apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm on the fifth floor of a 1926 building. The stairs are a bit steep.

I live in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood in a 42-story high rise that has 3 regular elevators plus a freight elevator. But, we're only on the 3rd floor so sometimes we use the stairs...

I am on the 4th floor in a 1919 building. I get a daily workout! But seriously, as a board member, sometimes I am glad we don't have an elevator -- maintenance, repairs and relacement/updating costs a huge amount of money!

I've been lucky enough to live in an elevator building since I've been living the city. I'm now on the 6th floor but in my last two apartments I was on the 3rd floor and then the 2nd floor. It's so great when it's time to move or get furniture delivered.

6th floor. My elevator is probably as old as the one this family had to deal with, too. It goes out somewhat frequently. Not so much a problem for me, but I feel badly for the couple in their 70s who lives next door to me.

8th floor. But there's four flights of stairs outside before I get to my building.

Top floor of a three-story building. I've never had an elevator (or particularly missed having one, until moving to this place necessitated a hauling crew and some precarious roof action to get my sofa in here).

10th floor.

don't use it too often, as i only live on second floor. use it to get my 70 lb. bike to my unit, though.

funny, i just had a dream (nightmare?) last night about my previous building's crappy 60's elevator - it used to stop (and open!) halfway between floors. eek!

I live in a five-floor walkup. We lived on the 4th floor for a year and decided to move up one more floor to the top. In return we get zero ceiling noise and more sunlight. My knees are getting creaky though and I carry my dog downstairs every day to make sure he doesn't injure his back (again).

4th floor of a historic building.

We have new elevators but the original one in the lobby was preserved.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/art_chel/508240477/in/set-72157603955135488/

4th floor of a 6 story building -- always walk down, try to walk up more than not.

Before this lived in several walk-ups (I always end up on the 4th floor!)

I am always blown away by the number of folks in my building that ride the elevator down -- especially the young ones -- because there is an open stairway right next to the elevator. Of coures, the open stairs would not be legal in modern construction for fire reasons (my building is from 1910).

3rd floor of a 4-story walkup. Old building, not sure how old.

I live on 17th floor on 52 story elevator building
and work on 3rd floor of 5 story walk up loft building. As a result of the latter, I have a very firm, perky bottom.

Living on the 37th floor of a 50 floor building.
Work on 6th floor of a 15 floor building.

Have gone to visit friends lately, both of whom live on 5th floor walk ups. Makes me remember my early days of living in walk-ups.

5th floor, 3 years old building and elevator.

I live on the 2nd floor of a two-story building. It wasn't that long ago that I lived on the 6th floor of a six floor walk-up. I was in great shape then, but I don't think I'd do it again.

4th floor, with elevator. However, from the garage it's technically 5th floor walk up if elevator is out. Good workout though.

4th of 6

5th floor with an old-school elevator that's as slow as molasses.

I live on the 3rd floor of a 6-story elevator building. All the buildings in my 'hood are 6-story elevator buildings with the exception of a few 3-story brownstones. I didn't have an elevator at my previous two apartments. I rarely take the elevator anyway since I'm on the 3rd floor, but it does come in handy when moving furniture or carrying a ton of groceries.

I lived in an UWS apartment building on the 16th floor. the elevator was broken regularly. It was great exercise going up and down 16 flights. Luckily, I lasted only 2 months. My current residence in brooklyn has an elevator. I'm on the 3rd floor and it came in handy when I moved in.

I'm on the top floor of a 6 story building from the 1920's. I'm extremely thankful for my elevator everyday. I carry in shopping bags and tons of groceries all the time. It works just about 100% of the time because it was replaced recently but it is rather slow moving.

sciencegeek, four flights outside? i'm trying to figure out what this set-up must look like!

I've only ever lived in walk-ups and right now I'm on 3. The only time it bugs me is on laundry day when I have to go up and down several times to drag all the bags.

Oh, and the time I helped a man-with-a-van delivery guy carry a very substantial solid-wood credenza (with drawers!) up the stairs and thought I was going to die! (I did drop it on my legs at the very top step!

I live on the 33rd floor. Thankfully I've never had to walk up or down (I wasn't here during the 2003 blackout in NY).

I lived until recently on the top floor of a 6th floor walkup - 80 steps. Sometimes I would get so absorbed in my thoughts while walking up that I continue past my apartment to the entrance to the roof (always locked). Other times, I cursed every flight. If I left without an umbrella on a rainy day, I got a new one rather than go back. Now I'm on the 2nd floor in an elevator building and I love it!

I'm currently on the first floor of a 5 floor walk-up. My last building had an elevator, but like the story you link to, it was taken out of commission and completely replaced. However it took almost 12 weeks before it was working again. I was on the fifth floor. The worst thing for me was laundry. I have to say, I love living on the first floor now. I am on the street and down the block in the time it used to take me just to get to the lobby.

I live on the 4th floor and only take the elevator if I have lots of bags/packages/laundry/guests. The more I take the stairs, the easier it is.

I live on the first floor of a 1922 building. There are 4 stories, but an elevator was added in the 1980s when the building went co-op. It's on the outside and glass, so the kids in the building love it.

I live on the 24th floor of a 28 floor building, and I remember that I got more than my share of exercise one day when the elevator wasn't working.

what groupie said.

3rd but the "basement" is ground level.

i'm kinda glad i don't have one. it makes me exercise. although i do wish there was one for when i use my bike. & it would be nice for disabled people.

we do, and it's fast. Like, jet airplane fast.

4th floor walk up. 1825 building.

5th floor walk up... plus another flight to access my living room on the penthouse floor with direct access to 2 terraces.
I guess it's the price to pay to have them.. and a firm ass without going to the gym :-)

My first NYC room was on the fifth floor in an elevator building. My next two apts were/are a third floor walk-up.

15th Floor of a 19 floor building - 2 elevators and 2 emergency stairwells.

On more than one occassion after a hectic day at the office, I've stood in the elevator wondering which button to push since I've worked in buildings w/ elevators too for the past 10 years...

I just moved from a fourth-floor walkup to a fifth-floor elevator building. Coming home from a long work trip and not having to drag my suitcase up four flights? Heaven.

I just moved from a 6-story elevator building, on the 4th floor but always took the stairs unless I had a lot to carry. Now I'm in a 5-story elevator building, on the 2nd floor, and I have yet to find stairs that I can access from the outside (there are stairs that lead outside, but no key to get in from the outside). I HATE taking the elevator, especially if I'm just going up one flight. grumble.

I was in a walk-up (2nd or 3rd floor) for many years but my new co-op has me on the 19th floor (yes, with an elevator). I joke that if we have another power outage and the backup doesn't work, I'll be sleeping in the 9th floor stairwell as that's as high as I'm sure I could go!

19th floor of a 20-floor building. 3 elevators, but still slow...

3 years ago I moved from a ground floor apt in Brooklyn to a 3rd floor apt in Queens. 2 years ago I had ankle surgery and was on crutches for 8 weeks. Major upper body strength building ensued. Currently, up is no problem, but down is killer on the joints.

I'm on the 2nd floor of a 1930s building and, unless I'm carrying something really heavy or am coming from the basement (from the basement, the elevator is the only option), I always take the stairs the one flight up.

Prior to that, 1st floor (street level 3 stairs), 3rd floor walk-up, and 33rd floor of an elevator building (long waits during rush hours).

I push number 4 in the elevator, but technically live 5 stories up, with the bottom 2 floors being a duplex apartment-house.

I live on the 2nd floor and my building has an elevator. I mostly take the stairs though... unless my (senior) dog is too tired after a long walk to make it up them.

we live on the fourth floor, something we swore we'd never do again without an elevator. When we found this place we were told it had an elevator, we were not told that it only works 25% of the time!!

I live on the 6th (top) floor of a c. 1920 building in Chicago with an original elevator that is very small and finicky. The condo board does not want to spend money to replace or restore the elevator. For me, this will be my first and last experience living in an 'elderly' elevator building. I don't recommend it. I'm more a third story/walk-up person myself, but my husband owned this place when I met him.