5/5 Graeme R. 5 years ago on Google • 12 reviews
I
had
heard
about
the
mysterious
cotton
exchange
from
a
friend.
'Just
go
inside,
turn
to
the
right,
and
ride
the
Paternoster.
You
can
go
right
over
the
top!
It's
best
not
to
talk
to
the
security
guard,
just
go
for
it.
'
Right
from
the
start
I
was
intrigued.
A
shadowy
cotton
cabal,
setting
world
textile
prices,
sitting
on
a
mysterious
treasure
of
primitive
elevator
technology,
all
hiding
in
plain
sight.
I
spent
the
morning
staking
out
the
front
door.
I
enjoyed
a
coffee
at
the
Starbucks
across
the
street
and
observed
traffic
going
in
and
out,
looking
to
see
if
there
was
any
kind
of
security.
Everything
seemed
pretty
normal,
but
I
couldn't
be
sure.
I
had
to
take
a
closer
look.
As
I
approached
the
front
door
I
tried
to
act
German
and
think
about
cotton.
I
was
wearing
cotton
socks,
a
cotton
tshirt,
and
cotton
pants,
surely
I
would
look
like
I
belonged.
The
doors
parted
as
I
walked
up
the
steps
and
I
entered
an
antechamber
with
a
security
desk
to
the
left
and
more
doors
straight
ahead.
The
guard
might
have
been
looking
at
me,
but
I
couldn't
tell
as
I
was
hiding
deep
in
the
upturned
collar
of
my
jacket
and
trying
not
to
look
at
him.
Thankfully
the
second
set
of
doors
opened
for
me
as
I
continued
to
move
on,
trying
to
look
like
I
belonged.
I
was
in!
A
beautiful
staircase
opened
right
in
front
of
the
doors,
but
I
was
in
search
of
a
different
means
of
climbing
to
the
next
story.
I
turned
to
the
right
to
look
for
the
legendary
Paternoster.
There
it
was,
just
a
few
meters
ahead,
roped
off
with
velvet
and
some
incomprehensible
German
warning
signs.
Nothing
was
going
to
stop
me
from
riding
the
machine
at
that
point,
and
I
swallowed
my
fear
and
stepped
onto
the
next
car
to
slowly
climb
into
view.
I
felt
a
surge
of
adrenaline
as
I
was
slowly
lifted
to
the
next
level,
and
the
next.
Now
the
time
came
to
disembark
and
I
took
a
hesitant
step
into
the
third
floor
hallway.
Success!
Now
I
just
had
to
escape
the
building
without
being
caught.
The
next
car
slowly
inched
down
into
view
and
I
rode
the
platform
back
towards
the
ground
floor.
I
had
been
told
it
was
safe
to
ride
in
a
full
loop,
but
I
wasn't
sure.
The
warning
signs
came
to
mind,
and
I
wondered
what
happened
to
the
cars
when
they
dropped
below
the
lowest
floor.
I
didn't
want
to
find
out
and
I
quickly
made
my
exit
back
to
the
safety
of
the
ground
floor
hallway.
An
office
worker
saw
me
disembark,
and
seemed
to
show
little
interest.
Perhaps
I
would
make
it
out
of
the
clutches
of
the
cotton
cabal
safely
after
all.
The
doors
opened
again
before
me
as
I
retraced
my
steps
past
security,
and
I
risked
a
glance
at
the
guard
behind
the
desk.
He
was
deeply
interested
in
a
newspaper
of
some
kind,
and
I
made
my
escape,
back
to
the
rainy
streets
of
Bremen
a
fugitive
from
cotton
justice.
I
highly
recommend
recreating
this
scenario
on
your
own
visit
to
the
cotton
exchange.
It
may
be
just
on
old
office
building
with
an
antique
elevating
device,
and
a
friendly
security
guard,
but
yesterday
it
was
the
setting
for
my
very
own
spy
movie.
Five
stars,
would
sneak
in
again
(but
you
don't
have
to.
)
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