A few years back I was living in Urby in Jersey City. It’s like 1:30 a.m., I’m in my apartment, and suddenly there’s a guy outside my window on the 21st floor.
I realize it’s Alex Honnold free-soloing the damn building, so obviously I do the only reasonable thing: take a selfie with him through the glass.
Months later I’m reading this New Yorker piece about the climb and see this line:
“One dude took a selfie with me at one of the windows on the twenty-first floor. I gave him the thumbs up. It was kind of a weird deal. His girlfriend seemed deeply uncomfortable.”
That was me 😂
First pic is the selfie from that night, second is a daytime shot of the building. Third is the article where I'm mentioned. Here’s the article!
That's why he free soloed it naked. Because he knew he would see naked people inside their apartments and he wanted them to feel comfortable. What better way than to be naked himself, shouting "we are in this together!".
To be fair to Alex, he's done a lot of climbs and not a lot of people are just chilling there looking at him face to face while he's a hundred feet up a cliff.
It's out of touch to characterize the awkward social interaction and overall privacy violation as being weird in this scenario? Seems pretty fucking grounded to me.
Well there's less traffic at night. That's why I wait to do my shopping, you don't have to sit there bumping into people's butts with your cart to encourage them to let you in on that macaroni section.
Famous for climbing shit? And I should be cool because the mayor gave him the go ahead? My city just recalled our mayor because his wife walked in to somebody's house without permission. (It's honestly kinda shocking how similar the situations are to a degree).
You’re putting words in my mouth. And I could care less about your opinion. I’m just pointing out he isn’t some random crazy half naked dude climbing a building. He is widely considered the world's most famous, recognizable, and accomplished climber.
The documentary free solo won an oscar, he has appeared on 60 Minutes, National Geographic, and in GQ, and uses his platform for his non-profit the Honnold Foundation which is huge.
Sorry I'm not as impressed as you are. I would be pissed if some dude is crawling up my building at 1 in the morning because he wanted to. If I called the police and they said, "oh don't worry about it, he's a famous climber and the mayor said it was cool" that would be a shit excuse. Anybody else would have the police there and him charged with trespassing. There's a reason why that shit is illegal, and you shouldn't get a legal pass because you're someone "special".
I don't celebrate celebrities for doing weird stupid shit because they're celebrities. I don't excuse weird behavior because they're rich or give money away, or won some award made up by other rich people to celebrate themselves.
Edit: I'll climb your house at 1AM. Don't call the cops cause the mayor said it was cool
He seems to have stopped because people still had lights on, but if I come out to a darkened living room and saw a human climbing up the building I think I'd have a lot more trouble.
Yeah but the building manager should have told the residents. Many people would freak out looking out their windows 50-300 ft up and seeing a shirtless man outside.
And that's not even considering that the windows open (according to OP) so there's a bigger safety risk as well
God forbid he climbs past a hostage situation and gets shot by the mafia or something?! People bagging up a huge pile of cocaine? You need to forewarn inhabitants so they can move their illegal doings for the day!
You're only renting the space inside. You're not being interrupted by the view outside, that's not your space. If you don't like the view, close the window.
So, other way of looking at it, I want a home. I spend my money to purchase the rights to a home (renting an apartment). Because I spend money to rent this space, I deserve the rights to that space. Idk how old you are, but as you start needing your own space, its important to define the security of the space you can own. This situation violated that security significantly, which isn't a good basis of security of living.
Technically he had legal permission from the building owner, who owns the exterior of the building. I kind of think it's crazy for the building owner to do this without notifying the tenants. The building owner would not need your permission to have window washers or repairs done to the side of the building either.
Whatever it says on the rental agreement. Usually in high rise buildings without a balcony you have no entitlement to a view unobstructed of the outside. If the building owner decided to have window cleaners or a movie studio start filming on the roof the tenants could be informed or not but its not factored into the decision to go forward.
You should expect people have the ability to see you through glass if you can see them through the glass. You should also expect that the people can no longer see through the glass if said glass is covered up. This is entirely within your control.
Honestly I was in pure shock for a second until I realized who it was. I’m a climber and a pretty big fan of his, so once it clicked I was just like… there is no way this is happening right now. Total once-in-a-lifetime moment.
He actually tried to play it off and deny being himself at first, but come on man 😂
I grabbed the selfie and then it hit me that the longer I kept him there, the more sketchy it was if anything went wrong, so I just let him keep cruising.
My girlfriend wasn’t “deeply uncomfortable” but more like stunned and amazed. It was such a surreal thing to see at 2 a.m. that high up.
Lmao. I’m not a climber but even I know who he is. Wondering how he thought he could pull off denying who he was, especially with the when and the where 😅
Pretty cool thing to have happen, gotta be a fun story you can pull out for any ice breakers or parties haha
Okay but how were you even able to process this in enough time to snap the photo? Like it’s 2am, you live on the 20th floor, and suddenly a mostly-naked man is on your window. It took me like 20 seconds to understand what was happening in this photo
That is really cool that you are a climber as well. What an awesome moment indeed. edit: damn, the more I sit here and think about it, it's pretty amazeballs!!! But I'm a little high and the dark side is wondering, would you have shared the pic if he had fallen and died?
Not a question for you, but just some confusion at the phrasing in the article: WTH does "ledges the width of a fork" mean? Since when are we using cutlery as a unit of measurement?
I’m not sure the shooter would be within his or her rights….a non intrusive passerby on the outside of a window of a room you likely rent shouldn’t be shot on sight lol
We don't just shoot people outside the window in the tristate area. Most people would take a minute to figure out what's going on before unloading out a window.
An entity that bears a striking resemblance to climber Alex Honnold. SCP 185 appears shirtless, clinging to the outside of highrise buildings with no visible climbing gear. There are multiple instances of SCP 185 reported around the globe. No one knows why it does what it does. It just watches.
To be fair, as someone who's deathly afraid of heights, everything Alex does is terrifying to me. He seems like a really cool dude though.
Did the apartment complex apologize to residents for not letting them know ahead of time? This is actually insane for them to be aware and not let their residents know especially with the climb at 1:30AM
Bruh, Ive honestly not liked these people. You're potentially splatting your ass on the sidewalk, maybe even hitting someone. It's selfish, attention-seeking behavior that shouldn't be encouraged. I don't want to watch your dumbass fall to your death.
Some half naked guy is clinging to the window of their Highrise apartment. I wonder why the girlfriend was uncomfortable.
hide the wife especially. i can't imagine how well built honnold is.
He’s also making direct eye contact with her it seems lol
A few years back I was living in Urby in Jersey City. It’s like 1:30 a.m., I’m in my apartment, and suddenly there’s a guy outside my window on the 21st floor.
I realize it’s Alex Honnold free-soloing the damn building, so obviously I do the only reasonable thing: take a selfie with him through the glass.
Months later I’m reading this New Yorker piece about the climb and see this line:
“One dude took a selfie with me at one of the windows on the twenty-first floor. I gave him the thumbs up. It was kind of a weird deal. His girlfriend seemed deeply uncomfortable.”
That was me 😂
First pic is the selfie from that night, second is a daytime shot of the building. Third is the article where I'm mentioned. Here’s the article!
That feeling when he falls trying to give you a thumbs up for your selfie
Alex projecting here just a bit. Dude has the social skills of a stagnant fart.
Yep, you're the weird one in this scenario... What?
I think Honnold was saying that the situation was weird for him realizing that he was kind of intruding on their privacy.
Ah, that would make sense. I took it literally.
How does that work? Is it a deal they made concerning weirdness, or was the deal they made itself weird?
The overall situation being weird is what I believe now they are getting at.
Right, but I'm trying to get to the bottom of this literal weird deal.
Ah, I see. No, not that literal. The other literal. Taking it at its most basic sense, to me anyways.
So they deal in lyes!
Much like Brad Pitt
That's why he free soloed it naked. Because he knew he would see naked people inside their apartments and he wanted them to feel comfortable. What better way than to be naked himself, shouting "we are in this together!".
He's JUST NOW realizing that?! Must be autistic. Has to be.
He is on the spectrum, so were his parents. He had to teach himself how to hug when he was an adult because it’s not something his family ever did.
To be fair to Alex, he's done a lot of climbs and not a lot of people are just chilling there looking at him face to face while he's a hundred feet up a cliff.
Can you imagine a dude encased in rock 1500 ft up El Capitan
“Oh hi Alex, I’m a big fan. You can totally hold on to that however long you want.”
"Yeah...been here awhile."
How is OP the weird one?
The climber said it was weird... I'm saying OP is not the weird one here.
These guys tend to be so fucking weird and out of touch with reality it is no surprise this was his response
It's out of touch to characterize the awkward social interaction and overall privacy violation as being weird in this scenario? Seems pretty fucking grounded to me.
What
Did you guys know in advance this was happening from the apartment? Or was it totally random
Completely random.
Wow that’s wild! I would’ve freaked out if someone was on my window like Spider-Man lol
I didn’t even notice him until I read this comment and looked at the picture again
Dude. This is awesome!! 😂
That's awesome. Alex is a legend.
How "awesome" will it be if he slips and falls and kills an innocent person walking below?
Then, and only then would he be an arsehole. Innocent until proven guilty, your Honour.
Yeah. That ought to satisfy the family of the person he killed.
1:30AM is not the best time to surprise people by suddenly appearing outside of their bedroom windows.
especially when they open
And 20-odd floors up!
While shirtless, too.
yes! why that time? why that building?? why not tell the residents??? why alex why????
Well there's less traffic at night. That's why I wait to do my shopping, you don't have to sit there bumping into people's butts with your cart to encourage them to let you in on that macaroni section.
That picture makes him look like a cryptid :)
I was thinking the saaaaaame thing 🤣 At first I thought it was a promo for The Fly what with the way the guy is positioned
Did the building notify residents that he'd be doing this?
absolutely not lol. I believe he spoke with the mayor and the building developer beforehand though!
The dude who climbs highrises half naked spoke with the mayor, the building developer, and 5 other voices in his head
Lol tbf he’s extremely famous. Go check out the doc Free Solo! It’s amazing.
That’s not to say he isn’t insane though…
Famous for climbing shit? And I should be cool because the mayor gave him the go ahead? My city just recalled our mayor because his wife walked in to somebody's house without permission. (It's honestly kinda shocking how similar the situations are to a degree).
You’re putting words in my mouth. And I could care less about your opinion. I’m just pointing out he isn’t some random crazy half naked dude climbing a building. He is widely considered the world's most famous, recognizable, and accomplished climber.
The documentary free solo won an oscar, he has appeared on 60 Minutes, National Geographic, and in GQ, and uses his platform for his non-profit the Honnold Foundation which is huge.
Cool
Sorry I'm not as impressed as you are. I would be pissed if some dude is crawling up my building at 1 in the morning because he wanted to. If I called the police and they said, "oh don't worry about it, he's a famous climber and the mayor said it was cool" that would be a shit excuse. Anybody else would have the police there and him charged with trespassing. There's a reason why that shit is illegal, and you shouldn't get a legal pass because you're someone "special".
I don't celebrate celebrities for doing weird stupid shit because they're celebrities. I don't excuse weird behavior because they're rich or give money away, or won some award made up by other rich people to celebrate themselves.
Edit: I'll climb your house at 1AM. Don't call the cops cause the mayor said it was cool
He has money, he’s in the club now.
He seems to have stopped because people still had lights on, but if I come out to a darkened living room and saw a human climbing up the building I think I'd have a lot more trouble.
Then that's annoying as hell.
To be fair it's not your property, he would ask the property manager and local authorities. Y'all just rent space there
Yeah but the building manager should have told the residents. Many people would freak out looking out their windows 50-300 ft up and seeing a shirtless man outside.
And that's not even considering that the windows open (according to OP) so there's a bigger safety risk as well
Imagine having sex with your wife in your bedroom on the 20th floor and you look over at the window so see some shirtless guy climbing by.
God forbid he climbs past a hostage situation and gets shot by the mafia or something?! People bagging up a huge pile of cocaine? You need to forewarn inhabitants so they can move their illegal doings for the day!
I mean, that's on you for engaging in voyeurism in the first place. If you're not into that, why would there be a big uncovered window there?
Nothing happening on the outside of the building is any concern to the residents. They're only paying to use the inside.
What if they thought he was some sort of intruder, there could have been a negative interaction where someone knocked him off the building.
That would be bad. Don't do that.
I probably would if he was outside my window, but I live in a house in a rural area.
Probably somewhat less of a fall then, at least. Maybe surround your house with trampolines, just to be safe.
Funny you say that my kids trampoline is right in front of my bedroom window lol.
Exactly! We rent the space. So if you interrupt that space, what am I renting?
You're only renting the space inside. You're not being interrupted by the view outside, that's not your space. If you don't like the view, close the window.
I mean you're doing some great rage bait, but ya really think that's how it works?
Ah shit, you're right. I meant like close the window blinds or shut the curtains, not literally close the window. Derp.
So, other way of looking at it, I want a home. I spend my money to purchase the rights to a home (renting an apartment). Because I spend money to rent this space, I deserve the rights to that space. Idk how old you are, but as you start needing your own space, its important to define the security of the space you can own. This situation violated that security significantly, which isn't a good basis of security of living.
Technically he had legal permission from the building owner, who owns the exterior of the building. I kind of think it's crazy for the building owner to do this without notifying the tenants. The building owner would not need your permission to have window washers or repairs done to the side of the building either.
Whatever it says on the rental agreement. Usually in high rise buildings without a balcony you have no entitlement to a view unobstructed of the outside. If the building owner decided to have window cleaners or a movie studio start filming on the roof the tenants could be informed or not but its not factored into the decision to go forward.
Isn't there some expectation of privacy right outside a window that is always private?
You should expect people have the ability to see you through glass if you can see them through the glass. You should also expect that the people can no longer see through the glass if said glass is covered up. This is entirely within your control.
Has Alex ever seen the photo?
I don't know but that would be a pretty cool ending to the story for sure!
Was your girlfriend deeply uncomfortable? Lol. What was your reaction seeing a dude outside at 2 am 21 floors up??
Honestly I was in pure shock for a second until I realized who it was. I’m a climber and a pretty big fan of his, so once it clicked I was just like… there is no way this is happening right now. Total once-in-a-lifetime moment.
He actually tried to play it off and deny being himself at first, but come on man 😂
I grabbed the selfie and then it hit me that the longer I kept him there, the more sketchy it was if anything went wrong, so I just let him keep cruising.
My girlfriend wasn’t “deeply uncomfortable” but more like stunned and amazed. It was such a surreal thing to see at 2 a.m. that high up.
Lmao. I’m not a climber but even I know who he is. Wondering how he thought he could pull off denying who he was, especially with the when and the where 😅
Pretty cool thing to have happen, gotta be a fun story you can pull out for any ice breakers or parties haha
oh yeah for sure. i created a shadowbox with the magazine article the picture and the apartment key.
Noice!
Okay but how were you even able to process this in enough time to snap the photo? Like it’s 2am, you live on the 20th floor, and suddenly a mostly-naked man is on your window. It took me like 20 seconds to understand what was happening in this photo
Awake having some champagne or something and I see a nipple in the window.
That is really cool that you are a climber as well. What an awesome moment indeed. edit: damn, the more I sit here and think about it, it's pretty amazeballs!!! But I'm a little high and the dark side is wondering, would you have shared the pic if he had fallen and died?
Dude being a fan of climbing and then seeing Alex right outside your window ? Lmao crazy world
What a lucky fan. If only my kpop idols could do this for me. Lmao.
Does he realize you're his fan to have such a candid reaction? Hahaha
You lost the opportunity.
ironically the first thing i noticed outside the window was his nipple. then i realized there was a whole person out there lmao.
Why is he nakey?
For grippage
What are the nipples gripping
My heart
Not a question for you, but just some confusion at the phrasing in the article: WTH does "ledges the width of a fork" mean? Since when are we using cutlery as a unit of measurement?
thats funny. "the ledge was like 5 forks wide so i sent it!"
Americans really will use anything besides metric.
How many hands is an American ledge?
If a fork is about an inch and a hand is four inches, then 1.1 hands, since hands are read 1 = 4, and 0.1 = 1
Lol as if there's a standard fork size. Every home and restaurant I have eaten at has had wildly different sizes to all their utensils.
I mean, a fork pretty much has to fit in your mouth.
Obviously this was before American’s started using bananas as our measurement of length.
Someone could have shot him if they didn't warn the residents
They also could have shot him with a warning. With warning they’d have time to prepare.
I’m not sure the shooter would be within his or her rights….a non intrusive passerby on the outside of a window of a room you likely rent shouldn’t be shot on sight lol
What about unannounced window cleaners?
True, but when people panic, who knows? A shirtless guy at night...
We don't just shoot people outside the window in the tristate area. Most people would take a minute to figure out what's going on before unloading out a window.
If I woke up to Alex Honnold clinging to my window I really don’t know what I’d do
I sure as fuck wouldnt take a selfie. Then again, I would never ever take a selfie.
This could be a really good SCP lmao.
SCP 185 - "Alex Honnold"
An entity that bears a striking resemblance to climber Alex Honnold. SCP 185 appears shirtless, clinging to the outside of highrise buildings with no visible climbing gear. There are multiple instances of SCP 185 reported around the globe. No one knows why it does what it does. It just watches.
To be fair, as someone who's deathly afraid of heights, everything Alex does is terrifying to me. He seems like a really cool dude though.
I definitely would go straight for the selfie too. Anyone that has seen Free Solo will know that Alex Honnold is in fact, the weirdo.
Did the apartment complex apologize to residents for not letting them know ahead of time? This is actually insane for them to be aware and not let their residents know especially with the climb at 1:30AM
OP’s girlfriend also finds it uncomfortable that this photo is now framed and over the headboard!
https://preview.redd.it/m6dfpmn4ro6g1.png?width=1354&format=png&auto=webp&s=cf3842fbc3f8051a8aa847e392c42a7d6920b377
Can I be your new gf 😍
made my day lol
This is the weird kid who would climb trees in middle school to try and impress people now all grown up.
Alex honold mother 70 years old just climbed el captain this year for the 2nd time
Motherfucker looks like a Titan.
I wonder how many people he caught masturbating.
Bruh, Ive honestly not liked these people. You're potentially splatting your ass on the sidewalk, maybe even hitting someone. It's selfish, attention-seeking behavior that shouldn't be encouraged. I don't want to watch your dumbass fall to your death.
damn that’s crazy
why isnt he wearing a shirt? I get if your free climbing el cap, but really, also shirtless on a new jersey noght?
Crazy that you took a picture that just so happened to have cropped out his huge set of cahones it takes to free climb a building
I'm lucky i even got a picture... I couldn't figure out how to open the camera in the excitement lol
Would have been interesting if you popped the flash light right in his eyes...
Never heard of you
pleasure to meet you lol
proof?
I literally provided a picture? Like lol.
yeah lol how do I know it's really you