Esca?...Later

 

Typical condition of most escalators in Grand Central Station complex at any given time.  Especially the ones that run alongside VERY long up-stairways.  

In a society where most of the technological progress that impacts the everyday consumer consists of replacing reality with something else (e.g. I-phone 15) especially something that convinces one to buy new crap, making a stupid escalator that won't break down every month is too much to ask.

There was a time however when things were built to last, thus note the ancient wooden escalator, still extant at this writing, in Macy's NYC where it's kept running probably mostly for sentimental reasons (but without a lot of effort).