The closely guarded secrets Of Manhattan doormen
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. ‘Tis the tipping season. Time to show appreciation for those making our lives better or easier: the hairdresser, the babysitter, the mail carrier.
But in Manhattan’s high-end buildings, there’s another category of helper to reward: the doormen. The Big Apple version of the British beefeater, proud and loyal standard-bearers guarding some of the most expensive real estate in the world. In high-rise condos with 800 apartments and dozens of employees, workers generally receive $5 to $100 each.
In the snootiest buildings, tips swing from the miserly to the munificent: $50 to $1,500. Non-New Yorkers might assume our trusty doormen only open doors, hail taxis and accept packages. That’s like saying a nanny just wipes up spilled milk.
To gauge a proper tip, let’s put ourselves in the doormen’s shoes—the behavior they witness, the goods going up and down, the secrets they keep. They have to be quick on their feet and more discreet than career diplomats. Especially on Fifth Avenue, where Astors and Vanderbilts built gilded “Millionaire’s Row" overlooking Central Park.
Here reside families with what Wall Street types call “serious money." Heave open those massive front doors and peek inside. Wealth turbocharges everything within: bigger purchases, more frequent travel, grander entertaining. According to one sentry: “One thing’s for sure: You’re not in your world, you’re in their world." Unless your guests parachute in, doormen announce each one and handle every delivery, from rib roasts to Rothkos.
For the fancy-pants people, elevators open to one massive apartment per floor. With one set of garbage bins per tenant, there’s no doubt who guzzled those empty Grey Goose bottles. “We must think like
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