For everyone who does not go to floor 15 and wants to know about the full experience. 

Plimpton Hall, one of Barnard’s upperclassmen dorms, has two small elevators that are known for cracks in the lights on the ceiling, elevator buttons that only light up when they choose, and the slow closing of doors. However, only a few individuals make the journey to floor 15, the highest floor, so I decided to narrate the experience for you so you’ll be aware if you ever have to go there: floor by floor. 

Floor 1: Not much to expect here. Just being slammed up against the wall, because during peak hours everyone will convince themselves that “they can fit.” No matter how many times it’s full and the door struggles to close. 

Floor 2: If you are the person who makes the elevator stop here simply because you are too lazy to take the stairs, I promise everyone else is silently judging you. Or, depending on the person, people may complain to you out loud. 

Floors 3: This floor is still rather low and you might get a side eye if it is busy and you take the elevator rather than taking the stairs. 

Floor 4: Hopefully, you skipped floors 2 and 3 and this is your first stop. I don’t know why, but I feel like the elevator stops on this floor a lot. The first thing you will hear is a large clanking and then you will hear the struggling breaks of the elevator and then the doors will shake back and forth as they finally open. But when you see the doors open you are grateful that the elevator has made it this far and that it will be able to continue for another eleven floors. 

Floors 5-8: You don’t know how often the elevator will stop here, but you are grateful every time the elevator doors open because sometimes with the cranking noises that you hear on these floors, you are worried that the elevator will die out on you. And you still have seven floors. That’s a lot of stairs. 

Floor 9: The button for floor 9 does not light up, so press it and hope that the elevator will take you there. Once again, be grateful when those doors open. 

Floors 10-14: You are so close. Now, there are probably only a few people left in the elevator or maybe you are alone, so you just hope that the elevator does not get stuck because then you will be in for a longer ride. You are not pushed against the wall and you cannot feel people breathing on your neck, so you are in a better position. As always, grateful to see those doors open.

Floor 15: Finally, you made it! But the elevator opening on floor 15 is different from every other floor. First, the elevator stops and makes a clunking noise, and then you feel the breaks, just like every other floor. However, after these normal feelings, you can literally feel the elevator shake. At this point, you will wonder why the door has not opened yet and the reason for the extra shaking. Maybe the elevator is tired? Or maybe it’s about to break? But then, the elevator opens and after this longer journey, you do not question anymore and just leave. After all, you are just grateful to have any elevator because fifteen flights is a lot of stairs. That’s. Fifteen. Flights. 

Plimpton Elevator via Author