Never going into a midtown office again

Last Friday, I went to the Time Inc building at 51st and Sixth to see a day long event that MOUSE puts on.  At the end of the day, they announce the winners of the MOUSE squad, for High School and Middle School.  I wanted to go see the winners. 

It is really gratifying to see how much the organization has grown over the past 10 years.  MOUSE is almost in all the high schools in Chicago, growing in San Francisco and making their way down the coast to Los Angeles.  Not to mention they are doubling their efforts in NYC this year.  All good because the kids that go through the MOUSE program end up graduating from high school.  You can’t beat that.

It took me about 15 – 20 minutes to get up to the 8th floor to see the event.  I came at the end so the list was no longer downstairs.  First of all, at the Time Inc. building you must take off your jacket and give them your bags or handbag and put it through a scanner.  Like going to the airport.  Then they give you a sticker confirming that you are good to go.  They send you to a small office where they can then give you a badge. I wasn’t on a list and although they knew about the event, they weren’t sure which phone number on that floor to assign me too.  After many conversations and calls, I got a pass. Then after getting the pass, I had to take my security sticker ( my coat and bag being okay sticker ), my pass and my ID (drivers license) to another area to let me into the elevator banks.  This took me 20 minutes and I was so frustrated by the time the  process ended.  This is the post 9/11 world we are living in.  Do these formalities actually stop bad things from happening?  Are they executives in the Time Inc. building more secure? 

I am not sure about any of the questions above but I will say that it is my last time going into a building in midtown.  I won’t meet someone up there.  They can come down to my neck of the woods where we just might be a little more trusting.