A Glass Cleaner’s Nightmare
May 20th, 2008I hadn’t been to the 5th Ave. Apple store before. I wanted to go back in 2006 when we were last in New York, but other interests held sway. This past trip was so fast that we only had a few minutes to spare but I was able to convince Heather that we really needed to stop by and grab a couple of shots.
Of course the design is awesome. However, somebody has to clean that cube. I can’t imagine the pain. If you look closely, you can see some debris on the top. It was raining for a few minutes while we were inside, so you can see that as well. Kind of cool.
“They” also put down black industrial mats on the stairs to keep the stairs clean during winter months, which I did not know about and had wondered. How do you keep glass, spiral staircases clean? Custom made mats.
I did not spend more than 5 minutes in this store. It was packed like Disneyland. To buy stuff. Nutty. I love Apple and all, but that place was a zoo on a Thursday afternoon. I can’t imagine a worse way to experience a brand. It’s one of my least favorite things about Disney; they expect you to wait for a middling ride. I hope Apple isn’t headed in that direction. o
Tags: apple, Apple Store, Manhattan, NYC
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May 20th, 2008 at 3:53 am
Ah, but you see, THAT Apple store is a zoo no matter the time of day - I was there once in the middle of the week at 1:00 a.m. and it was the same way. It’s the store that never sleeps in the city that never sleeps. Gotta love it. My local Apple store across the river from here is mostly crowded at predictable hours.
May 20th, 2008 at 7:06 am
Very cool shot.
We have 5 Apple stores here in metro Denver and the one closest to me is by far the craziest. It drives me nuts sometimes, but the energy is also fun. And usually there is someone to help you on hand. Thank god they have started that portable credit card machine dealiebob.
But I imagine NY is a whole ‘nother ballgame.
May 20th, 2008 at 7:24 am
I enlarged and then saved this picture I dig,
thereby storing the Big Apple Big Apple Store, big.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I’m way glad I’m not a member the army of window washers they must need to keep that glass clean! What a cool shot, though.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:23 am
That store is nearest to the tourist areas and it has the most distinctive architecture so it is, truly, mobbed 24 hours of every single freaking day. The Soho store has a similar problem, it’s got the tourist area but not the architecture and not nearly the square footage. The newest one, in Chelsea, is a dream! I went in Jan for the first time. It’s 3 or 4 floors and I questioned the traffic flow but it was just great. You had space and time to try everything out, I blogged while I waited for my friend to show up. For star quality go to the 5th Ave store, for functionality go to Chelsea.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:39 am
We were running in and out of the Apple store when we were in NYC in early April… we were actually there to tour The Early Show (CBS’s semi-quiet answer to the Today Show) but it was wayyyyy too cold for our Texan asses.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:50 am
Those mats were actually most likely put there because of the looky-loos that hung out UNDER the glass stairs. I remember the crowds of teen, tween and creepy old boys that were there just for the “sightseeing.”
May 20th, 2008 at 9:50 am
must.have.for.desktop.pic.
are we permitted to grovel for a really BIG version, say, 1920×1200?
pretty please?
May 20th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I know what you mean - they are opening the biggest Apple store in the country in Boston in a few weeks (months? who knows really) and although the Mac geek in me cannot wait to visit, the other part of me knows it will be a hellish experience with the brand. Crowds, no customer service, no peace and quiet to play with everything. I’m sure I’ll go, once, but I doubt I’ll have the patience to stay.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
That’s the beauty of a 24 hour Apple store. I stumble there around 2am after I’ve been to the bar for a few hours. There are still a lot more people than you’d expect, but it’s much more bearable. The booze helps, too.
May 20th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Eventually nanotechnology will make possible the creation of self-cleaning glass and won’t that be the day. I’m looking forward to that for eye glasses cuz I am so sick of cleaning these darn things!
Another great photo, btw.
May 20th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
I work just a few blocks from this store, and while it is mobbed at all times, I must say my experiences there have been very good. Every time I’ve gone in there to buy something, I’ve been in and out of there in 10 - 15 mins (as long as I’m not paying with cash, which I never do anyway.) It’s pretty impressive.
May 21st, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Next time you go back, go at night!
Like Beth, I’ve had good experiences in there, no matter how full of people it’s been. What I find amusing is the fact that the store associates walk around with laptops. Surely the brilliant minds at apple can come up with a better method of in-store communication? I have a hard time containing the snark when I have to chat with a dude sporting skinny jeans, a scarf, horn-rimmed glasses, and a laptop.