Sundance up close, from afar

It is that time of year again in Park City.   The Sundance Film Festival takes over almost everything in the city for 10 days. It started on Thursday night and will continue through next Sunday.  Julie and I used to take a very active role. She volunteered for Sundance at one of the movie venues and we both went to quite a few movies.  We also went downtown, generally with house guests, to see the stars and all the action.

Now we are either bored or boring.  Julie stopped volunteering with them a few years ago and neither of us are going to see any movies this year.  I think my closest involvement has been to walk Jasper down Main Street when everyone is getting out in the morning. 

This doesn't mean you can escape the event.  Some general effects:

• You have to drive like everyone is insane.  Because a lot of them are insane, and talking on the phone, and don't know where they are going, .....
• When 40,000 extra people come into a city of 9,000 there is no such thing as available parking.
• You can't go out to eat.
• You can't make a left turn

At least the attendees are being blessed with springtime weather.  It is sunny and 50, so it feels like upper 60s.  That makes it a lot easier to walk to movie venues and wait for one of the thousands of buses in the city.

Sundance is a great thing for Park City and it can be a blast, but I always feel a little relieved when they all leave town.