Thomas Jefferson frequently to answer the door at the White House himself. If a citizen wanted to talk to President Jefferson they just went to the White House and knocked on the door.
Jefferson stayed in a boarding house the night before his inauguration and walked alone from the boarding house to his inauguration. When he was sworn in as President, he returned to his boarding house for dinner. Every seat was taken, and no one stood to offer him a seat. After awhile, the wife of a Kentucky senator offered him her seat. Jefferson politely declined.
Those are great stories! Things have changed since then...