 In New York thousands of doormen have played the role of father, brother, friend or even the occasional lover for the residents of their apartment buildings for centuries. One chooses to have a doorman mainly for practical reasons (who else will sign for delivery of packages and red roses when you are out jogging?!) and safety. The friendly smile every time you arrive at or leave your building is a pleasant extra that makes the sometimes lonely life in this big city somewhat more bearable. The presence of the doorman appears to be hardly noticed. In most cases however he knows more about his residents than they would like to believe.