On my daily commute to the 18th floor of my building (the top floor reached by the elevators) I am invariably asked by some curious individual what it’s like on the top floor. What they usually don’t know is that the elevator lies. 18 is not the top. There is also a secret 19th floor. It’s not really a secret, but it’s only accessible from within our office suite, which commands both floors.

In any case, there are no special perks to being at the top. Sure, the view is great and impressive for our visitors, but who has time to admire it? Not me. Two walls of my office are solid windows, yet I remain oblivious. I usually don’t even realize when it is raining unless someone points it out to me. I have a lovely view of two downtown lakes that I rarely look at. But I’m still secretly mad that a new tower is about to be constructed which will partially block the view of one of those lakes.

The ledge outside one window is a common landing spot for various species of avian wildlife. I’ve seen eagles, vultures, and other birds that I can’t identify. On occasion an especially dumb one will see its reflection in the window and try to attack itself. But more often I am startled by the window washers throwing their ropes and pulleys down from above. That stuff crashing into the window is LOUD! And because one of the windows is behind me, I can see the reflection in my computer screen. More than once I have thought someone had snuck into my office behind me when it was just the window washers walking around on the ledge outside.

The one and only huge perk of my particular office location is that I have the best view in the place of traffic on the interstate. This is extremely handy and makes me pretty popular as 5 p.m. approaches! So I have no real reason for telling this stuff except that once again this morning, someone asked in the elevator.