# Practical benefits of getting the 'key to the city'?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-benefits-of-getting-the-key-to-the-city/485109>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 9, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-benefits-of-getting-the-key-to-the-city/485109 "2009-02-09T18:54:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-benefits-of-getting-the-key-to-the-city/485109/21 "2009-02-13T17:49:20Z")

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When I was a little kid and I first heard of this practice, I thought “Wow, that must be _so_ cool…being given a key that’d let you into any building or house in the city that you want!”

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**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practical-benefits-of-getting-the-key-to-the-city/485109/22 "2009-02-13T21:36:44Z")

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> [@WormTheRed](#):
>
> I seem to remember reading about Colin Powel getting the keys to NYC and included was a lifetime subway pass.

Great.. They gave it to someone that would never use it.

If I were him I’d regift it to a poor inner-city family.

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