Michael Moynihan: My bright idea to ride on Trump’s famous gold escalator was thwarted

From Polish parades to police impediments, there’s always something going on at Trump Tower

The address is the give-away, of course: The stretch of Fifth Avenue mentioned above is occupied by Trump Tower, with all that that entails. My plan had been to enter and maybe ride on the famous golden escalator, the same one Mr Trump used when announcing his run for the presidency back in 2015. File photo: Christopher Gregory/Getty Images

THE following is a faithful transcript of a recent conversation at 721-5 Fifth Avenue, New York.

Me: Can I come in?

Policeman: No, my man. Not today.

Me: I’m a journalist from Ireland — I came a long way to get here. Are you sure?

Policeman: Sure.

Me: Fair enough. Is there something on today?

Policeman (exhaling noisily): Man, there’s something here every day.

The address is the give-away, of course: The stretch of Fifth Avenue mentioned above is occupied by Trump Tower, with all that that entails. My plan had been to enter and maybe ride on the famous golden escalator, the same one Mr Trump used when announcing his run for the presidency back in 2015.

Alas, circumstances militated against my bright idea. For one thing, the exterior of the tower was manned by uniformed members of the New York Police Department, as noted. 

Just inside the main doors there appeared to be a couple of X-ray machines for a lucky few people; their bags were being searched by uniformed security personnel of some type, and in the further reaches of the lobby or foyer were large chaps in suits who had the look of plain-clothes security personnel.

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As a result, I didn’t press my luck with the policeman who turned me back at the first hurdle.

The security measures aren’t confined to the tower itself. Outside there were crash barriers keeping pedestrians safe on the footpath, while the famous dump trucks were also much in evidence: Going back to 2016 enormous New York City Department of Sanitation trucks, brimming with sand, were stationed outside Trump Tower to serve as a protective barrier in case of an attack.

On the occasion of my visit, however, they seemed to have been moved across the street, which didn’t seem the optimal deployment if the whole purpose was to absorb the blast of a bomb attack on Trump Tower.

Perhaps they were moved at the behest of Trump Tower’s next-door neighbours.

Readers with an eye for classic movies might be able to name the business at 727 Fifth Avenue from the opening of one of the 1960s trademark light comedies; the very address figures prominently in the film’s first scene.

Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

It is of course Tiffany’s, immortalised by Audrey Hepburn stepping from a taxi in 1960’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, advancing on the jewellery shop’s main window, taking a croissant and a coffee out of a small white bag, and admiring the merchandise.

It’s difficult to re-enact that scene now with the policemen and the security guards and the crash barriers and dump trucks. A few tourists did their best but were swamped by the press of passers-by being funnelled past Trump Tower.

Then again, perhaps the trucks were moved to accommodate the Pulaski Day Parade. While I was in New York the 87th Pulaski Day Parade was held, the annual festival of Polish culture, taking its traditional route along Fifth Avenue, and it was hard to miss. 

The surrounding streets had floats and marching bands, civic representatives from sports teams to school groups, army and police personnel — most of them either in white and red or with some ribbon, hat, or armband in the Polish colours to denote their allegiance.

The march route actually forced me a good distance off my own intended trajectory, and I was about to complain loudly about the inconvenience when I remembered that any Polish-American in earshot could probably have responded with reference to the disruption caused by a certain Irish-American civic event in New York every March.

This week Donald Trump appeared to sway to music at one of his rallies instead of taking questions. File photo: AP/Evan Vucci

It doesn’t do to overstate the malign symbolism associated with Mr Trump, mostly because it doesn’t have to be overstated. This week he appeared to sway to music at one of his rallies instead of taking questions, which is as symbolic a performance as you could wish for.

But it was notable to this observer that the grand marshal of the Pulaski Parade, Piotr Praszkowicz, spoke to local media outlets at length about being invited to meet Mr Trump at Trump Tower on the day of the parade, and about the candidate’s enthusiasm for the Polish people.

“We also sent an invitation to the opposing candidate [Kamala Harris],” he said. “But we did not receive a reply.”