"Not all who wander are lost."

Monday, February 1, 2010


Well, I suppose I should give you a break down on movies etc.... and will do so soon, but I am still trying to process everything I saw and figure out the best way to present all of my critiques. SO, for now, I figured it would be helpful out there to talk about visiting places that only ONE person in the group has been. In Vegas, last year, I was the only "experienced" traveler to Sin City and it was fun but exhausting for me, since I had that "tour guide" mentality..... Well, this trip was probably amplified 50%. Why?? Well, we had, not only the belles, but also 3 hubbies along for the fun. Sundance is "my thing" since I spent 12 years working in "the business" and have been going to the Sundance Film Festival off and on for the past 10 years. So, my expectations for the experience are pretty high, and I feel obligated to provide the highest standard of experience for the belles traveling with me.

BUSES:
Well, the buses NEVER ran on time, and since it is just about the ONLY means of transportation for the festival, it sometimes became stressful getting the whole gang on and off of buses on time and in the right place for all of our many, and I mean MANY movies. At times, I just felt like walking, and the first night we did!

DINNING:
Dinning was a little less stressful, but trying to celeb site and find an affordable lunch / dinner can be a challenge. I just took them to the old tried and trues Pizza & Noodles on Main and Bankok Thai on Main.... both a sure bet for Celebrities and in the $15-25 range.

MOVIE WAIT LISTING/VIEWING:
Well, this was the part of the experience that is hard to convey the IMPORTANCE of pre-registering and pre-buying as many tickets as possible BEFORE you get to the festival. We only had 3 people get a pre-buying time slot, so we were VERY limited in the tickets we had going into the festival...... who cares, right? Well, everyone, except me (since I had a pass) had to get in line at 6am for a 8:30 movie..... in the freezing cold! Luckily I had a rental car, so I could drop them off and get them sausage biscuits and hot chocolate, but it was quite a morning! My suggestion to anyone interested in attending this festival is to buy as much upfront as possible... if you can swing it, buy a pass, any pass... just get something that ensures you will have SOMETHING in hand and won't have to wait list everything you want to see.

Final solution: it may be easier to visit places that no one has gone...... I know the next belle trip will be that way.