"Is This Going Up?"

…Or the lost art of telling which way an elevator is going. Had to return some stuff at Ala Moana today and as usual, elevators are now an essential part of our shopping trips. I think we were on three elevators today and at all three times, someone wanted to know which direction the elevator was going.

Understanding which way an elevator is going must be a lost art. Okay, I have to admit that it is a little backwards. You push the elevator call button to go up or down, and the button lights up. When the elevator arrives, the button dims. Usually, things light up to get your attention but not for elevator buttons. What does light up is the up and down arrow usually above the elevator door or somewhere thereabouts. If the up arrow is lit then the elevator is going up. If the down arrow is lit then the elevator is going down. Not too hard to understand, or so I thought.

At an elevator three times today, three times someone asks if the elevator is going up or down.