Jet Set Lara: travel, decadence and the pursuit of pleasure

Squaw Creek: there is slow, and there is...

I was recently in Northern California spending a few relaxing days with my lover at the Squaw Creek Resort in Squaw Valley (note to the blog's European readers: this is one of the most famous ski areas in the US and was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics)

Keeping in line with the recent theme of funny hotel notes, I scanned a page from the resort's in-room dining menu where they notify their guests that ordering a cold fruit and cheese tray will require 24 hours of preparation time. Don't worry though! If you are in a real hurry I guess you could opt for the mixed nuts or potato chips that require a mere 2 hours of preparation time.

   

Funny thing is Squaw Creek's outdoor hot tub and pool attendant was quite fast at night. He started circling around the tub like a vulture a full 45mn before the scheduled nightly shut down. And just in case we didn't get the message, he threw a plastic cover on the snow while we were enjoying our champagne. Oh well! We decided to roll on the snow and warm up in the bedroom instead ;)

Jet Set Lara, exploring the Science of Pleasure ;)

Blowing cash on the slopes

Keeping up with the blog's recent mountain theme, I decided to summarize a recent WSJ article that caught my eye about top-of-the-line skis. Some of the high-end features described on the article are so geeky, they are actually funny.

Turns out cut-throat market competition has lead manufacturers like Rossignol, K2 and Volkl Sports Holdings AG (acquired by K2), to seek profit margin expansion through the introduction of numerous premium models.

Sundance dirty little secret

If you read the press, Sundance is portrayed as the premier independent film festival attracting talented filmmakers, actors, dealmakers and thousands of movie fans from around the world. But you won't hear anything about how the locals, and skiers, perceive the 21 year old event. That's because they often have extremely negative comments to make about the visitors: "Coffee crowd" would be the most innocent remark you'll hear them make.

As you can imagine, the festival's crowd tends to be younger and less affluent than the usual Park City visitors. Furthermore, it scares away many skiers and the lifts remain well under capacity even when the weather conditions are excellent (much like this weekend). Hotels and condos do great business of course, but keep in mind many of them are owned by large corporations, not local residents. I should specify that locals are generally very friendly, just not during the festival.

The crowds make it impossible to park anywhere near Main St. and you should expect severe traffic jams around key intersections and ski lifts around 4:30pm. Unfortunately, the free Park City shuttle sounds better than what it really is. You'll easily miss your movie if you don't allow enough time between screenings at one of the numerous temporary theaters around town (with rather uncomfortable seating I might add, but hey it's an indie fest, what did you expect? Popcorn? If so go to the Egyptian) Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy popcorn (no butter though!)

Speaking of butter, while in the area (it's a bit of a drive), I was told to check out La Caille, a French restaurant with good ambience but (supposedly) mediocre food. It's also open, and more reasonably priced, for Sunday brunch. I would like to go, but doubt I'll make it during my Sundance visit.

Update: I confirmed from a couple of different sources that the food at La Caille leaves a lot to be desired... It's officially off my list!

Lara

Photo: The Egyptian theater, Sundance 2005 (click to enlarge)

Blogcasting from Sundance

Back in September I briefly touched upon the subject of film festivals and although Sundance has become a victim of its own success in many ways, I decided to make it to Park City this year. Landing in Salt Lake City is always an air-traffic control gamble because of the heavy fog. However, halfway up the mountain towards Park City we were rewarded with exceptionally good weather. It's supposed to stay sunny for the next few days. That doesn't make the nights any less cold:)

I have to admit I had grand plans before coming here. I had promised myself I would be updating the blog on a daily or quasi-daily basis. In reality, there is barely any time to breath, and it's not because of the high altitude... Park City during the festival is crowded, too crowded in my opinion, and although most of the mainstream parties are mediocre, time literally flies: film screenings, people watching (lots of cute blonde girls:), walking, industry networking and small talk, etc

In the evenings, the best gatherings are smaller and private, in beautiful houses up in the hills or in Deer Valley, far away from the fraternity crowd. I hardly manage to spend any time alone, but Park City is well-covered by WiFi so I'll try to find a semi-private location this weekend and upload a couple of pictures.

Lara