Growing up, one of the highlights of a trip to Macy’s 34th Street in New York was riding the old fashioned wooden escalators. On a whim I decided to visit the store for the purpose of discovering whether or not they stood the test of time.

I began by asking a store clerk and she confirmed there are a number of them, but could only direct us to one, which was wood, but not as aged as the ones I remembered. At the elevator banks I announced what I was hunting for. The suggestion was to begin at the 9th floor toward the front of the store and work my way down.

I was warned that they are in a constant state of repair and so to expect some to be shut down. In addition there was one somewhere on the ground floor that leads to the basement.

When I found my first original escalator, I felt triumph and amazed at its endurance as they are in a constant state of motion. Memories of my hesitancy of that first step onto it flooded back. That escalator is moving really fast. I was able to travel a few floors before getting snagged with one out of order. It was interesting to study the stairs under repair and get an idea of the craftsmanship required and the  complexity of the project!

Amongst a detour or two, I found more escalators. There were actually lots of them! Though there are a couple of floors where they were replaced with the more modern kind.

The final frontier was finding the wooden escalator to the basement, which I eventually travelled

This was the first time I visited the store specific for this purpose. It was a highlight of the day in the city.

What surprises have you discovered visiting a department store while traveling?