1 00:00:17,211 --> 00:00:18,778 Hey. 2 00:00:18,845 --> 00:00:21,611 Everyone in New York is going to die. 3 00:00:21,678 --> 00:00:24,978 But sometimes the city tries to stop that from happening. 4 00:00:26,244 --> 00:00:30,311 Many people worry about things that can kill them at eye level. 5 00:00:30,378 --> 00:00:32,812 But you're probably more likely to be destroyed 6 00:00:32,878 --> 00:00:34,511 by something above you. 7 00:00:35,745 --> 00:00:37,645 This is why the city has installed 8 00:00:37,712 --> 00:00:40,845 a sprawling network of temporary sidewalk shelters 9 00:00:40,912 --> 00:00:43,845 to protect pedestrians from falling objects. 10 00:00:43,912 --> 00:00:46,511 This is called scaffolding, 11 00:00:46,578 --> 00:00:48,945 and almost everywhere you look in Manhattan, 12 00:00:49,011 --> 00:00:51,712 you are guaranteed to see some form of it. 13 00:00:52,578 --> 00:00:55,144 It's as common as a fire hydrant... 14 00:00:55,211 --> 00:00:57,378 or a honking horn, 15 00:00:57,445 --> 00:00:59,111 but most New Yorkers don't even seem to 16 00:00:59,178 --> 00:01:00,745 give it a second thought. 17 00:01:00,812 --> 00:01:02,778 So, do you have strong thoughts about scaffolding? 18 00:01:03,378 --> 00:01:04,578 No, not at the moment. 19 00:01:08,978 --> 00:01:11,545 I didn't understand why there was so much of it 20 00:01:11,611 --> 00:01:12,878 in New York, 21 00:01:12,945 --> 00:01:16,078 so I went on an expedition to figure out 22 00:01:16,144 --> 00:01:19,545 why anyone would wanna cover up such a handsome city 23 00:01:19,611 --> 00:01:21,812 in so much scaffolding. 24 00:01:26,278 --> 00:01:29,211 There wasn't always this much scaffolding in New York. 25 00:01:31,111 --> 00:01:35,044 The island of Manhattan was a lush, green paradise. 26 00:01:35,111 --> 00:01:37,812 But ever since the Dutch came across the sea 27 00:01:37,878 --> 00:01:41,445 and colonized this unspoiled virgin island, 28 00:01:41,511 --> 00:01:44,712 New York has been a casualty to man's ravenous appetite 29 00:01:44,778 --> 00:01:46,278 for over-development. 30 00:01:47,511 --> 00:01:51,044 Once the original settlers tamed the bedrock, 31 00:01:51,111 --> 00:01:54,478 the only other direction to build was upwards, 32 00:01:54,545 --> 00:01:56,011 towards the heavens. 33 00:01:57,345 --> 00:02:00,144 At this point, New York has some of the oldest, 34 00:02:00,211 --> 00:02:03,978 tallest, uh, most historic buildings in the country. 35 00:02:04,044 --> 00:02:06,445 But their toxic relationship with gravity 36 00:02:06,511 --> 00:02:09,244 has, uh, turned them into a fatal liability. 37 00:02:10,445 --> 00:02:13,645 In 1979, a young student was hit by a brick 38 00:02:13,712 --> 00:02:16,978 that fell off the facade of a building and killed her. 39 00:02:18,178 --> 00:02:21,278 This is the intersection where it happened, right here. 40 00:02:22,345 --> 00:02:24,244 Her name was Grace Gold. 41 00:02:24,311 --> 00:02:26,511 And they renamed the street after her, uh, 42 00:02:26,578 --> 00:02:27,712 a few years later. 43 00:02:28,712 --> 00:02:32,211 After she died, the city passed a local law 44 00:02:32,278 --> 00:02:34,845 which basically says that every building in New York 45 00:02:34,912 --> 00:02:37,745 has to have their façade inspected every five years, 46 00:02:37,812 --> 00:02:39,678 whether the building needs it or not. 47 00:02:40,845 --> 00:02:42,978 This turned New York City scaffolding 48 00:02:43,044 --> 00:02:46,044 into an eight-billion-dollar- a-year industry. 49 00:02:46,111 --> 00:02:49,144 And it doesn't seem like it's gonna be slowing down 50 00:02:49,211 --> 00:02:50,478 anytime soon. 51 00:03:27,678 --> 00:03:31,678 The average scaffold is made of a few simple elements. 52 00:03:31,745 --> 00:03:34,611 Your main vertical pole is called the standard, 53 00:03:34,678 --> 00:03:36,678 or sometimes the upright. 54 00:03:37,712 --> 00:03:40,345 These are usually made of steel or aluminum. 55 00:03:40,778 --> 00:03:41,812 And, um... 56 00:03:42,978 --> 00:03:43,978 Uh... 57 00:03:45,978 --> 00:03:47,411 The people that put up scaffolding 58 00:03:47,478 --> 00:03:50,311 are affectionately known as "scaffies." 59 00:03:50,378 --> 00:03:52,778 And they may do more to alter the landscape 60 00:03:52,845 --> 00:03:55,111 than any other group of people in New York. 61 00:03:56,978 --> 00:03:59,345 They are a polarizing bunch. 62 00:03:59,411 --> 00:04:05,011 Uh... they seem like a vigorous and virile breed. 63 00:04:05,078 --> 00:04:08,645 But there are also hierarchies, uh, within the business 64 00:04:08,712 --> 00:04:10,745 that most people may be unaware of. 65 00:04:12,311 --> 00:04:14,778 A scaffie is someone that actually erects 66 00:04:14,845 --> 00:04:16,144 most of the structure. 67 00:04:17,578 --> 00:04:20,244 A "groundie" is someone that yells at a scaffie 68 00:04:20,311 --> 00:04:23,478 from the street to make sure they're doing the right thing. 69 00:04:23,545 --> 00:04:26,478 The "plankie" is in charge of all the wood. 70 00:04:27,578 --> 00:04:31,578 The "flagger" tells civilians where to walk, 71 00:04:31,645 --> 00:04:34,945 uh, while the "beam boys" move the steel overhead. 72 00:04:36,211 --> 00:04:39,078 The "foremen" make sure that everything is done 73 00:04:39,144 --> 00:04:42,378 according to OSHA safety standards. 74 00:04:43,778 --> 00:04:47,244 Every crew has a... A "hammer guy," uh, just one. 75 00:04:49,078 --> 00:04:52,345 Or sometimes two. Two hammer guys. 76 00:04:52,411 --> 00:04:55,878 Uh, the "roll-dog" drives the crew between job sites. 77 00:04:57,044 --> 00:04:59,611 The "bathroom attendant" gives them a... 78 00:05:00,211 --> 00:05:01,411 A pot to piss in. 79 00:05:02,645 --> 00:05:06,578 The "sweetman" cools them down at the end of a long afternoon. 80 00:05:06,645 --> 00:05:09,845 And Spot here, uh, grabs them the paper. 81 00:05:09,912 --> 00:05:11,978 Atta boy. 82 00:05:12,044 --> 00:05:13,745 And when they all work together, 83 00:05:13,812 --> 00:05:16,578 this glorious ballet produces a majority 84 00:05:16,645 --> 00:05:19,712 of New York's roughly 280 miles of scaffolding. 85 00:05:22,478 --> 00:05:25,011 Because scaffolding is only meant to be temporary, 86 00:05:25,078 --> 00:05:29,011 the people who put it up usually don't care how it looks. 87 00:05:29,078 --> 00:05:31,578 At best, the design of most scaffolding 88 00:05:31,645 --> 00:05:33,411 is aggressively neutral. 89 00:05:33,478 --> 00:05:34,945 But a lot of people see this 90 00:05:35,011 --> 00:05:37,912 as a divine opportunity to personalize it 91 00:05:37,978 --> 00:05:39,244 and make it their own. 92 00:05:40,611 --> 00:05:43,912 Outside of this building, they covered it in fake vines, 93 00:05:43,978 --> 00:05:46,244 which makes it feel like you're waltzing 94 00:05:46,311 --> 00:05:49,278 through some kind of Italian villa. 95 00:05:55,778 --> 00:05:58,845 Just about every culture has made scaffolding its own. 96 00:06:24,945 --> 00:06:27,425 Many residents of New York have discovered practical ways 97 00:06:27,478 --> 00:06:30,044 to make use of scaffolding. 98 00:06:30,111 --> 00:06:33,378 This person turned it into a... a public fitness center. 99 00:06:34,378 --> 00:06:36,945 This person is using scaffolding as an office. 100 00:06:38,545 --> 00:06:42,678 This person, uh, turned it into a ba... a bathroom. 101 00:06:42,745 --> 00:06:45,778 These people turned it into a bedroom. 102 00:06:45,845 --> 00:06:47,778 This person turned it 103 00:06:47,845 --> 00:06:50,611 into their own personal concert venue. 104 00:06:50,678 --> 00:06:52,611 When I asked him how to get to Carnegie Hall, 105 00:06:52,678 --> 00:06:55,812 he said, uh, he didn't know. 106 00:06:55,878 --> 00:06:57,645 I pass these guys every day, 107 00:06:57,712 --> 00:06:59,611 and they're always playing backgammon 108 00:06:59,678 --> 00:07:01,812 underneath the scaffolding... 109 00:07:01,878 --> 00:07:04,545 day and night, in every kind of weather. 110 00:07:06,645 --> 00:07:09,044 I even met someone who used scaffolding 111 00:07:09,111 --> 00:07:10,945 on a romantic date. 112 00:07:11,011 --> 00:07:13,578 He had scaffolding set up on the side of his house. 113 00:07:14,278 --> 00:07:15,978 It was in Hawaii. 114 00:07:16,044 --> 00:07:17,778 He left me outside when it rained. 115 00:07:18,545 --> 00:07:20,278 That was interesting. 116 00:07:20,345 --> 00:07:22,812 - Like this? - Yep, yep. 117 00:07:22,878 --> 00:07:25,078 But picture, um... 118 00:07:25,144 --> 00:07:26,645 of course, without clothes. 119 00:07:26,712 --> 00:07:29,345 Because, like I said, he was a nudist. 120 00:07:29,411 --> 00:07:32,445 And, uh, that's the time he came in with the blindfold, 121 00:07:32,511 --> 00:07:34,311 he used a whip on me. 122 00:07:34,378 --> 00:07:38,611 And, um, he... he edged me while I was blindfolded, 123 00:07:38,678 --> 00:07:40,278 then he'd just walk away. 124 00:07:40,345 --> 00:07:43,111 And, um, session lasted about two hours. 125 00:07:43,178 --> 00:07:44,745 And then he did finish me off, 126 00:07:44,812 --> 00:07:46,978 and I squirted all over the floor. 127 00:07:51,044 --> 00:07:52,978 I went to a museum in Queens, 128 00:07:53,044 --> 00:07:55,011 and they had an art installation 129 00:07:55,078 --> 00:07:58,111 that was entirely made out of scaffolding. 130 00:07:58,178 --> 00:08:02,645 It was heavily decorated with, uh, waterfalls and stuff... 131 00:08:02,712 --> 00:08:04,978 and even a bunch of hammocks 132 00:08:05,044 --> 00:08:06,511 that people could relax on. 133 00:08:07,511 --> 00:08:09,578 They even paid 22 dollars each 134 00:08:09,645 --> 00:08:12,978 for the chance to admire it and interact with it. 135 00:08:14,178 --> 00:08:16,111 I guess it doesn't take much to transform 136 00:08:16,178 --> 00:08:19,545 such a common object into something extraordinary. 137 00:08:19,611 --> 00:08:22,311 It's kind of like when a superhero puts on a cape 138 00:08:22,378 --> 00:08:26,478 and for some reason, no one can recognize them anymore. 139 00:08:26,545 --> 00:08:29,545 And when I left, I noticed that every single building 140 00:08:29,611 --> 00:08:32,945 outside the museum had scaffolding up in front of it. 141 00:08:33,011 --> 00:08:36,178 But nobody seemed to want to interact with this stuff. 142 00:08:39,345 --> 00:08:40,645 Since the dawn of cinema, 143 00:08:40,712 --> 00:08:42,211 scaffolding has offered a setting 144 00:08:42,278 --> 00:08:44,311 for some of our wildest fantasies. 145 00:08:45,845 --> 00:08:47,878 Countless action scenes have taken place 146 00:08:47,945 --> 00:08:49,745 on or around scaffolding. 147 00:08:51,411 --> 00:08:53,745 This includes pretty much every movie 148 00:08:53,812 --> 00:08:55,645 that Jackie Chan has ever been in. 149 00:08:56,878 --> 00:08:59,645 It seems like the poor guy just can't catch a break 150 00:08:59,712 --> 00:09:01,611 whenever there's construction going on. 151 00:09:04,545 --> 00:09:08,011 It's probably so popular because it's a modular set piece 152 00:09:08,078 --> 00:09:10,178 that is stable enough to fight on 153 00:09:10,244 --> 00:09:12,311 and makes sense in almost any environment. 154 00:09:13,511 --> 00:09:16,111 It often transmits that whatever property they're on 155 00:09:16,178 --> 00:09:17,878 is not worthy of respect, 156 00:09:17,945 --> 00:09:20,044 and that any damage they do to the structure 157 00:09:20,111 --> 00:09:21,511 is of no significance. 158 00:09:23,244 --> 00:09:24,945 It's a great place for comedy too... 159 00:09:27,278 --> 00:09:28,378 and drama. 160 00:09:31,611 --> 00:09:33,611 It's industrial, yet romantic, 161 00:09:33,678 --> 00:09:36,244 and its erotic qualities cannot be denied. 162 00:09:38,745 --> 00:09:40,278 There are a lot of iconic buildings 163 00:09:40,345 --> 00:09:43,945 that show up all the time in movies about New York City. 164 00:09:44,011 --> 00:09:45,978 There's usually never anything obstructing them 165 00:09:46,044 --> 00:09:49,411 in the establishing shots, but in reality, 166 00:09:49,478 --> 00:09:51,545 all of these buildings are usually covered 167 00:09:51,611 --> 00:09:53,411 by a bunch of scaffolding. 168 00:09:55,078 --> 00:09:58,345 Here's the Flatiron Building in The Usual Suspects... 169 00:09:59,278 --> 00:10:01,478 and here's what it usually looks like. 170 00:10:04,011 --> 00:10:05,411 Here's the Plaza Hotel 171 00:10:05,478 --> 00:10:07,712 in the background of Midnight Cowboy... 172 00:10:08,445 --> 00:10:11,111 and here it is in real life. 173 00:10:13,211 --> 00:10:17,411 Here's Tiffany's in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's... 174 00:10:17,478 --> 00:10:20,478 and here... And there's scaffolding. 175 00:10:21,678 --> 00:10:25,511 Here's 101 Park Avenue in Gremlins 2, 176 00:10:25,578 --> 00:10:27,978 and it seems like it's one of the few buildings 177 00:10:28,044 --> 00:10:30,011 that's untouched in real... 178 00:10:30,078 --> 00:10:32,411 Nope, actually, there... There's scaffolding there too. 179 00:10:34,645 --> 00:10:37,545 We cover ourselves in scaffolding all the time. 180 00:10:38,511 --> 00:10:41,345 Uh, braces are scaffolding of the mouth. 181 00:10:42,311 --> 00:10:44,845 A cast can be a scaffold for the limbs. 182 00:10:45,878 --> 00:10:49,411 A brassiere is scaffolding for the breast. 183 00:10:49,478 --> 00:10:52,545 These things give us structure, support, and protection. 184 00:10:53,812 --> 00:10:56,345 We even have scaffolding in our bodies, 185 00:10:56,411 --> 00:10:58,011 inside every cell. 186 00:10:58,078 --> 00:11:00,578 Um, this is the scaffolding protein 187 00:11:00,645 --> 00:11:01,978 - in pink here. - Ah. 188 00:11:02,044 --> 00:11:04,020 And this is the three different proteins 189 00:11:04,044 --> 00:11:06,478 you might have positioned on it that need to work together. 190 00:11:06,545 --> 00:11:08,387 Could we live without scaffolding proteins 191 00:11:08,411 --> 00:11:11,244 - in our bodies? - No. No. 192 00:11:11,311 --> 00:11:13,745 But not everyone likes scaffolding. 193 00:11:15,945 --> 00:11:17,011 Hit me in the head. 194 00:11:17,078 --> 00:11:18,645 'Cause these guys are up there, 195 00:11:18,712 --> 00:11:20,411 and they don't know what they're doing. 196 00:11:20,478 --> 00:11:23,345 And they... they're barely able to hold it up. 197 00:11:23,411 --> 00:11:24,745 And you're walking underneath... 198 00:11:24,812 --> 00:11:27,578 And one time, a piece actually fell, 199 00:11:27,645 --> 00:11:29,611 and it was maybe about eight feet away from me, 200 00:11:29,678 --> 00:11:30,878 but it was about that far away 201 00:11:30,912 --> 00:11:32,645 from the pregnant woman in front of me. 202 00:11:32,712 --> 00:11:35,178 So we both got hysterical. 203 00:11:35,244 --> 00:11:38,345 A lot of people complain that it interrupts foot traffic 204 00:11:38,411 --> 00:11:41,111 and obscures the signage of, uh, 205 00:11:41,178 --> 00:11:43,011 beloved businesses underneath. 206 00:11:44,445 --> 00:11:48,278 This lawyer had an amazing view, but not anymore. 207 00:11:50,778 --> 00:11:53,611 A lot of trees don't receive the light that they deserve 208 00:11:53,678 --> 00:11:55,011 underneath all this stuff. 209 00:11:56,411 --> 00:11:59,244 It decreases property value sometimes, 210 00:11:59,311 --> 00:12:02,311 and also decreases the quality of life 211 00:12:04,745 --> 00:12:07,878 This scaffolding has been up for... 212 00:12:07,945 --> 00:12:10,178 - ...for over a year now. - Oh, really? 213 00:12:11,011 --> 00:12:13,144 Uh, it's... 214 00:12:17,044 --> 00:12:20,778 This, uh, it blocks your view of the street. 215 00:12:20,845 --> 00:12:22,845 We have some nice trees out here. 216 00:12:22,912 --> 00:12:24,645 You can't see the trees. 217 00:12:24,712 --> 00:12:27,745 We've had people drilling outside. 218 00:12:27,812 --> 00:12:29,111 You know... 219 00:12:29,178 --> 00:12:32,511 It's... It's depressing. It's just depressing. 220 00:12:34,278 --> 00:12:36,812 Sometimes people even spontaneously snap 221 00:12:36,878 --> 00:12:38,878 and try to take it down themselves. 222 00:12:39,678 --> 00:12:41,244 But if you really can't stand 223 00:12:41,311 --> 00:12:43,011 scaffolding outside of your building, 224 00:12:43,078 --> 00:12:44,912 the most effective removal method 225 00:12:44,978 --> 00:12:49,244 is to hop into a cab, uh, put on your seat belt, 226 00:12:49,311 --> 00:12:53,111 and tell the driver to plow strai... to... to... 227 00:12:53,178 --> 00:12:54,878 To drive directly into it. 228 00:12:54,945 --> 00:12:58,812 Um, then, they'll have to take it all down. 229 00:12:58,878 --> 00:13:02,712 And everyone will thank you for your service. 230 00:13:04,745 --> 00:13:06,745 Most New Yorkers will put up with anything 231 00:13:06,812 --> 00:13:08,511 as long as they know it's temporary. 232 00:13:10,411 --> 00:13:11,945 But for some people, 233 00:13:12,011 --> 00:13:15,244 the temporary nature of something can be the problem. 234 00:13:15,311 --> 00:13:16,554 You won't know there's... 235 00:13:16,578 --> 00:13:18,498 There's a pole there until you run right into it. 236 00:13:19,345 --> 00:13:20,912 Uh, the ones I really hate 237 00:13:20,978 --> 00:13:24,445 is when you got poles that are, uh, elevated mostly, 238 00:13:24,511 --> 00:13:26,611 um, like chest level, 239 00:13:26,678 --> 00:13:28,845 uh, stomach level, or even head level, 240 00:13:28,912 --> 00:13:31,011 where the cane can actually... 241 00:13:31,078 --> 00:13:33,712 glide under... under it and it won't detect it. 242 00:13:33,778 --> 00:13:36,478 And you won't know there's a pole there until you hit it. 243 00:13:36,545 --> 00:13:38,378 - You see how this one is lower? - Yeah. 244 00:13:38,445 --> 00:13:40,678 So, immediately, I would, uh, 245 00:13:40,745 --> 00:13:43,078 immediately try to go around this if I feel it. 246 00:13:44,244 --> 00:13:45,712 Goes right underneath. 247 00:13:45,778 --> 00:13:46,812 Uh, yeah, it'd be great 248 00:13:46,878 --> 00:13:48,578 to live in a city without scaffolding. 249 00:13:49,478 --> 00:13:51,945 But, um, unfortunately, uh... 250 00:13:52,945 --> 00:13:55,111 you know, you work with what you got. 251 00:14:00,611 --> 00:14:02,078 About a decade ago, 252 00:14:02,144 --> 00:14:04,745 I had this job where I had to wake up at 4 a.m. 253 00:14:04,812 --> 00:14:08,011 and go film infomercials that were broadcast live 254 00:14:08,078 --> 00:14:10,745 to local cable stations around the country. 255 00:14:12,345 --> 00:14:15,545 It was right here at 229 West 36th Street. 256 00:14:16,345 --> 00:14:19,044 I spent many, many cold mornings 257 00:14:19,111 --> 00:14:21,111 waiting for someone to buzz me in 258 00:14:21,178 --> 00:14:24,011 so I could go shoot some infomercials. 259 00:14:25,311 --> 00:14:27,845 This is one of the things that I shot. 260 00:14:27,912 --> 00:14:31,545 I was instructed to film the beef exactly like this, 261 00:14:31,611 --> 00:14:33,144 for ten hours straight. 262 00:14:33,211 --> 00:14:35,778 So, they're just wonderful. They're all the buzz right now. 263 00:14:35,845 --> 00:14:38,278 Sweet and savory, just delicious. 264 00:14:38,345 --> 00:14:39,945 Your guests will love them, 265 00:14:40,011 --> 00:14:43,878 and you will totally take them to Roast-Beef-atopia. 266 00:14:43,945 --> 00:14:46,211 I remember after the first one I did, 267 00:14:46,278 --> 00:14:47,978 I told myself that I would never return 268 00:14:48,044 --> 00:14:49,745 under any circumstances. 269 00:14:50,545 --> 00:14:52,611 But five years later, 270 00:14:52,678 --> 00:14:55,878 I was still somehow standing behind the same camera, 271 00:14:55,945 --> 00:14:58,678 filming the same beef the same way. 272 00:14:58,745 --> 00:15:00,354 Look at all that great food, 273 00:15:00,378 --> 00:15:03,545 hand-trimmed to exacting specifications... 274 00:15:03,611 --> 00:15:05,211 I was afraid I wouldn't be able to 275 00:15:05,278 --> 00:15:07,244 support myself without steady work, 276 00:15:07,311 --> 00:15:10,211 even though I knew in my heart that I was helping to create 277 00:15:10,278 --> 00:15:13,745 some of the most grotesque content on the planet. 278 00:15:17,978 --> 00:15:20,978 It's really easy to settle for something that you don't like. 279 00:15:22,178 --> 00:15:23,845 Because if you never admit 280 00:15:23,912 --> 00:15:26,178 you're unhappy with something... 281 00:15:26,244 --> 00:15:28,712 then you never have to change anything. 282 00:15:30,478 --> 00:15:33,878 Most of us don't speak up when we're dissatisfied... 283 00:15:35,445 --> 00:15:38,244 and then things just begin to accumulate 284 00:15:38,311 --> 00:15:42,445 until you can't really imagine an alternative. 285 00:15:44,678 --> 00:15:47,678 You could end a relationship that offers you nothing, 286 00:15:47,745 --> 00:15:51,011 or you could just stay in it indefinitely 287 00:15:51,078 --> 00:15:54,278 because it's too hard to move on. 288 00:15:57,345 --> 00:16:00,411 This scaffolding has been up for over 20 years. 289 00:16:01,411 --> 00:16:04,111 It's at 409 Edgecombe Avenue 290 00:16:04,178 --> 00:16:07,378 in the Sugar Hill area of Harlem. 291 00:16:07,445 --> 00:16:09,712 Yeah, it's been here my entire life. 292 00:16:09,778 --> 00:16:12,311 I don't know when it was put up, 293 00:16:12,378 --> 00:16:14,878 when they plan on bringing it down. It's... 294 00:16:14,945 --> 00:16:16,220 It's just something that's been here. 295 00:16:16,244 --> 00:16:19,345 Like, I... I know we used it for, like, sports and games. 296 00:16:19,411 --> 00:16:20,912 I know I used to play, like, manhunt, 297 00:16:20,978 --> 00:16:23,244 and we used to climb up this and just run it. 298 00:16:23,311 --> 00:16:24,511 You know, to me, I... 299 00:16:24,578 --> 00:16:27,912 I've known it my whole life, so, to me, it is a landmark. 300 00:16:27,978 --> 00:16:31,511 But despite whatever emotional attachment you have... 301 00:16:31,578 --> 00:16:34,278 scaffolding was never designed to be up for this long. 302 00:16:37,478 --> 00:16:39,678 I was walking down Fifth Avenue recently, 303 00:16:39,745 --> 00:16:43,645 and I saw that a bunch of scaffolding had just collapsed. 304 00:16:43,712 --> 00:16:46,211 There were broken planks and bricks everywhere, 305 00:16:46,278 --> 00:16:48,011 but thankfully, nobody was hurt. 306 00:16:49,778 --> 00:16:51,411 It seemed like all this old scaffolding 307 00:16:51,478 --> 00:16:53,611 was a ticking time bomb. 308 00:16:53,678 --> 00:16:56,978 But instead of figuring out a way to get it down sooner, 309 00:16:57,044 --> 00:16:58,611 the only noticeable innovation 310 00:16:58,678 --> 00:17:01,244 has been to make it more stylish. 311 00:17:02,478 --> 00:17:06,211 In 2009, they held a scaffolding design competition, 312 00:17:06,278 --> 00:17:08,578 and this thing won. 313 00:17:10,745 --> 00:17:12,044 Not long after, 314 00:17:12,111 --> 00:17:15,211 its creamy, pearly-white pillars 315 00:17:15,278 --> 00:17:19,078 started to pop up on some of the city's more genteel buildings. 316 00:17:20,578 --> 00:17:23,445 Although it may be brighter and less cave-like, 317 00:17:23,511 --> 00:17:26,578 this new scaffold seems a lot less customizable. 318 00:17:27,511 --> 00:17:30,044 There are fewer places to hang things. 319 00:17:30,111 --> 00:17:32,311 And I can't imagine an action scene 320 00:17:32,378 --> 00:17:33,578 working the same way. 321 00:17:34,812 --> 00:17:37,978 It's almost as if it wants New York to be a different city, 322 00:17:38,044 --> 00:17:40,111 where it looks like every building 323 00:17:40,178 --> 00:17:41,645 shops at the same store. 324 00:17:42,645 --> 00:17:44,611 And I'm not sure that turning scaffolding 325 00:17:44,678 --> 00:17:47,978 into a status symbol is really making us any safer. 326 00:17:49,978 --> 00:17:52,678 Fortunately, there was a scaffolding convention 327 00:17:52,745 --> 00:17:54,912 happening, uh, down in New Orleans. 328 00:17:54,978 --> 00:17:56,311 So I went down there 329 00:17:56,378 --> 00:17:58,478 to see if there was a solution on the horizon 330 00:17:58,545 --> 00:18:00,078 that could work for everyone. 331 00:18:03,445 --> 00:18:05,078 When I checked in to the Sheraton, 332 00:18:05,144 --> 00:18:06,278 I could already see signs 333 00:18:06,345 --> 00:18:09,378 that the scaffolding industry had invaded. 334 00:18:09,445 --> 00:18:10,821 This was supposed to be the cutting edge 335 00:18:10,845 --> 00:18:12,478 of scaffold technology, 336 00:18:12,545 --> 00:18:15,445 and I was, uh, I was very excited. 337 00:18:31,778 --> 00:18:34,078 - Did you invent this? - Yeah. 338 00:18:34,144 --> 00:18:36,011 Uh, why did you invent this? 339 00:18:36,078 --> 00:18:38,812 Because I had a window cleaner fall off a building and die. 340 00:18:39,411 --> 00:18:40,778 Oh. 341 00:18:43,712 --> 00:18:45,921 And we can make it 13 feet long. 342 00:18:45,945 --> 00:18:47,311 It's an eight-footer now, but we... 343 00:18:47,378 --> 00:18:48,938 That's a small side brush, so we can add 344 00:18:48,978 --> 00:18:50,778 two side brushes and it'll clean... 345 00:18:50,845 --> 00:18:53,078 It'll clean almost twice as much. 346 00:18:54,978 --> 00:18:56,011 Wow. 347 00:18:57,378 --> 00:18:59,178 I only talked to a couple of people 348 00:18:59,244 --> 00:19:02,111 before the organizers of the convention approached me 349 00:19:02,178 --> 00:19:04,178 and told me that I needed to stop filming. 350 00:19:04,244 --> 00:19:05,411 Uh, why is that? 351 00:19:08,011 --> 00:19:09,378 Yes. 352 00:19:09,445 --> 00:19:11,587 They said that there were too many industry secrets here, 353 00:19:11,611 --> 00:19:13,945 and I couldn't be trusted not to steal them. 354 00:19:14,011 --> 00:19:15,478 So I can't go around... 355 00:19:17,078 --> 00:19:18,111 All right. 356 00:19:18,745 --> 00:19:20,445 I was crushed. 357 00:19:20,511 --> 00:19:22,278 But thankfully, there were a bunch of 358 00:19:22,345 --> 00:19:24,511 scaffolding people hanging around outside, 359 00:19:24,578 --> 00:19:27,345 and they were fine telling me all their secrets. 360 00:19:27,411 --> 00:19:30,445 Business is good, business is booming, uh, 361 00:19:30,511 --> 00:19:33,445 our s... our sales are increasing year over year. 362 00:19:33,511 --> 00:19:34,954 If you're in New York City, you will... 363 00:19:34,978 --> 00:19:36,354 You will never get away from scaffolding, 364 00:19:36,378 --> 00:19:37,788 I can promise you that. 365 00:19:37,812 --> 00:19:40,912 Do you worry about stuff falling on you, uh, 366 00:19:40,978 --> 00:19:42,678 when you walk around cities? 367 00:19:42,745 --> 00:19:44,845 - Oh, yes. Yes. - Sometimes, yes. 368 00:19:44,912 --> 00:19:47,078 Unless my husband has done the scaffolding, 369 00:19:47,144 --> 00:19:48,345 I don't worry about it. 370 00:19:48,411 --> 00:19:50,251 When you see a well-done scaffolding job, 371 00:19:50,311 --> 00:19:51,511 do you see beauty? 372 00:19:51,578 --> 00:19:52,778 - Yes. - Yes. 373 00:19:52,845 --> 00:19:54,812 - And safety. - Yes. 374 00:19:54,878 --> 00:19:56,345 Can scaffolding be art? 375 00:19:56,411 --> 00:19:58,211 - Yes, it can. It is art. - It is. Yes. 376 00:19:58,278 --> 00:19:59,311 - It is art. - It is art. 377 00:20:00,511 --> 00:20:02,078 Walking around downtown, 378 00:20:02,144 --> 00:20:04,678 I actually didn't even see any scaffolding. 379 00:20:06,078 --> 00:20:08,912 Maybe this is because all the scaffolding in New Orleans 380 00:20:08,978 --> 00:20:12,878 was actually built into the architecture down here. 381 00:20:13,745 --> 00:20:16,445 It was a beautiful alternative. 382 00:20:16,511 --> 00:20:19,511 Would New York be better off if we had something permanent 383 00:20:19,578 --> 00:20:22,244 instead of this temporary stuff being erected 384 00:20:22,311 --> 00:20:23,912 and dismantled all the time? 385 00:20:25,278 --> 00:20:26,445 Is this what it looks like 386 00:20:26,511 --> 00:20:28,712 when you finally commit to something? 387 00:20:30,645 --> 00:20:33,211 The locals here were lucky to live in a state of bliss 388 00:20:33,278 --> 00:20:36,345 enjoyed only by those ignorant of scaffolding. 389 00:20:36,411 --> 00:20:38,211 What are your thoughts on scaffolding? 390 00:20:38,278 --> 00:20:40,978 I don't even know what that is, I'm gonna be honest with you. 391 00:20:41,044 --> 00:20:43,144 Do you ever worry about, uh, things falling 392 00:20:43,211 --> 00:20:44,778 and hitting you on the head? 393 00:20:44,845 --> 00:20:46,712 All the time. They got balconies up here, 394 00:20:46,778 --> 00:20:48,578 they got people who would throw shit at you. 395 00:20:48,645 --> 00:20:49,778 I've had it happen to me. 396 00:20:49,845 --> 00:20:52,845 They'll see the big gold glasses, a nice juicy buff guy. 397 00:20:52,912 --> 00:20:54,678 "Hey, that's a target. Let's get him." 398 00:20:54,745 --> 00:20:56,545 All the time, it happens, believe me. 399 00:20:56,611 --> 00:20:57,945 Can you do a trick for me? 400 00:20:58,011 --> 00:21:00,111 Sure. You wanna hold the mic? 401 00:21:05,378 --> 00:21:07,258 The only scaffolding I could find anywhere 402 00:21:07,311 --> 00:21:09,511 was at the new Hard Rock Hotel, 403 00:21:09,578 --> 00:21:12,778 which was being built on Canal and North Rampart Street. 404 00:21:14,445 --> 00:21:16,878 Compared to what I was used to seeing in New York, 405 00:21:16,945 --> 00:21:20,878 this scaffolding looked cheap and haphazardly assembled. 406 00:21:20,945 --> 00:21:22,678 And for the size of the building, 407 00:21:22,745 --> 00:21:25,011 I couldn't imagine that it would offer much protection 408 00:21:25,078 --> 00:21:27,411 if something were to fall from way up above. 409 00:21:28,978 --> 00:21:31,611 I was stunned to see that the entire side of the building 410 00:21:31,678 --> 00:21:35,144 that faced North Rampart had no scaffolding set up at all. 411 00:21:35,211 --> 00:21:36,978 And for the first time in my life, 412 00:21:37,044 --> 00:21:40,011 I found myself wishing for a little more scaffolding. 413 00:21:43,078 --> 00:21:44,854 I'd heard there was a place in the French Quarter 414 00:21:44,878 --> 00:21:47,411 that made a cocktail served in a fishbowl. 415 00:21:47,478 --> 00:21:49,244 So I went looking around for it. 416 00:21:50,345 --> 00:21:52,111 And I ran into a guy from the convention 417 00:21:52,178 --> 00:21:55,578 who actually bought and sold scaffolding companies. 418 00:21:55,645 --> 00:21:57,044 And he wanted to talk. 419 00:21:57,111 --> 00:21:59,392 Do you think there's such a thing as too much scaffolding? 420 00:21:59,445 --> 00:22:00,778 No. 421 00:22:04,445 --> 00:22:05,478 Why not? 422 00:22:06,111 --> 00:22:07,411 It's where I make my living. 423 00:22:07,478 --> 00:22:09,211 There can never be too much scaffolding. 424 00:22:10,278 --> 00:22:11,712 Roll it out. 425 00:22:14,144 --> 00:22:16,144 The whole industry seemed pretty confident 426 00:22:16,211 --> 00:22:18,178 that scaffolding was here to stay 427 00:22:18,244 --> 00:22:20,712 and it would continue to grow like a fungus, 428 00:22:20,778 --> 00:22:23,745 but I couldn't help but think that it posed its own danger. 429 00:22:25,278 --> 00:22:26,478 I tried going to a bar 430 00:22:26,545 --> 00:22:28,945 to get away from the industry for a minute, 431 00:22:29,011 --> 00:22:30,745 but even the movie they had on at the pub 432 00:22:30,812 --> 00:22:33,778 was filled with cartoon scaffolding. 433 00:22:35,778 --> 00:22:37,945 I even read a terrifying statistic 434 00:22:38,011 --> 00:22:39,511 that scaffolding failure 435 00:22:39,578 --> 00:22:43,044 was responsible for 80 deaths annually across the country. 436 00:22:44,311 --> 00:22:46,087 Maybe these people in the construction industry 437 00:22:46,111 --> 00:22:48,178 weren't as careful as we thought. 438 00:22:50,244 --> 00:22:52,244 And when I went back to Bourbon Street, 439 00:22:52,311 --> 00:22:55,411 I saw the same guy from before wandering around, 440 00:22:55,478 --> 00:22:59,311 half drunk, without a care in the world... 441 00:22:59,378 --> 00:23:02,211 trying to find the right strip club to go into, like... 442 00:23:02,278 --> 00:23:06,011 uh, Goldilocks tasting porridge. 443 00:23:21,845 --> 00:23:23,788 The next morning, I walked down to the levee 444 00:23:23,812 --> 00:23:25,044 to clear my head. 445 00:23:26,778 --> 00:23:29,378 I guess a levee is kind of like scaffolding too... 446 00:23:29,445 --> 00:23:32,545 and sometimes its failure could be extremely dangerous 447 00:23:32,611 --> 00:23:34,645 for the people it's designed to protect. 448 00:23:36,411 --> 00:23:38,111 There was a fisherman down there, 449 00:23:38,178 --> 00:23:40,611 and I wondered how he felt about living in a city 450 00:23:40,678 --> 00:23:43,011 that's constantly trying to kill you. 451 00:24:02,645 --> 00:24:04,778 I guess sometimes the beauty of a city 452 00:24:04,845 --> 00:24:06,111 is in its danger. 453 00:24:07,478 --> 00:24:09,945 But you do always have a choice 454 00:24:10,011 --> 00:24:13,111 in how much risk you wanna take on. 455 00:24:13,178 --> 00:24:15,945 And no one is really forcing you to live on the edge. 456 00:24:18,411 --> 00:24:22,311 So, I headed home and it was great to... 457 00:24:22,378 --> 00:24:25,044 finally, uh, be back in New York. 458 00:24:28,378 --> 00:24:32,678 But shortly after I arrived, I saw some terrible news. 459 00:24:32,745 --> 00:24:34,878 The Hard Rock Hotel that I had just been filming 460 00:24:34,945 --> 00:24:37,011 down in New Orleans had just collapsed 461 00:24:37,078 --> 00:24:38,878 and killed three people. 462 00:24:39,778 --> 00:24:41,378 Oh, my God! 463 00:24:41,445 --> 00:24:43,178 Panic and mass confusion 464 00:24:43,244 --> 00:24:45,812 in the heart of New Orleans. 465 00:24:45,878 --> 00:24:48,745 This morning, the upper floors of the Hard Rock Hotel, 466 00:24:48,812 --> 00:24:51,912 currently under construction, suddenly began to crumble. 467 00:24:52,678 --> 00:24:54,978 The video was horrifying. 468 00:24:55,044 --> 00:24:57,478 And I couldn't believe that I had just been standing 469 00:24:57,545 --> 00:25:00,812 right underneath it just a... a few days before. 470 00:25:02,044 --> 00:25:04,745 They had to keep everyone out of the area for a while, 471 00:25:04,812 --> 00:25:08,011 because the only way to make the construction site safe again 472 00:25:08,078 --> 00:25:10,211 would be to blow up the cranes that were dangling 473 00:25:10,278 --> 00:25:12,545 precariously above the street. 474 00:25:13,912 --> 00:25:16,311 But they weren't even sure how to do that safely. 475 00:25:17,645 --> 00:25:19,478 And the more I watched the video, 476 00:25:19,545 --> 00:25:22,311 the more I suspected that no amount of scaffolding 477 00:25:22,378 --> 00:25:24,478 could have prevented something like this. 478 00:25:28,778 --> 00:25:31,712 You can waste your entire life playing it safe. 479 00:25:31,778 --> 00:25:35,745 But the real danger is never what you expect it to be. 480 00:25:35,812 --> 00:25:39,211 And if you put up too much scaffolding to protect yourself, 481 00:25:39,278 --> 00:25:41,645 you might just end up buried underneath it. 482 00:25:43,845 --> 00:25:46,311 But if we try real hard to take it down, 483 00:25:46,812 --> 00:25:48,778 piece by piece... 484 00:25:48,845 --> 00:25:51,278 eventually, one day, it'll all be gone. 485 00:25:52,645 --> 00:25:55,244 And only then will we know if it was all for show. 486 00:25:57,611 --> 00:25:59,878 It could be kind of scary at first... 487 00:25:59,945 --> 00:26:03,078 but we may be better off finding new ways 488 00:26:03,144 --> 00:26:07,244 to protect ourselves from all the uncertainty in the sky. 489 00:26:29,678 --> 00:26:32,645 This is John Wilson. Thanks for watching. 490 00:27:42,445 --> 00:27:43,678 A good memory is 491 00:27:43,745 --> 00:27:46,278 one of the most attractive qualities a person can have. 492 00:27:47,345 --> 00:27:48,611 My memory's not very good, 493 00:27:49,078 --> 00:27:51,478 and it's always made me feel insecure. 494 00:27:56,469 --> 00:27:58,469 >>>>oakislandtk<<<<< www.opensubtitles.org