2026, Mysteries, Travel, Uncategorized

I Can’t Go Up There

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My fear of heights doesn’t make any sense.  I’ve been up in the St. Louis Arch at least 12 times; I can walk through the viewing area with no issues and can actually look out the windows which are 630 feet above the hard hard ground.  I’ve been up in a hot air balloon twice.  I’ve even flown in an open air bi-plane.  None of these experiences bothered me.

But last week I was faced by one of my fear-of-heights nemeses – a glass elevator.  Four times I year I drop off cards for one of my charities.  All the elevators in the building are glass elevators – I checked the first time I went there.  I am only going to the second floor but every time I’m standing in front of those elevator doors, I’m wondering if maybe there are stairs someplace in the building to get me to the next level.

These aren’t the only glass elevators I’ve had trouble with.  Once, in Singapore, the hotel had two kinds of elevators.  The normal kind that went up to the 25th floor and then glass-enclosed kind that you had to take to get from the 25th to the 60th floor.  It was a glorious view of the cityscape but when I discovered that the hotel had put me up on the 50th floor (this was considered an upgrade because most folks LIKE the higher floors), I asked them to move me to a different room, preferably on the 3rd or 4th floor.  It did at least make me feel better when the front desk staff told me that this is not an uncommon request.  Phew! 

When I have no other option than to deal with glass elevators, my usual modus operandi is to stand facing the doors (which are rarely glass)… as close to the doors as I can get.  If I’m alone, then basically nose-to-door; if there are other folks, I try to keep at least a foot back so they don’t have me carted away in a pretty wrap-a-round sweater.  And I can guarantee that I am ALWAYS the first off that elevator.  I’d rather ride the escalators at the Mall of America than do glass elevators (which they also have at MOA).

So I really don’t understand why some heights don’t bother me and some heights REALLY bother me.  I’m guessing at my age I’ll probably never figure it out.

Would you rather ride in a glass elevator or hold a big snake?

32 thoughts on “I Can’t Go Up There”

  2. Assuming the snake isn’t venomous, give me the snake. They are sentient and as long as I don’t harm them, they have no reason to harm me (that said, I still say eke when I suddenly encounter one in the yard-size does not matter).

    A void does care. I’m going to go think about something else now, thanks.

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  4. Glass elevator any day over a big snake. I’ve been on several glass elevators and actually enjoy the view. Heights don’t bother me. I’ve been to the 125th floor of the Burj Khalifa (observation deck of the current world’s tallest building, which is all glassed in), stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon, been in 3 hot air balloons, parasailed twice, been in the observation deck of the World Trade Tower (many years ago), and ridden many Ferris wheels. But don’t give me a snake to hold – no matter what size.

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    2. I did go up to the top of The Shard in London once (not of my own free will) and could not stay on the observation level at the very top. I ended up going down a flight of stairs and waiting for my client and account exec. They both described me as slightly green when they came down. Then two nights later we ate dinner at the Aqua Shard; luckily it’s on the 31st floor. Even so I made sure my back was to the windows. Same when we had appetizers and drinks at the Walkie Talkie on the 25th floor. (I’m never sorry I did these things but was always glad when they were over.)

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  5. Rise and Ride that Elevator, Baboons,

    The snake option is too vague. If it is a garter or corn snake, I will take the snake. My uncle taught me the following as a child:

    1. how to hold and pet a snake without fear. This has been a useful skill throughout my lifetime, especially when working in the garden.

    2. Value the snake for its ecological benefits, so do not kill the garter and corn snake.

    None of this holds true for any kind of toxic/poisonous/Squeezy snake. If it is a poisonous snake then I take the elevator. I have talked before about my lifetime fear of heights. I can do heights if needed, but it is not a fun experience. It involves a lot of closed eyes and deep breathing.

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  8. Glass elevator. Not particularly afraid of snakes, other than venomous ones, of course. I just don’t like the idea of handling one.

    Chris in Owatonna

    **BSP** Before I forget. The Deep Valley Book Festival is Saturday, Oct. 3, in Mankato at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel, just south of US 14 and west of MN 22. Times are 10-4, with more than 60 authors, and the keynote speaker is Kate DiCamillo. Three other programs are also free, but all four require you to reserve a seat. Do that at deepvalleybookfestival.com.

    I’ll be there as part of Midwest Mystery Works, selling and signing copies of our 5-author medical thriller, “The Kill Code Collective.” I’ll also have my other books for sale too. With more than 60 authors, I can almost guarantee you’ll find several authors of interest in your favorite genre and many others. **END BSP**

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  9. I’ve held snakes and ridden in glass elevators. I don’t particularly like either one, but I can do it. I can’t decide which I’d rather do. Maybe I’d hold the harmless snake and watch its tongue flick in and out and look into its beady little eyes. I don’t love them, but I can hold them.

    I think buildings that have elevators have to have stairways in case the elevator fails for some reason. Maybe someone could direct you to the stairway.

    OT (rant): I’ve had a new patio door installed. It works much better than the old one, and indoor snow drifts should be eliminated now. The guy had to take some siding off the house to do the job. We discovered that there is no house wrap or Tyvek over the boards. I sent an email to the HOA manager. She said it wasn’t code in 1998. Others have told me it was. New siding is needed since there are holes from hail in the siding on the north wall. I have asked about this since I moved in. She says the Board doesn’t have new siding in its current plans. Mine should have been replaced when the hail damaged the siding, before I owned it. Grrrr…

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      1. Sometimes, yes. In this case, certainly yes. In general it’s better than the HOA I was in before this one. I just don’t want the wood, or wood product, underneath the siding to rot or get moldy. I don’t know why the siding wasn’t replaced after the hail storm that caused damage. It should have been. It was at my old place.

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  12. Was on the top of Lookout Mountain yesterday to see Buffalo Bill museum and grave. The heights like that are no problem, but don’t make me climb a ladder. My grandfather was a sergeant at Ft. Logan in Denver in 1917 and was in the honor guard at BB’s funeral.

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    1. In 1960, my family was driving through South Dakota and at a roadside stop we met Dakota Clyde Jones. He told us he had performed in Buffalo Bill’s wild west show with his team of trained bison. He also had acted as security for Calvin Coolidge when Coolidge spent some time in the Dakotas. As a thank-you for his friendship and service, Coolidge had given Jones a pair of gold-plated six shooters, which Dakota Clyde had on hand to show us. There are home movies of a twelve-year-old me wearing the six shooters in their holster and advancing with hands posed in classic fast draw stance.

      I have no problem with heights. I would prefer a pet snake, used to being handled, to a wild one.

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        1. I was twelve, remember, so he seemed really old. As I was careful to say, he TOLD us he had performed in Buffalo Bill’s show with his trained team of bison. There are pictures of him with his bison team easily searchable. There are also plenty of images of Dakota Clyde with Coolidge in 1920.

          I didn’t spend much time researching but Buffalo Bill died in 1917 at the age of 70. I didn’t discover whether he was still hosting his wild west show at that time, so the truth of Dakota Clyde’s claim is uncertain. He would have had to have tamed his bison while still a young man and his participation in the show would have likely been an appearance when the show was nearby rather than a regular gig, but it’s possible.

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        2. Okay, I did a little more research. Buffalo Bill’s show folded in 1913, so let’s say Clyde performed in 1910. Let’s also say he was 75 in 1960. That would have made him 25 in 1910. Possible…

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  13. OT
    Had a treadmill stress test today and got heart clearance for surgery to proceed.
    I began the walking but had my phone, keys and billfold in cargo pants the weight of which caused my pants to start falling down! I told the technician, “My pants are falling down!
    “Here, I’ll hold them up.”
    Apparently, she didn’t want to start over.
    Maintaining balance one-handed on the support made me slow down so that the readings came back “exercise adverse.” I KNOW I could have performed better but a redo isn’t necessary. The whole thing was hilarious to me and the family.

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  14. I love heights and freak out at the sight of even a small garter snake, so it’s an easy choice for me. I’d love to ride in a hot-air balloon, and the Ferris wheel was my favorite ride as a kid.

    Husband, however, would have difficulty. He has a fear of height, but he can handle it in some situations. Glass elevators are okay, but he looks ahead at the door. He passed on the opportunity to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. He doesn’t go up ladders. We’ve been in high buildings, like the John Hancock building in Chicago, but he doesn’t get near the windows. And he used to really hate driving over bridges, although he’s better than he used to be.

    He’s not crazy about snakes, either, but might handle a small garter snake.

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