors of our Turette's person who cycles into full operatic profanity every month.

Tell us more, r49! My building is boring.

OK, but only because they are loud in the hallway.....

One neighbor hooks up with homeless women and they have to leave after two nights (SRO rules on units under certain sft requirements).

Two different women have gone through bargaining, pleading, threatening, physical violence, and threatening him with police. All this shit goes on in a wide hallway that circles the floor.

I had a situation where one of my wild NYC friends who skirted with homelessness took up with my doorman and had a full blown altercation with him. If I hadn’t quickly diffused the situation, they may have evicted my elderly roommate (leaseholder) and myself. She had lived in the apartment for over 30 years and had rent control, it would’ve been disastrous and yes, this had happened in same building with another leaseholder.

I also had to reserve time to move out and pay cash in an envelope to the doorman for a “”moving fee”. For $350, the doorman basically put several sheets of cardboard along the corridor floor to avoid scuff or track marks on the carpet from the dolly wheels.

Don’t fuck with the doormen!

In my building, the preferred term is concierge but no one really uses it.

R53 is living in 1968.

First of all there are lobby attendants and doormen. Technically the jobs are two separate things but depending upon description there can be some overlap.

Next having a doorman or lobby attendant does *NOT* make any building totally safe. Bulgarlies, rapes, and other crimes happen all time in doorman or otherwise attended lobby buildings.

Case in point...

More:

Or,

r24, you don't get it. I AM poor. Ain't no doorman at Old Greenwich Gables.

In our very best buildings there are a small army of staff in lobby. Doorman, concierge, hall boy/elevator operator/porter, etc....

OTOH you have buildings with just one lone "lobby attendant" who opens doors (maybe or maybe not), signs for packages, directs guests/visitors/tradesmen or service persons.... When things are busy it just isn't possible for one lone person to watch everything, and that's when things happen.

Those hired as lobby attendants in theory for most buildings do not act as "doormen". They don't get up from that desk to open doors unless it is in their job description, or they want to. Otherwise their job is to act as security for lobby, sign for packages, direct guests/visitors, etc.... All done from again sitting behind that desk in front lobby.

Doormen don't make buildings crime-proof, but they are certainly a deterrent.

Many of you seem to miss that if someone slips past a doorman, his next step is going to be calling the police, not trying to physically stop them.

Or if, after calling the police, he does go for the force thing, most buildings have more than one person on duty at any given time--doorman, super, a couple of porters. So four or five against one.

But mostly it's a deterrent thing--if you are going to rob an apartment, there is much more opportunity is unattended buildings.

[quote] In our very best buildings

The "OUR" Troll is back.

His posts are like reading ad copy from 1953

[quote]If you tip them well, they don't cause a fuss about your "special" guests like hustlers, escorts, or your drug / pot dealer.

Wait! You're supposed to be tipping them? Like every day? Why? And how much?

The cases of the white guy sneaking into doorman buildings all state that the tenants left their doors unlocked while gone on vacation!! That’s nuts!

It may, however, deter would be racists waiting in a nice shadowy corner waiting for a woman to come home late at night and fumbling for her keys to an outer entry door.

R63

Sadly many today have a very odd and somewhat ill informed ideas about what living in a "doorman building" is about. Yes, many do leave their doors unlocked for various reasons under assumption largely that no one besides residents can gain access to building without being vetted.

That poor woman on UWS who was attacked by pizza delivery boy left her front door unlocked because the mother lived in same building. Apparently the two households had habits of just going between their apartments as if it was one large private home. And look what happened.....

R62

Doormen/lobby attendants/security at least here in NYC don't earn very much. If wages go > $50k per year that's lucky. However a bulk of their yearly compensation if you will comes in tips from residents usually dispensed around Christmas holiday season. Some staff at our very best buildings easily clear several to ten thousand or more. OTOH those working in decidedly middle or whatever class buildings may see very little.

As noted already residents tip for host of things beside providing good service throughout year.

You tip lobby people to keep your personal business private. Things like that buff young man who calls himself a "personal trainer" that calls at 1AM..... On other side married male residents who have young female "visitors" while their wife and children are away.....

Here in Manhattan where finding parking is tight if you wander around certain streets/avenues you see traffic cones blocking out spaces on street. Three guesses who put them there and why.

There are buildings all over UES and UWS that have created their own personal parking spots for residents. And you value your vehicle very cheaply if you move those cones to park in that reserved space.

Our old doorman knew everything and everyone’s life and he would tell me all the dirt—the hookers, the hustlers, the affairs. Sadly he left for another building

Dirt!

Down side to lobby attendants/doormen are same as they've ever been with servants. They see thus know everything about resident's personal business by virtue of who comes and goes.

Doormen and more formal rentacop security is at best a deterrent. Ditto security cameras. I worked in a "secure" building in Atlanta and it didn't prevent the theft of my work laptop. Afterward, I had to deal with getting the third degree from the local suburban police force who must have thought I had taken it. Security also didn't prevent some poor woman from being visited by some crazy drug addled boyfriend. Doormen or having a 24 hour desk is about convenience---being gone for a month for work and having mail held or discretion about your visitors and a rather soft form of security, but one that deters a lot of problems, nonetheless.

Sorry, I know I’m late. This is Carlton, your doorman….. there is someone coming up who suspiciously looks like your mother. Just thought I’d let you know.

More:

Why don’t we just end the sentence at “What’s the point of living?” and have a real conversation?

Doormen know all your business. They count the number of tricks who come and go. One leaked the Blind Item that Andy Cohen takes tricks to the Bicycle Room in the basement, instead of his apartment.

I live in one and off the top of my head, there is security when it comes to deliveries and packages (I always had my shit stolen every where else in the city) and the other day I got loked out and I freaked, but the doorman had a pass key and let me in to my apt easy peasy. Plus some are friendly and its nice to say hello to them in the morning. I love it.

To add to that however I would say its more of a lobby attendant than we have than doorman and we have 2/3 different ones every day at different times. Also, it's a big building and middle class in South Harlem, not some ritzy diitzy high falutin' penthouse on Park Ave. So it's not something only well off rich people have either.

R25

They "know" same thing about escorts, hookers, whores, hustlers....

Seasoned lobby staff have it down to a science, and can usually tell with reasonable accuracy by type of person arriving (escort, whore, hustler, hook-up, etc...) who sent for them

On other side of things one of the huge attractions to all those buildings downtown (Chelsea, Tribeca, SoHo, FiDi, etc....) is many do not have doormen/lobby staff, and that is just what people want.

Places that do have attended lobbies often staff is only there for say one daytime shift. This is largely due to growth of online and other deliveries that must be accommodated some how.

We have a doorman and a concierge, which actually isn’t terribly common, now that I think about it. The doorman helps with bags and packages, hails taxis and is the first line of defense.

The concierge is the second line is defense and announces visitors, receives packages, keeps track of the tradespeople who come in to do work on apartments, dog walkers, etc. They are busy all day, and know everything.

Sure, they aren’t armed guards, but I feel secure in our building. When someone delivers a pizza or comes to do work on the apartment, they are logged and escorted by building staff. Of course some random violence could happen if someone were truly determined, but I’ve lived here 15 years and can’t think of a single incident.

Criminals looking for easier targets will have no trouble finding one.

That is an excellent point R76 and it is often a selling point for many of those buildings downtown--for those of you unfamiliar, they are often much smaller, maybe a six story building with one or two apartments per floor. There are people who prefer that to a larger building which may have several hundred apartments, and where you do often see your neighbors.

Funny enough the procedure for food delivery has become a big issue in doorman buildings due to security concerns.

Some buildings just confirm with the resident that they are expecting the food delivery and let the delivery person go upstairs, albeit via a service elevator.

Some buildings operate like R77s, where the doorman or a porter escorts the delivery person up to the apartment and waits for the handoff before escorting them down again.

And finally, some require the resident to come down to the lobby to get their food.

The latter method has become more common now that services like DoorDash and GrubHub have eliminated the need for actual in-person tipping and so the delivery person hands the food to the doorman and the resident can pick it up at their convenience. It's also the most Covid-safe method, so saw widespread adoption last year.

But there are those who do not like having to go downstairs to get their food, especially if they are on a high floor or have small kids, and some who do not like it that the doorman or porter is so frequently called away to escort food delivery people.

And since so many people in Manhattan are Very Very Important, the debate has resulted in all sorts of unnecessary drama.

R78 who's at the entrance when the doorman takes the delivery guy to 14th floor. Does he lock the door until he escorts the delivery guy out?

No, R79.

Buildings have multiple people on staff--doormen, porters, handymen, a superintendent.

And probably three or four are working at the same time.

So the doorman will either get one of them to mind the desk or he'll get one of them to escort the delivery guy.

^^That's a bigger high-rise apartment building.

A smaller building would probably only have one other person working and may not have the "doorman escorts the delivery person" policy as it would be unworkable

[quote]for "security" and "safety".

Oh, dear.

[quote]for "security" and "safety".

Oh, dear.

[quote]If someone....they

Oh, dear.

[quote]is intent to burgle

Oh, dear.

[quote]steal some tenants jewellery

Oh, dear.

My old building had doormen (plural) and a concierge. It was actually 2 buildings sharing one lobby, so they had 2 doors to guard. They made sure they knew everybody who came in that place, where they were going and the monitored the cameras in the laundry room, hallways, ourside doorways (in case someone was hiding behind the columns outside). The concierge took packages, had the thingys that I can’t think of th3 word for - what are used for luggage in hotels. They also had a shopping cart or two in case all the luggage racks were in use.

They ran the maid service, window washing, carpet cleaning. The could install drapes, curtains, blinds…for a fee, of course. Before the concierge our building maintenance guys used to make extra cash doing stuff like putting up shelves, hanging & lighting paintings, install a microwave over the oven (the building was built before microwaves were common). The concierge cut into a lot of their profit. Those maintenance guys could make an extra $500 cash on weekends in the 1990s, when that was a lot of money for a working class guy.

At least in NYC historically several groups have had doorman/building worker jobs sewn up.

Irish

Hungarians and other Eastern Europeans such as Albanians

Puerto Ricans

First (the Irish) long had a head start going back to early part of prior century. Post WWII due to various immigration policies and other factors huge waves of Hungarians and other Eastern Europeans came to USA, and many found jobs in building trades. Certain UES buildings (including Yorkville) you still see heavy dominance of Hungarians, some are now second or third generation working at building.

Older Hungarian who came perhaps after WWII sponsor other family members who are hooked up into system. New comer will replace any worker who retires/leaves and before you know it they have worked their way up and into building as super, porter, etc....

It goes without saying that for certain buildings preferred staffing at all levels from building to those working for residents directly largely have been European (East and West). Irish, German, British..

From recent NYC news....

The most stressful time of day for the doorman in my building has got to be mail delivery. The volume of packages, especially from Amazon, runs to the hundreds. Each package has to be scanned and stored for resident pickup. If I arrive home, sometimes I just see boxes and nothing else behind the desk. Then there are the people who have flat pack furniture delivered and that stuff needs to be dealt with too. So much stuff is bought online these days and unless built recently, apartment and condos are not set up to deal with it.

R86: In my building a small number of people account for most of the deliveries. They also account for most of the pick-ups, too. One of these people moved not too long ago----she was an heiress to a recognizable fortune but didn't seem to have a lot of her own money---her mother owned her condo. Anyway, she was a would be photographer, decorator, etc. and working on a graduate degree in psychology in a not very good program, and despite going on and on about her kids, her husband was the only one I ever saw with them. He seemed like a nice enough guy. Another chronic delivery person has breakfast delivered---cold, no doubt, because they can. A lot of this seems driven by laziness and privilege.

Are you the doorman R87?

It’s a huge convenience. Someone is always on call downstairs. It’s the equivalent of having an assistant at work.

You left your sweater at my apartment? I’ll leave it with my doorman (meaning I don’t have to be bothered and you can pick it up anytime you want.)

I had a great time last night at your apartment. I can drop a bottle of wine with your doorman the next day.

I’m coming back from the country with bags? The doorman takes them while I put the car in the garage.

Approaching the building with lots of bags? Doorman opens the door.

(There is a also a super who runs the building and a porter who deals mainly with the basement.)

The version I don’t understand is the concierge behind a desk well into the lobby with no person at the door. That scenario seems to happen only in newer condo building. If the person is seated and far from the door they can’t perform even half the tasks a doorman handles.

Trappings of the wealthy.

Do they stand outside the doors even in snow and cold?

I like having a doorman because he (they, since the week is full of hours - we have five, plus others) provide a good point of integration for my housekeeper and assistant in managing the residence and my business activities. "I'll ring you up" is ridiculous and "There's a Mr. Simpson here to see you" is unhelpful - the door keeps an updated list of who can "come up." And for deliveries a doorman is a necessity. It would be a long way down and back for someone every time flowers or clothes or everyday groceries arrive. The doorman has an assistant on each shift to handle such things, and that way the door is never left unmanned.

Are they inside or outside? If they are outside, how can they answer the phone when someone is calling them? If they are inside, how can they open the door for you if they don't see you coming?

So small children of divorced parents will regularly be high-fived.

Seriously R93?

Have you never stayed at a hotel before?

R95 Yes. No one ever opened the doors for me in any hotels I stayed in. (I'm from Europe). Plus hotels have dozens of people working at the desk and in the lobby.

The doormen generally have a desk right inside the front door.

They can see people coning in through the building's glass doors and jump up to open the door for them if they are elderly or struggling with packages or strollers.

If you have a doorman, concierge, etc., you're probably already living in a pretty safe neighborhood.

R89

That is a lobby attendant who is there to provide sense of security, announce/direct guests, trade persons, etc..., but not necessarily work the door.

There are buildings going back to 1970's and before that have only lobby attendants. Many were and still are advertised as having "attended lobby" or some such.

Clip from a PBS/Frontline program about Park Avenue shows clearly doormen from our very best buildings. Park, Fifth, Madison, Lexington, East End avenues, Central Park West, UES, UWS, Sutton and Beekman Place... In short buildings that are pre-war and cling to the old ways of heavily staffed lobbies.

People on DL are always going on about high monthly charges are for co-ops or condos in these buildings. Well now you know one reason why, someone has to pay for small army of staff not just in lobby, but service area and elsewhere in building.

OP = Rhoda Morgenstern

So do you have to notify the door man if you're going away on vacation or business? Are they supposed to keep tabs on your whereabouts? And I'm not American so someone please explain the tipping situation for me. How and when? Daily, monthly, quarterly or annual? Cash or wire?

Tipping the doorman was a plot point in an episode of Friends.

R98 I live in South Harlem in NYC and have a front lobby attendant. It's not super unsafe but it's also not ritzy ditzy. It's ust a very big building and it makes sense that there would be someone in charge of the front lobby.

Building staff usually knows who is away if by nothing else because they help with luggage. That being said yes, they are often told by residents or staff of household when people are out of town be it to their place in the country, or out of state/country.

What building knows versus what they will tell random strangers is another matter.

As for tipping most of it takes place once a year, and right now; Christmas holiday season.

More on tipping...

Some families keep to the old ways. Tips are handed out in person to each staff enclosed in a envelope with a handwritten note on printed stationary. Others do same but use ready made cards easily purchased at stationary stores or such sections of even places like Walgreens.

Others just give a lump sum to superintendent of building to dispense among staff (not good).

Rest of it runs a mix lot; some give out gift cards (either for merchandise or loaded with money), some as noted in link posted above give out various tangible gifts ranging from handmade things to whatever. Still others do not give even thin dime.

R91

When weather is inclement door persons remain indoors. They can see who is arriving by merely looking out of front door.

In pre-war and most other old or even new buildings that were designed to have attended lobbies, the area is heated. OTOH buildings converted to residential from say commercial, and or never were otherwise designed to have doormen or anyone else working lobby are another matter. There the vestibule area often is not heated. Main lobby would be another matter.

For such buildings you will see a small portable space heater somewhere to provide bit of warmth.

On other side of things unless retrofitted later on few to nil prewar or other older buildings have air conditioned vestibules or lobbies. Best those working in area or at door can hope for is a fan (again provided by building).

Modern new buildings of course have central air conditioned and heated lobbies/vestibules.

Many buildings both old and certainly new are built with or have installed automatic doors. Thus no need for a "doorman" per se to stand there and open/close doors. One building on "Billionarie's Row" have visited doors are such, opened and closed by remote control from lobby desk, and or activated when someone approaches. These buildings still often have fully staffed lobbies, especially if they are union.

[quote]Others just give a lump sum to superintendent of building to dispense among staff (not good).

Why? Certainly the most efficient and least awkward way?

Because there isn't any guarantee that all funds given to any superintendent will make it into hands of staff. Skimming a bit (or a lot) off the top is rather common I'm afraid.

Staff at garage we use long quietly has told regulars to please give tips (especially at holiday time) to them directly. Turns out their boss was helping himself to large part of whatever was given. Out of say $500 maybe $100 of it was split between five or so guys.

Also you want to give tips to each according to their service. Daytime and afternoon staff obviously are on duty during prime hours and thus do most "work" so to speak. Many never see their overnight staff unless they return home after 11PM or Midnight on a regular basis. Depending upon shift change (usually either 7AM or 8AM) they might not see overnight staff even then.

You also want to reward those who go out of their way and do more than merely what their job description requires. Holding/finding parking spots (a big way to earn tips), always with a smile on their faces and happy hearts.. Professional and respecting of boundaries... In short same things one would look for in personal domestic staff or an assistant.

Therin lies the difference between Americans and Northern Europeans. A Swedish or Danish supervisor's life would be over if he tried that.

I've walked past buildings at night where the doorman is sleeping at night, usually on the couch in the lobby and the light is off and doors locked.

I remember reading that in one of the richest building, the rich cunts were stingy as fuck when it came time to tip during the holidays.

It’s better to have a doorman than not. Someone even keeping half an eye on things is better than nothing.

Doormen don't make very much at least by NYC standards So it isn't surprising many who do night shift have another day job full or part time. This or maybe some of the younger guys are in school.

For this and other reasons such as just being tired, yes, plenty of overnight lobby staff (it's usually just the one) are asleep by wee morning hours.

For buildings without furnished lobbies, just a chair and desk, yes, you see guys sacked out clearly through front door. Other times they are off to the side asleep on a nice comfy sofa.

This being said there is often Hell to pay if certain people come home late/over night and stand at front door ringing bell or worse, pounding on door for admittance. If a sleepy doorman finally is roused he gets the stink eye, but not told off exactly then. Next day Mr. or Mrs. J.L. GotRocks is having a word with someone on the board, and or sees whoever directly supervises lobby staff.

As for doors being locked, at least in NYC this is normal after say 11PM and certainly midnight. This even when lobby staff is wide awake....

Crime being what it is in city, and fact things get quiet late night anything can and has happened. People have walked into lobby and assaulted lone attendant, and or stolen whatever they can get hands on including laptops, wallets, etc....

On another note unless staff knows who you are they will not unlock/open that front door after hours, period. More so (rightly or wrongly) if you're some random minority person they don't know.

All this being said window for kipping out is not very long. By 4AM overnight staff that have assigned duties (polish brass work hose/sweep down sidewalk, clean glass on doors, etc..) must get those chores done.

By 5AM a litany of early morning deliveries begin such as newspapers. Also by this time certain residents are getting up and heading out to gym, run or bike (such as in Central Park). By 6AM town cars and other vehicles begin queuing up for residents who work in certain areas of finance who maybe are in global markets that go in "early". Depending upon how far they have to travel cars are also starting to arrive to take children to school. Also by this time personal staff for residents that live out (nannies, maids, etc...) are starting to arrive for work.

In short just as in "Upstairs/Downstairs" or "Gosford Park" type fiction a house rises long before residents.

Anyone else have problems copypasting? When I try, the screen flips.

Anyway, someone asked “Do you tell your doorman when you’re on vacation?”

Yes.

Because mail &deliveries can pile up. But also because sometimes you have friends or relatives come into the city to stay at your apartment either to pet sit, or water plants or just come in to hang out and do city stuff. They have to be signed in by you. In my old building, a sign-in.was good for one month. It meant you gave your key to the person who was house sitting or the person could pick up the key from the doorman. That person could then come and go as they pleased.

A bit unrelated. But can you Americans explain those elevators that open straight into an apartment? How does that work? Does the door send them up or do you buzz them in? And does that mean the doorman can access your apartment anytime he wants?

my aunt had a doorman. He noticed that he hadn't seen her in a few days so they broke in and she had died of a heart attack two days earlier

R116, you need a key that you use in the elevator, in order to access the floor/apt.

I live in a heavily travelled part of Seattle and when someone drops a turd in the stairwell, our staff cleans it up in a jiffy.

I never thought that would be important and now it is.

R116

All sorts of buildings in NYC at least have private key elevators that open directly into an apartment. Loft conversions, doorman, non-doorman buildings...

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More...

Still more...

Obvious thing about private elevators that open directly into an apartment is safety, especially in homes with children.

Another feature: if you want to, you can leave your apartment keys downstairs, so if you ever get locked out you won't have to locate a locksmith and pay his (large--and in NYC they take cash only) fee to get back into your place.

There is a special security system in the metal box with the keys. I don't know how it works exactly, but I've noticed that when I had to avail myself of this service, the keys I was given were marked in some code. They didn't say 2C or 7E or whatever.

Some tenants don't leave keys downstairs even so.

^^^Oops. I forgot to say that the spare keys were the doorman's province. Tenants (or anyone else) have no access to the metal box with the keys inside.

Usually written into lease for rentals, and perhaps elsewhere for condo or co-ops residents of multi-family agree to provide keys to landlord or property manager. This is a safety measure for all multi-family housing. Laws and rules govern under what circumstances and so forth building can enter an apartment.

Most common reason and really only one justified is due to an emergency. Anything from fire to a pipe breaking. Then as noted you have situations where resident may be injured or even dead.

If building does not have a key alternative is to call FD or LE who will literally break down the door if necessary during a response to emergency .

when I stayed at the Lord Baltimore we had the entire 23rd floor .We took an elevator that didn't go to all floors and when it opened on our floor it was to a 3'x3' landing with a door in front us that had to be unlocked. I thought that was safe.

I’ve lived in Manhattan my entire life. Doormen provide excellent security- they can lock elevators and they screen all non residents. Yes a clever nut might get by- but in the t 3 doorman buildings I have lived in, not one burgle- domestic argument (one time that I knew of) and health emergencies only. As for deliveries etc doormen are invaluable in the city. OP doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

R112

Yes, you run into tight fisted SOBs in all buildings, including luxury multi-family housing for wealthy.

But guess what? Like anything else staff knows who is a big tipper or not, and remember this all through year. Of course they aren't mean or otherwise treat such persons differently, but don't expect them to go above and beyond what's in their job description either.

Want someone to hold a parking spot? Give you a heads-up or run interference if Mrs. GotRocks returns early from the country while you've got whore de jour upstairs? Oh there are all sorts of ways building staff can fuck with miserly residents.

Keeps out riff-raff. If you aren’t a dick to the doorman.

People talking about security. Please, most people who don't live in door man buildings also manage to keep riff raff out of their building. Unless you are living in a sketchy area, you probably don't need that security. But it's the other conveniences that are nice.

It's still about the security R131

It's like having someone home all the time.

But you are correct that it is more mental than actual

R131

You don't have a clue, not a single one...

Here in NYC buildings without doormen have a much higher rate of package theft. Locked building are only good as door locks (which can and frequently are picked or broken to gain access), this or simple old stand by; just wait around door until someone leaves or exits and walk right in.....

You have no idea how many homeless, mentally ill, drunks and others camp out in vestibules, unattended lobbies (if they can get in, see above), and or right in front of building. More so this time of year as weather starts turning cold.