Why is it that there always seem to have an escalator or elevator failure somewhere during a anime convention? And most of the time, it's the night before the Friday start, too.
It probably has something to do with the massive load of people they have to deal with. I've never noticed an escalator failure, but as far as the elevators are concerned, the hotels are generally designed for business meetings and smallish conventions. Not thousands of people traipsing about going up and down multitudes of times per day. It'd be nice if the hotels could be prepared for things like that, but it can't be expected...
It's just a good thing that they have more than one elevator per building!
Have people ever gotten stuck in elevators (I mean, has an elevator ever failed with people in it?)? It sucks to be so paranoid...
Never heard of people actually getting stuck in the elevators. I imagine it might've happened if they break down as often as they're said to, but... never heard of it, really. And definitely never happened to me. Gah, to be stuffed in an elevator with 15 other con-goers... That really would be pretty bad. But with cell phones being what they are these days, there's usually someone who can get reception... help would actually come faster than it used to! XP
i think my sister said that she got stuck once, but im not sure. i think they were like, right at a floor, thankfully, and they just pryed the doors opena nd got out. probably not good for the elevator, but oh well. :P
now this year, we are going to try and see if we can get a room on a lower floor. my mom is kinda iffy around heights (read: super afraid of), and i dont want to wait about an hour for an elevator and then finally end up taking the stairs to the 14th floor at midnight by meself again. :P i am so glad i was not in my maid outfit that day... >> (i would have had a huge fear of being raped if i was in that outfit walking up deserted, dimly lighted stairs at midnight. :P)
so anyway, can you request a certain floor, ar at least request a lower floor?
Well, especially when FC was at the Santa Clara Westin (now Hyatt), the escalators were down the entire convention, the day before the convention offically started. I think this was 2003; you could go down but not up.
I can't speak for the hotels but I can tell you about SJCC. Our escalators have sensors that will shut them down if they sense something with wheels. It's a safety measure to keep people from taking strollers on them. But it means that folks with those wheelie bags can shut them down as well. I know that there is a way to miss tripping the sensor because I've seen it done but why try to go around a safety feature? Anyway, we restart the escalators as soon as someone from the building is notified.
Our elevators do sometimes have to be shut down because of an issue now and then but we call the maintenance tech out as soon as possible when there is an event the size of FanimeCon in the building.
As for people getting stuck, we used to have one security guard that would go and check the elevator if there was a report of a problem and he would wind up getting stuck. Just him and no one else. All elevators are required to have a phone line that will allow a person to call for help. In our elevators, we have a button that you press and it automatically calls our security office. It has to be virtually hands-free to meet ADA requirements.
I know this is probably too much info but I thought it was better for the worried folks to know.
When you say the escalators were down at the Westin, that means the ones over the Westin lobby and not the ones halfway across the con center, right?
ok i got bad luck with elevators but oh well, i can sit in one for hours, but anyway.. Iv been stuck in two elevators over my life so far. its not a big deal you just call on the phone inside the elevator and help shows up someday ;)
the funny thing is, that the last time i was stuck i used the phone and it went to the front desk of the hotel, and its a pain trying to tell them im stuck in a elevator.. the staff had a hard time finding which elevator it was.. so take note of what elevator your in. when you ride it.
I wouldn't mind being stuck in an elevator. But I have been in elevators at the con before where fifteen people decide to shove into one because they don't want to wait for the next one. THAT'S a situation I wouldn't want to be in. There probably wouldn't be room to sit, there's usually someone who smells, and there'd probably be at least one person panicking for no reason.
But maybe someone would have a PSP or something...
Depending on what floor Im on, Im much more willing this year to make the stair trip up and down to avoid Elevators. Its such a pain staying on the 15th floor and stopping at each floor the entire way up.
It is by the same mysterious force that empties all the ATMs before the con even starts. Oh! and causes Starbucks to close early.
I absolutely abhor the Marriot Hotel elevators, so if it's within 5 floors, I'll just take the stairs. On the final day when everybody's leaving, that's the only way down anyways. I wouldn't mind getting stuck in an elevator with some interesting con peoples though.
Oh, and escalators can't break, they can only become stairs.
Quote from: "Suspicious"It is by the same mysterious force that empties all the ATMs before the con even starts. Oh! and causes Starbucks to close early.
Hahaha, exactly, exactly. Maybe they think we congoers will raid the ATMs, then the starbucks, then use the escalators/elevators to make our escape. Change of sequence acceptable.
QuoteOh, and escalators can't break, they can only become stairs.
YOU KNOW MITCH HEDBERG!! OMG! :D :D :D Rock on!!
Quote from: "Tuplica"QuoteOh, and escalators can't break, they can only become stairs.
YOU KNOW MITCH HEDBERG!! OMG! :D :D :D Rock on!!
*grin* I always give a little smirk whenever I have to trek up a broken escalator.
Why'd he have to die? :cry: :cry: :cry:
Quote from: "Absolute0"Why'd he have to die? :cry: :cry: :cry:
What sucks is that I seem to get interested in comedians unknowingly post mordem. First it was Chris Farley, then Phil Hartman, and now Mitch Hedburg. I didn't even know until the 30th rerun I watched ended with an RIP.
For a good laugh.. http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mitch_Hedberg
Weird.
I actually discovered Mitch barely a week or two before he died. So it was sad knowing he wouldn't be able to bring a smile to my face anymore.
I found out about Mitch a year or two before his death.. something like that. I was really depressed, because I had the opportunity to go to one of his shows when he was here, but I didn't go - figured I'd have another chance in the next year or whatever- and then he died. Ahh! I wish I could've seen him live! :(
Yeah, I remember the first time I saw him on Comedy Central... I never laughed harder in my life, I tell you. He was my favorite comedian.
As so many Mitch fans say: I used to love Mitch. I still do, but I used to too. (Based off of one of his jokes)