I haven't talked much about what I was doing when I wasn't seeing movies or interviewing the filmmakers and stars at Sundance, maybe because a.) there wasn't much time to do other things and b.) it wasn't very interesting. But as my pal at The Reeler mentioned, I wasn't exactly staying in the center of the action. Instead, I was staying about five miles away and had the fun of running to catch the first bus downtown every morning so that I could catch the way-too-early first screenings.

That said, Park City is a surprisingly efficient place. First day badge botch-ups aside, the town has a terrific transit system, to the point where even staying 5 miles away from the hub of activity, I was able to get back to my hotel in 15 minutes. Buses actually WAIT for you, something unheard of in NYC, and you can always tell who's local (always pleasant despite dealing with demanding industry primadonnas) and who's not. Even the cabs aren't as expensive as I thought they might be considering all the early word of "price gouging." I caught a shared cab back to the hotel one night which was only $16... I can barely get up to 14th Street in New York for that amount.

Park City is a fascinating place where there was always snow on the ground, but not once in my week there did I see it snow. (Maybe it happened while I slept or was watching movies.) I also ran into a lot of people carrying skis or talking about skiing but never actually saw someone going down a hill on skis... Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention. (I realized that not only am I not a fan of skiing, but I also don't much like skiiers either.)

I enjoyed my few forays into public screenings while at the festival even though it was only for the first few days. As frustrating as it was dealing with punters and the would-be paparazzi, there's something nice about seeing a movie with an audience who haven't shown up with scalpels and hacksaws ready to tear a movie apart. I'm kind of surprised by how receptive these audiences are, since a lot of the movies that play at the festival don't seem like the kind of movies that would go over well with general audiences. Certainly, few of these movies will ever play within 100 miles of Park City after getting distribution.

Over the course of my seven days in Park City, I remember moments of complete exhaustion, moments of bliss (see the Best of the Fest), and happiness at running into industry colleagues, especially since there were none at my hotel in the boonies. I was happy to meet my online compatriot Erik Childress, one of the few writers as prolific (read: nuts) as myself. Also got to spend a bit more time with the guys from Aint It Cool News, particularly Jarrett (sorry, don't know his fake name), and you know what? They're really not as bad as I often thought.

I also enjoyed repeatedly running into filmmakers like "Songbird" director John Anderson who I saw almost every day at the Park City Marriot, and producer David Collins, who was able to salvage my interview for "Once" after a certain journalist sabotaged it. (long story)

And lastly, there was a point where I was so exhausted that I actually began contemplating which was the worst stench--the crowded morning shuttle to Main Street or the men's room at the Eccles Theatre. I'm still not sure which is the most offensive odor, but I hope never to have to experience anything as bad as either for another year. I do hope that I'll get to see some of the movies I missed and see some of the movies I enjoyed again between now and next year.