In Park City, Utah, on MLK Day, I was trying to get breakfast, and didn’t even realize that places wouldn’t be open.  My friend Lila and I walked up Main Street to the Morning Ray Café Where I had been fortunate enough to completely enjoy a breakfast only days before. As we reached the Ray Café, we found they closed at 11am, and it was 11:15. We trudged back down the street, and the first open coffee-serving establishment we found had a waiting line for about 25 minutes til we’d be seated, and we were beyond hungry. We walked down the street another block further, when (cue angels singing in heaven, “Alleluia’s”) we saw Java Cow.

As an ice cream bar, coffee house, and bakery, Java Cow is amazing. It has the perfect mocha and the greatest carmel machiatto, a phenominal chocolate croissant which has gooey fresh dark chocolate inside, not that petrified once melted chocolate chip kind either.

I have only met one kind of caffine which I have not enjoyed, and even Java Cow, everything seems to have that extra touch. All of the coffee beans used are shade grown, organic, and fair trade coffee. As far as environmentally friendly, it definitely has my money.

Everything (and I mean everything) was cow themed

The pastries are all beautifully arranged, and I can personally attest that there is only one delicious item which I didn’t like, their tiramisu, has been well over looked by myself and friends who visit the coffee shop on a daily basis. I have done my best to try every single coffee they serve, one a day, and each of them is unique and so far from Starbucks, it’s really fantastic. 

To top it off, Java Cow has the best ice cream, hands down. I have eaten about 5 flavors, my favorite being one called Wowie Cowie, consisting of vanilla ice cream, soft carmel and soft toffee, and carmel filled chocolate cups hidden in the cream greatness. I recommend this café to anyone who has a love for coffee, an eye for environmentally and people friendly beans, and taste buds not burned with over-roasted coffee.

I love the fact that I can say I’ve been to the Sundance Film Festival! I can honestly say that I had a great time. The people, the places, the films were all amazing.

I think I’ve picked up a new appreciation for what it means to be a filmmaker. I never really thought about what it takes to get an independent film made, but I just spent the last three weeks pondering this and it’s a little overwhelming. If I were a filmmaker, I’d say thank God for Sundance and other such festivals. That includes Slamdance, where I happily volunteered for the alternative festival housed in one hotel near the top of Main Street. (more…)

I will never in a million years forget the experience of my first (and hopefully not my last) visit to the Sundance Film Festival. In all honesty, it wasn’t quite what I expected, but it never let me down. Each and every little thing contributed to the experience: the 200+ stairs that MUST be climbed several times a day, the theater loop shuttle that exceeded maximum capacity almost every time, duplicating that sardines-in-a-can feeling. Even paying $20 for a sandwich and a soda (!!!) had its own special influence.

Park City is an iconic mountain town. Surrounded by snowy mountainous terrain, the bitter cold demanded layers upon layers of clothing.

Sundance is what you make it to be, and I don’t know if I could write enough in one blog to convey how much fun I had… I enjoyed most of the films I saw, and I can only hope now that some of these great works are picked up and distributed so one day I can say “I was there for the premiere!”

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Main Street

There is a little bit of everything for everyone in Park City, that is during the Sundance Film Festival.  Where It is common for companies to take over various places on Main Street just for the festival. Main Street is a charming and unique street that although has some length to it is worth walking. During NON-festival hours the street is home to many a lovely restaurants, clothing shops, and various art galleries, etc. But when the big ol’ festival comes to town many of these little art galleries get turned into well, something a bit… louder.  Some one has to talk about and critique the nightlife! so I will take on that responsibility and let everyone know that the nightlife in my personal opinion is worth commenting on.

Queer Lounge Entrance

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First of I’d like to thank Mom, Dad and Sallie Mae for making it possible for me to go on this trip. As my first study (kinda) abroad trip from Eckerd this has been a great one. Living in Park City, just minutes from Main Street for 10 days was a great growing experience. Attending the film festival and participating in all of the activities that goes with it was amazing. Never have I seen so many BlackBerrys and iPhones in one place. When new President Obama was sworn the theatre I was sitting in at 10am lit up with a blueish LCD glow from all the text messages and emails from happy friends all over the country. (more…)

If you grow up in New York City or Los Angeles it is common to see famous people. It is even “proper” to act as if they aren’t important. You wouldn’t give them anymore attention then you would give anyone else. I never grew up in the city. For me, it is a weird concept knowing I am in a town that is now over populated with famous people. As much as this baffles and intrigues me, I would never approach the extremes of which some people are going.

I have seen crowds of people standing outside of restaurants waiting for actors to stop eating. I saw a mob of people run across the street to see Ashley Judd. Famous people are being bombarded while they eat; no wonder they don’t want to walk around. 

I understand that these people are “above” us, but I have a hard time understanding why we attack them. Yes my heart might have skipped a beat when I saw Dominic Cooper standing right next to me, and I thought it was cool to be sitting in the  same row as Chris Rock for The Informers, but I wasn’t freaking out. 

Yesterday, I was walking down the street and I saw the Mystery Team all standing there. Had I not been in a hurry, I would have stopped, said how I enjoyed their film, and continued walking. It makes sense to take pictures and ask questions while they are on stage, but when they are eating… personally, I think not. 

Even though I haven’t been star gazing, I have met a lot of amazing people. The first day I was in Park City, I wanted to explore the town. I ended up at coffee shop, writing (see Enslavement to 1,3,7-trimethylaxnthine to read what I thought of the place.) This place had minimal seating, so three people joined my table. Not understanding how communicative people are during Sundance, this surprised me. It ended up being a great first morning. One of them works in publicity and after finding out that I was a communication major, gave me his card and told me to contact him for an internship. 

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Park City during Sundance Film Festival

It’s cold, it’s crowded, and it’s fantastic: welcome to the Sundance Film Festival. From catching shuttles to meeting celebs, I have had a very different and wonderful experience in Park City. The independent film industry has its own share of celebrities and it really surprised me to see some of the big stars attending their premieres to packed cinema houses. I got to see Kevin Bacon from literally two feet away and shook hands with Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, aside from meeting some of the upcoming independent filmmakers. What I observed was that they were just normal people, like us, who were good – if not great – at their professions. During many Q and A sessions, I would see them joke around with one another just like we would with our classmates or friends. Getting over my initial hype of meeting stars, I met some people who worked behind the scenes for many hours, in order to bring this unique film festival to the world. I was able to meet volunteers at bus stations, staff members at theaters, and even strike up an occasional conversation with the person behind the snack stand at some theater. Not only were they excited about the film festival and had their experiences to share, they all really wanted to be here at Sundance. I have never seen such enthusiasm before and it definitely rubbed of on me, making me even more excited to be attending the festival.

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We all have our own little obsessions, whether it be taking a shower everyday, using Purell constantly, knowing what time is it, or continuously drinking water. Mine isn’t as healthy as water-drinking or as hygienic as taking showers.  I have an addiction to caffeine. 

I remember how it happened. I didn’t have a sip of coffee or caffeine until late in my life; I mean high school of course. One of my friends started working at the local coffee shop. Let me tell you, this coffee shop, Cool Beans, is wonderful. It’s one of those well kept secrets that only locals know about. I was spoiled. My friend would make the best raspberry mochas, and soon I would only go if she was there. 

It is hard to find a good coffee shop now a days. Large corporations are ruining the name of coffee. Who actually wants burnt tasting coffee from Starbucks? Not I, said the cat. These shops are at every corner, making them extremely accessible and quick. This has become a problem, especially for someone with an addiction. (more…)

Must have been the locals.

There’s still two days left in the festival but it seems like it’s already over. Hardly anyone walks down Main Street anymore, let alone famous people. Not like the first weekend of the festival when everyone who was anyone thought it was the best time to show up. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they came at all. It really makes the festival worthwhile for a first time attendee like me when I get to see my favorite actor or actress along with their cool indie movie premiere. It’s a little sad though, that just because I couldn’t make it to the first showing of a movie, the cast and maybe even the director have already skipped town. The Q and A session after the movie is one of the best parts of the festival and it’s disappointing when I just watched an amazing performance and none of the cast is represented to answer questions. I understand that they can’t give all of their fans a special appearance, but if I get to come to Sundance again, now I know that I should get as many premiere showings as possible.

Now that the festival has slowed down, I find myself noticing the little things that help make the times between movies just as memorable. Number one is the transit system. The free buses. They run from dawn until way past dusk so you don’t have to rely on a not-so-free taxi. Each festival stop has a friendly attendant who will tell you exactly which bus will take you to your destination in the shortest time. I have yet to meet a less than helpful attendant despite the cold and long hours of standing around with a bunch of tourists. I give my thanks to them for being able to keep a smile on their faces. (more…)

Geoff Gilmore Speaking at the Festival

I also attended the opening night ceremonies, and I did so with specific reason. I regretted going last year, but now that I think about it in retrospect I am glad I did. I tend to avoid the star-studded glamor personalities who show up for press and “indie-cred,” all in plentiful supply last year. I would even say it was somewhat so this time around. Luckily, I also avoided most of this by going to the second screening. Robert Redford went off to his party and there was little to no press at the second showing. Instead, I received a heartfelt speech given by the mayor of Park City, in which he not only applauded the festival, but also gave what he said was a rare political plug for the upcoming festivities on Tuesday morning, calling Barack Obama “the greatest president of my lifetime.” While he may have jumped the gun a bit on that one, they are having a jumbo-screen presentation of the inauguration right on main street. In addition to having a low key introduction, the movie was also not the usual opening movie.

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