There’s a Phone Booth With a Direct Line to the Government at The Standard, High Line in NYC

The Standard, High Line in the Meatpacking District might seem like your typical luxury hotel on the outside, towering high above the former elevated train line that has become the area’s go-to public park. But if you’re familiar with the ins and outs of the hotel, you’d know that it’s much more than this. The Standard has a German beer garden, a rooftop discotheque, winter ice rink, and was once home to a bodega made entirely of felt. And now there’s one more quirky thing to add to the list—a phone booth with direct access to the U.S. Capitol.

Yep, you read that correctly. As of yesterday morning, The Standard Hotel now has a phone booth in its plaza below the High Line on 13th street that provides direct access to the switchboard of the U.S. Capitol.

The booth was created through the #RingYourRep initiative to encourage activism and civic engagement among both hotel visitors and non-visitors, making it easier than ever to call your representative and voice concerns. All you have to do is pick up the phone, punch in your zipcode, select the representative you desire to speak with, and leave a message. To make civic engagement even simpler, The Standard is providing a script for phone booth users as a guide on how to speak your way to the congressional staffer on the phone. (For those who don’t know, the staffer is responsible for tallying up calls for and against legislation, which will shape how the senator or representative votes in Congress.)

The circulating text on the top LED lights of the phone booth reads: Stand up; Get involved; The Standard Telephone Co.; Dial D.C.; Call the Capitol; Take action; Lift your voice; Make yourself heard; Speak your mind; Take a stand; and Have your called your senator today?

On their website, The Standard describes the reasoning behind creating the phone booths: “We’re launching Ring Your Rep, encouraging guests, staff, and the public to take direct action by contacting their representatives and voicing their positions on important issues. Whether it’s health care, the environment, immigration, LGBTQ rights, education, we’ve seen firsthand that speaking up makes a difference. Not only that, it’s contagious. ”

Both hotel guests and pedestrians can use this phone booth, located by The Standard’s front door. In addition, this week The Standard is rolling out a direct-dial feature on their in-room phones at all five hotels! So if you’re lucky enough to be staying at one of them this summer, including the ones in Los Angeles and Miami, rest assured that you can still engage in the civic process and make your voice heard.

Next, read about The Top 10 Secrets Of The High Line in NYC and the bodega made of felt that was at The Standard.