Sundance :: Days 1 thru 5

I attended the Sundance Film Festival for the second time this year and it was an aboslute blast.

 
On Tuesday morning, my mom and I headed to Utah for the relatively short road trip and we were blessed with exceptional weather the whole way. Last year it was a little dicey (and icy) in Wyoming, but we couldn't have asked for a better drive. 

We stopped at the same gas station as last year and, I have to say, it's my favorite gas station. Everyone has a favorite gas station, right? I just love this old building facade that's right by it, complete with a saloon, bank, and seed & feed store.

When we got to Park City, the first thing we did was stop by the festival headquarters to pick up my volunteer credentials and jacket. I have to say, I love the silver/red combination a lot more than last year's light blue/black.

We walked up and down Main Street to see some of the venues and shops before stopping in No Name Saloon for an extra dirty martini.

It was an amazing day in the mountains and there was even some left over snow on the ground and the roofs! We went to Red Rock Brewery in Kimball Junction for dinner, like we did last year. We even sat at the same table and I was able to rectify my mistake of not ordering the steak salad last time and it was just as delicious as I hoped it would be for the last year.

We started the day at Eggs in the City in Salt Lake. After a delicious breakfast, we visited the capital building and walked around inside and out.

They were setting up for a memorial service inside, but we were able to see most of the building and it was obviously gorgeous.

I especially loved the ceiling in the basement. After our self-guided tour, we went to lunch at Red Iguana (where I had the best shrimp quesadilla ever) and then I dropped my mom off at the airport.

I stopped by my favorite bakery in Salt Lake, Sweet Tooth Fairy. Before I knew it, I was ordering a dozen cupcakes--red velvet, salted caramel, chocolate chip cookie dough, and samoa.

I went to Park City for my first training and then hung out at Starbucks to kill time between training and the volunteer party. I ended up chatting with some fellow volunteers and they invited me to the lodge where the party was to hang out until 8:30. In a weird coincidence, I had actually talked to one of them via Facebook a few weeks before the festival in regards to housing. So crazy! We went downstairs for the party, which was a blast. I ran into two of my favorite volunteers from last year, who were sadly working at a different venue this year, and I also saw my management team again.

On Thursday morning, I got up early to go back to Park City for my theater training. I recognized some familiar faces from last year and got to see the new renovations to the Park City Library.

That afternoon, I visited my favorite movie theater in Salt Lake to see American Sniper, the second movie in my quest to see the eight Best Picture nominees for this year. It was great and I had a wonderful cocktail called Pineapple Express, which ended up being aptly named for who I ran into half a dozen times later in the week.

The days were beautiful and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. Instead of being outside, though, I opted to see The Theory of Everything and it did not disappoint.

I decided to try Yoshi, a fast food sushi place, near my hotel. I was not impressed. The miso soup was delicious, but everything else just seemed to be covered in this orange sauce and it was just too much. I wouldn't recommend it.

So I had one of my chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes for dessert to make up for the lousy dinner.

I got ready for my first shift at the library, where we would be screening The D Train and Knock Knock. While I was walking to the library, I saw Henry Zebrowski (of A to Z fame) walking down the street. He was in The D Train, explaining his presence.  Around the theater and during the Q&A, I saw Jarrad Paul (who played Monk's obnoxious neighbor on Monk and directed The D Train), James Marsden (who is even hotter in real life), Jack Black (who is just as wonderful as you would imagine him to be), Kathryn Hahn, and Jeffrey Tambor (who dresses just like George Senior). At the next screening, I saw the director, Eli Roth, and the star, Keanu Reeves (who just has a movie star aura about him).

Before heading home, I drove up Main Street and it was insane. There were people everywhere trying to get into the pop up clubs and spot celebrities. What a party!

On Saturday morning, I got up early to take class at Pure Barre Park City. In my year and a half doing Pure Barre, I had never taken a class anywhere but Boulder, but I was pleasantly surprised. The studio was beautiful and charming and the class was great!

I had plans to meet my friend Julie for lunch, so I had to pull out my faux fur vest, which is so Sundance. I'm kicking myself for not remembering my wool hat!

We went to The Annex for lunch and it was so good! I got the lamb burger and it was the best burger I've ever had!

After lunch, we went across town to RubySnap for cookies. If you're in the area, you have to check them out! All their cookies are named after women and they have unique flavors and homemade charm. Plus, if you want to try one, they'll give you a pretty good chunk!

I settled on the vanilla bean cookie with beet buttercream. I'm so glad I tasted it because it was amazing and I never would have thought!

That night at the library, I saw A$AP Rocky and Zoe Kravitz who starred in Dope, which finished screening just as my shift began. We screened Z for Zachariah, which I saw and was amazing. I also spotted Chris Pine, Margot Robbie, and Chiwetel Ejiofor who were stars of the film. I sat behind James Franco in the theater and later saw Tobey Maguire in the hallway since he was a producer on the film. Both of whom smiled at me. Our next screening was Cop Car, starring Kevin Bacon. I got to be stationed right outside the theater lounge where the entourage hangs out, so I spotted Kevin Bacon (who also smiled at me) and laughed with Kyra Sedgwick as she waited for her husband before heading upstairs to the theater. Two days later, I watched the latest episode of Brooklyn 99 and it was so crazy to have just seen her in person and then see her on the show!