I ask a few things:
It has to get a good amount of traffic in 20 minutes (at least 15 riders).
Security guards won't kick me out for hanging around/riding multiple times.

This is for an ethnology homework assignment. I want an elevator that will give me varied and interesting results in the type of people that ride it.

Elevator, elevator, taaaaaaaaaaaake me home.

Fat guy at work farted in the lift today before he got out. Thanks for that chunky.

I love elevators. I love being in them alone with a complete stranger. Awkward glances and then looking away. I love the people who feel the need to crack jokes about how it's so slow. I love watching people press buttons over and over again frantically as if it's going to get them to their floor faster. Really fantastic.

i would think that city hall/county building would make for good elevator/people watching. same for john stroger hospital.

godspeed, weirdo.

I spent some time hanging around in the Sears Tower elevator when I worked for a market research company based in Elmhurst. I had to go through each of floor of a large number of buildings downtown, record the names of all the tenants, and try to estimate how much office space each occupied. Security guards and such often did not take kindly to this, but no one in the Sears Tower seemed to care, and it definitely offers the advantage of having a lot of area to cover. Of course, security may be tighter now, given that I did this in the late 90s (i.e. before 9/11).

I used to work in the Monadnock (Jackson and Dearborn + Van Buren and Dearborn), and that could work. Lots of people going in and out and the security probably won't notice you. The building is a block long, with a set of elevators on each end, and the security guard sits in the middle, completely oblivious to what goes on on either side of him. It's only really bustling at lunch and rush hour though.

Can count on you to give the thread a good start.

Off topic, I'm reminded of the scene in Thank You for Smoking where Adam Brody's character takes Nick Naylor on the ultra-modern building elevator and says "You hear that?" Nick: *complete silence* "No." Adam: Exactly.

I always liked the way the Monadnock looked but never went in there, hmm. Sears Tower security these days can kill people with their eyes, no thanks!

The ones in the Hancock are quite interesting as people coming from the Signature Room at the 95th can be in various states of passion when the doors open late at night.

This reminds me.


WHERE IS BEE'S ON A LIFT!

The State of Illinois (Thompson Center) Building's elevators are like a thrill ride. My kids and I go up and down on those on weekdays until they finally tell us to get lost.

I busted the brass railing off of the side of one yesterday (friday).

Now that I live in an apartment with an elevator that I have to take (and wait for...) everyday, the simply joy of using one is gone for me.

But I have been thinking about reading this book. It looks like it could be good. Maybe.

Here's a famous one

Oh wait, I thought you said grain elevators...