Thank an Elevator Company for your Epic View

Do you have any idea how many stairs there are in the Statue of Liberty? No? There are, in point of fact, three hundred and fifty-four of them. That translates to roughly twelve flights of stairs. Standing at the bottom of that daunting climb, you might find yourself exceptionally thankful that there is an elevator company that installed and maintains a splendidly lazy way to reach the crown of Lady Liberty's head without feeling the burn in your quadriceps.

Liberty Enlightening the World was designed by Frederic Bartholdi and presented to the United States of America as a gift from the people of France. The actual construction of the copper icon required the engineering brilliance of another famous French designer and builder, Gustave Eiffel. The lady's size eight hundred and seventy-nine sandals do not, in fact, hold the majority of her weight. An interior structure of Monsieur Eiffel's design carries a great load.

Of course, Eiffel is best known for the Parisian tower bearing his name. The Eiffel Tower boasts one thousand, six hundred and sixty-five steps from ground level to the maintenance-only tip-top of the structure. Visitors are welcome to climb the seven hundred and ten steps necessary to progress from the ticket line to the observation deck, with a lift ride between the second and third levels. One imagines that every tourist making the vertical trek is indeed grateful for the elevator company whose skills are sparing them another several hundred stairs, no matter how lovely the view on the way up or down.

Even if one were a terribly unfortunate person doing repairs to the very top of the Eiffel Tower on a day the lift was out of order, you would still be better off than someone desperately needing to reach the top of the Empire State Building sans lift. That one hundred and two floor piece of New York architecture boasts one thousand, eight hundred and sixty steps from street level to the observation deck on floor 102. The building's original sixty-four elevators have been supplemented by additional service lifts for a current total of seventy-three. One can only imagine the absolute relief on the part of every delivery person that an elevator company spares him or her the misery of carrying any piece of mail or office furniture up all those flights.

The great architecture of the last few hundred years has reached higher and higher. The most impressive of these have been opened to the public so all can enjoy the extraordinary views to be had atop them. Thankfully, the kind of mechanical convenience we all too often take for granted eases the way for all who seek those heights. Without the services of an elevator company, none of these structures would share their glory with half so many people.