Doormen from New York City share the touching relationships they share with the residents of their buildings
As a Doorman in NYC, sometimes you are leaned on as a “doctor, therapist and psychologist”
Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
- Sometimes, we feel like a therapist. Sometimes, we feel like the psychologist. Sometimes, we feel like a doctor.
- Hi, my name is Jan Eggers.
- Hi, my name is Nelson.
- Hello there, my name is Jose Sorro.
- Hi, my name is Ted. I've been a doorman for five years.
- For 24 years.
- For 16 years.
- I've been working for 25 years as a doorman/elevator operator on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. We're the first person that they see in the morning, and we're the last person they see at night. So I feel like I'm an integral part of keeping the tenants safe and secure in their own home.
By this job, I enjoy talking to people. I learn, every day, something new.
- I do feel like a part-time therapist at times. The relationship, I try to keep it professional. But as you know, it comes with the job. But it's usually good conversation. That's what I love about this job. The best part is the conversation that I have.
- Some people make you feel part of their family. You know what I'm saying? They let you know about the daily, the things, what's happening with their kids while they're away, what they go through. Yeah, the reason they talk to me-- maybe because I'm easy to talk to, to relate to. And since they know me for so many years, they know my family. It goes back and forth.
- So my typical day as an elevator operator, I arrive to work. Then, I proceed to go ahead and clean the lobby and deliver the tenants' newspapers.
- Typical day is greeting the tenants, as they go out to work, with a song-- with a smile.
- One of the main things is the security of the packages, and of course, the security of the building.
- We try to help with the ones we can. And the taxi-- when people go away, when they return. And I will go out there and take the luggage cart, load the luggage cart, bring it up, and maybe bring it up to the apartment.
- Then, clean the lobby again. There's a lot of cleaning. There's a lot of mopping. My favorite part of this job-- I have really enjoyed watching what were small children, when I first started, become adults with families of their own now visiting their parents. I absolutely love that.
- Being a doorman for 25 years, obviously, you must enjoy it to some degree.
- I definitely enjoy it. I love my job. Definitely.
- Why do you love your job?
- I just love camaraderie with the people-- with the tenants. I love the-- it feels really good knowing that I help them out or got something accomplished that they needed to get repaired. Just seeing them smile, and-- you know, I just love it.
