Idaho State Journal, January 22, 2004

How to Sundance
by Sarah Keech, Features Editor

   PARK CITY, UTAH - The sidewalks may be slippery and people may be bundled from head-to-toe, but the atmosphere in Park City this week is hot.
   Despite the influx of Hollywood-types for the famed Sundance Film Festival, the event actually offers something for everyone - even if you aren't cruising Main Street in a Range Rover, decked out in Armani and carrying a Louis Vuitton handbag.
   As you get off the I-80 exit for Park City, taking route 224, you know something big is going on here - traffic at that intersection has been known to get backed up during Sundance. But fear not. Once you are past the traffic signals right off the interstate, the roads clear up all the way to Park City.
   Getting to Park City requires a little planning, but once there, visitors can take advantage of Park City Transit. Shuttles from various parking lots around town service all the venues visitors would want to see, and during Sundance there are helpful volunteers (look for the orange vests) at many of the shuttle stops to point travelers in the right direction.
   All public transit shuttles in Park City are free.
   One of the best places to find parking is the Eccles Center on Kearns Boulevard. The lot is big and located right at the Eccles Theater - the largest theater venue in Park City. From Eccles, hop on the shuttle and be in the heart of Main Street (or any of the other stops along the way) within 15 minutes.
   Once down on Main Street there are plenty of sights to see and things to do.
   If you want to see a Sundance film screening, it can be tough to score a ticket, but there is still time. To get a film schedule go online (at www.sundance.org) or stop by the Park City Box Office, down the steps from the main transit terminal in the Gateway Center at 136 Heber Avenue.
   Tickets for movies screened that same day are released every morning at 8:00 a.m., so get there early for the best selection. If there is a film you want to see but it's sold out, it never hurts to sign up for the Wait List. Just go to the specific theater where the film is being screened and sign up. If there are no-shows, those on the list are allowed in. Tickets to Sundance screenings are $10.
   If shopping is in your plans, there are plenty of places to pick up a new T-shirt, a pair of designer jeans - even handcrafted Western furniture.
   "There are a lot more people in town during the festival, but business is pretty strong all winter long," says 25-year Park City resident Maxine Perkins who owns two local gift stores, Mountain Traders at 613 Main Street, and North Woods at 323 Main Street. "This time of year is fun. Earlier this week Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were outside the North Woods store, and today my son is looking out for Tony Hawk."
   Perkins says Sundance shoppers tend to be a little different than her normal winter clientele.
   "We get a lot of people who come in looking for hats and gloves, stuff they didn't pack, but find they really need for this kind of weather," Perkins says. "But we also get people in looking to take home souvenirs from the festival and Park City."
   If you are on a budget and just want to take in the sights and sounds of Park City, there are plenty of free things to do during Sundance.
   - Test-drive a 2004 Volkswagen Passat and take a ride in the new Touareg on an
   off-road course just a short trip from Main Street. Sign up for a test-drive at the Mercato Center across the street from the official Volkswagen booth at the corner of Main Street and Heber Avenue.
   Volkswagen also offers great free treats for owner. If you have a VW and show them your keys, they will load you down with goodies, including a VW VIP lanyard, magazines, and a special copy of the "The Blues: A Musical Journey" and owners are also entitled to sign up for a drawing to win electronics, snowboarding gear, even a year lease for a brand new Touareg.
   - Check out the cutting-edge Sundance Digital Center where visitors can check their e-mail, see the latest in filmmaking technology and hear Sundance Online Film Festival artists discuss the process of making a digital film. The Sundance Digital Center is located on the lower level of the Main Street Mall at 333 Main Street.
   - Take a stroll on Main Street. Traversing the main thoroughfare during Sundance is a sight to behold. With all the celebrity sightings, window shopping and free handouts, it could take more than hour to make it from the Wasatch Brewery down to the Town Lift. But beware, with so many great distractions along Main Street you may have to make a few stops - like at Krispie Kreme, COWS ice cream shop or the Village Candy Shoppe.
   - Look up your family tree. At The Family Tree Center, at 531 Main Street, you can drop in for a free family history consultation and search their computer system for your family root. Run by the Church of Jesus Christ for Latter-day Saints, their database includes more than 650 million names. The facility is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 7 p.m.
   - Looking for star sightings? The best bet to see a few big names is at the Village at the Lift. The shopping complex contains Fred Segal and Fred Segal Beauty, stores usually only located in L.A. Also at the Village at the Lift are the Phillips Electronics Lounge, where stars come to do interviews and VIPs can hang out, the Columbia House where VIPs can chow on free food and drinks and the Crown Royal Lounge, where exclusive invite-only bashes go on late into the night.
   Though it's an exclusive spot for celebrities on the inside that doesn't mean you can't take advantage of the great views from the outside. Over the past few days Demi Moore, Paris Hilton, Courtney Cox Arquette, Nick Carter, Nicole Richie, Rob Thomas, David Alan Grier and many others have come to check out the complex.
   "We have had just about every celebrity in Park City stop by since we've been open," says Kelly Striewski, Fred Segal Beauty's public relations representative. "Demi Moore has been in a few times to get her hair and makeup done."
   The Village at the Lift is located directly next to the Town Lift ski lift on Main Street.
   Many Park City visitors go for the natural attraction - the snow.
   A Sundance volunteer, who with her husband traveled to Park City from San Diego, Calif., said this is an ideal week to ski because so many people are in town and not on the slopes.
   In and around the Park City area, skiers and snowboarders have several options. Park City Mountain, the Canyons and Deer Valley are all open and the snow has been, as is typical for Utah, great powder.
   "Park City is famous for skiing, and Utah snow is the best," says Mimi Fisher of the Westgate Park City Resort and Spa, who moved to town from Tennessee for the area's natural beauty and outdoor activities. "There are so many other things to do. Visitors can go tubing, snowmobiling, ice skating, even take a ride down the Olympic bobsled track. There are plenty of great winter activities in Park City."
   Just a three-hour drive from Pocatello, Park City is a world-renowned destination in Idaho's backyard. And whether you are a big spender or on a modest budget, the city has just what you are looking for to beat the winter doldrums.