Openthedoor-man

When you're confined to a small space for a certain amount of hours, one is able to reflect sometimes and imagine what life would be like if some things were different.

As I stand near the doors to the building looking out at the world, I see guests who are visiting, deliveries being made to an apartment, workers like contractors and plumbers, and the actual individuals who reside in the building… doctors, lawyers, editors, actors/actresses, architects, teachers, artists. There are also the financial Wall Street whiz kids, and the corporate types who always dress in suits.

Gossip amongst the staff in a residential building is like gossip at any other place of business. It makes our job more interesting, and nothing is off limits.

Doormen, supers, porters and handymen can be the equivalent of a blue-collar sewing circle, bantering about things we overhear, or things residents tell us when they become comfortable to speak freely and openly to us. (You'd be surprised what some people really think about the other people on their floor.)

But we mostly talk about what we observe with our own eyes.

In my building, and most others I've heard about, there are two ways to get above-and-beyond service from the doorman and other staff: Tip well, or get elected to the board.

Board members definitely have advantages over the regular residents. They get jobs done for them faster than a regular resident, whether it's a minor touch up of some paint or plaster, or a bigger something like a plumbing problem. They have access to various parts of a building whenever they want. They may even have a set of keys for certain doors which only staff usually have.

The holiday season is once again upon us, and as far as us doormen are concerned, it begins with The List, politely shoved underneath your door.