This is one display that I pass occasionally in my travels- and I smile every time.
It supposed to be functional, in that you cannot get out of the area unless the receptionist (who is sitting on the other side of some locked doors) remotely unlocks the doors to free you.
Alas, there is no red button. The first time I was leaving, there they were, nice large wooden locked doors. I knocked on the doors. No one heard me. I pressed on the intercom switch. No one responded. I looked across the hallway- no red button there, either.
The button in the middle of the brass rings did not seem to do anything.
The thing that appeared to be a light switch really is a light switch. It turns off the lights in the hall way. If you try it, people in uniforms appear and ask why you've turned on and off the lights.
When I did, they unlocked the doors and let me out.
I stopped and asked the receptionist about the sign that said to press the red button. She smiled and said that maybe there used to be one, but she was not sure why there was not one now. I told her it was a wee bit confusing.
Since then, I've always managed to hit the doors when others have been entering. So no need to press a button. But I know the secret. Just toggle the light switch.
Life's confusing. Just need to know the secret. Then it all makes sense. And keep your sense of humor. Don't get frustrated. Remember, light switches sometimes are keys to unlocking the heaviest of doors.
P.S. The other time that I caught security's eye was when I took this photo. "Why you takin' pitchers?"
"Because I think it's funny that the sign says to press a red button and there isn't a red button. It makes me smile every time I see it. I want to remember this. I try to find the humor in things. It makes life more fun."
