Back in the mid 80s I had an unforgetable winter, working and living in Park City during the ski season. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, unseasonably warm, me in my T-shirt walking next to the tourist from Florida in a coat, obviously too nice of a day to waste at home watching my boys watch TV, so up the mountain I went. I took a few pictures that bring back memories, so follow through on my reminiscing.
The restored Egyptian Theater was where I watched theee premiere of a movie (can't remember the name) during the indie film festival, Robert Redford's pet project called the Sundance Film Festival. We, some winter friends of mine, walked up and purchased tickets to the film and walked right in. We were feted to stirring discourses by the director and producer, also a few words from an actor or two. I do remember that Robert Duvall had a cameo in this movie. These indie people show their movies hoping that the big movie moguls will take notice and buy. I saw a few other movies around the theaters of town during this one-week festival. Now days people camp out overnight (in Salt Lake, too cold in PC) to get tickets to what has become a premiere festival, or is it just that the Hollywooders wearing their black designer clothes like to get out of the Southern California warmth and drink a hot chocolate where the snow flies? It's grown so large that the locals flee town during the time when the Hollywood designer-wearing people move in.
Scrooge's was a restaurant where I bused tables a couple nights a week for a some play money in my pocket. The owner looked like Santa, portly w/a white beard. He fished during the summer and worked seven days a week during the winter with never a day off. There was no paperwork, no taxes taken out and given to Uncle Sam (I wonder now, hmm??). Anyway, every night he would hand me cash for my time. He worked me hard, but paid me well. Now this is a fancy schmanzee restaurant, unlike the down-home restaurant that guaranteed good food and a lively evening (there was a bar). I remember that I had to wear either red pants or black pants in keeping w/the Christmas theme. There was always a Christmas tree in the corner. It was fun. One of the dishwashers became a bud. He even encouraged me down a black run. I was so not a black run skiier, but we did ski over and watch the World Cup from an upper hilltop advantage. That was fun. How else would a little country girl from Castle Dale have watched a World Cup? This building is on the historic register, over 100 years old, was previously a grocery store.
The banner says that this mining town that went to sleep in the 50s, almost to die completely, was reawakened in the 60s by the growing popularity of winter sports--anyway it appears that PC is celebrating w/125 candles on the cake. I think the miners were here before PC was legally established. As I turned the corner from PC earlier in the day to drive the few miles up to Deer Valley, I went through the section that Marva, the cook, told me was previously the red light district of town (Marva is an old timer, seemed old to me even back then). Anyway, the old wooden houses are now gone and million dollar condos are sitting on the very ground where the those ladies of night had to put up with stinky (at least I'm hoping they took a bath, donned some clean clothese and got shave before entertaining the ladies) men who just got paid.
Just a side view of PC. This is the PC that I love, nothing fancy. Notice the wooden stairs up the hillside. These stairs are all over the place. What do expect when a town is built on uneven ground? What else do you notice? NO SNOW, except for a few patches in the shade. This does not bode well, especially considering the fact that PC always hosts the first World Cup event of the ski season, which will be after Thanksgiving. Better break out the snow blowers and make some snow.
Was driving down the street and liked this shot, so took a quick shot through the window. Stay at this hotel and you can catch the lift from the foyer.
Ah, I called this place home for six months. It was the second lodge built in PC and is right at the foot of the slopes. It was not a fancy, schmanzy place when I worked there and it appears that it hasn't changed much. It was clean and homey. There were TVs, but no phones in the rooms, only a pay phone at each floor's landing. There was also a no-frills dorm type area on the first floor where money-strapped skiers would plunk down a few bucks for a mattress on a bunk bed (I think there were four to six bunk beds per section), a locker and shower facilities. Every night the owner would build a fire in the foyer. There was a round fire pit (think 60s movies) and we'd sit around and chat. Met lots of people that winter from all over the nation, the world even. I was finishing my student teaching at the high school in Price, wanted something temporary because I was planning a big summer vacation and didn't want to be tied down, was reading the BYU newspaper in the library and saw an ad. Turns out the owners are LDS and were recruiting LDS girls. Sign me up. I was one of the first to arrive, had my own room on the top floor (pays to arrive early). My job was to help Marva, the cook, with breakfast. I then had rooms to clean which took the remainder of the morning, but I was usually finished noonish and off to the slopes I went. I worked ten days straight, had a day off by the floater. My pay was $60 a week, room and board, and a season ski pass. Worked for me. I had no expenses, only needed some gas for my little red Toyota Corolla and some play money in my pocket. I banked the rest.
Close by the Chateau (my home) was the old PC high school, then sitting unused, but fortunately has been renovated and is now the town's library. There's a big open grassy field to the side of this high school and in front of the Chateau which will always be open area by law, so that's good. My grandfather Jones worked on the construction of this school when he was just a young guy, I'm guessing maybe late 1910s??
And this little beauty, which was my second place of love in PC, the library, was just down the road from where I lived. I went several times a week to check out books and read the periodicals. This library housed quite the art collection. Previously it was the miners' hospital. Speaking of reading, check out the thepioneerwoman.com. Just discovered it last week. Go down to the bottom and click on love story. I don't currently have a book to read and I've been totally immersed in this story. Too much fun.
End of memory lane. This was previously the Snowflake Inn, half way between PC and the Canyons Ski area, is now some type of school. Anyway, this is where R and I honeymooned for a couple nights before heading to CA.
The restored Egyptian Theater was where I watched theee premiere of a movie (can't remember the name) during the indie film festival, Robert Redford's pet project called the Sundance Film Festival. We, some winter friends of mine, walked up and purchased tickets to the film and walked right in. We were feted to stirring discourses by the director and producer, also a few words from an actor or two. I do remember that Robert Duvall had a cameo in this movie. These indie people show their movies hoping that the big movie moguls will take notice and buy. I saw a few other movies around the theaters of town during this one-week festival. Now days people camp out overnight (in Salt Lake, too cold in PC) to get tickets to what has become a premiere festival, or is it just that the Hollywooders wearing their black designer clothes like to get out of the Southern California warmth and drink a hot chocolate where the snow flies? It's grown so large that the locals flee town during the time when the Hollywood designer-wearing people move in.
Scrooge's was a restaurant where I bused tables a couple nights a week for a some play money in my pocket. The owner looked like Santa, portly w/a white beard. He fished during the summer and worked seven days a week during the winter with never a day off. There was no paperwork, no taxes taken out and given to Uncle Sam (I wonder now, hmm??). Anyway, every night he would hand me cash for my time. He worked me hard, but paid me well. Now this is a fancy schmanzee restaurant, unlike the down-home restaurant that guaranteed good food and a lively evening (there was a bar). I remember that I had to wear either red pants or black pants in keeping w/the Christmas theme. There was always a Christmas tree in the corner. It was fun. One of the dishwashers became a bud. He even encouraged me down a black run. I was so not a black run skiier, but we did ski over and watch the World Cup from an upper hilltop advantage. That was fun. How else would a little country girl from Castle Dale have watched a World Cup? This building is on the historic register, over 100 years old, was previously a grocery store.
The banner says that this mining town that went to sleep in the 50s, almost to die completely, was reawakened in the 60s by the growing popularity of winter sports--anyway it appears that PC is celebrating w/125 candles on the cake. I think the miners were here before PC was legally established. As I turned the corner from PC earlier in the day to drive the few miles up to Deer Valley, I went through the section that Marva, the cook, told me was previously the red light district of town (Marva is an old timer, seemed old to me even back then). Anyway, the old wooden houses are now gone and million dollar condos are sitting on the very ground where the those ladies of night had to put up with stinky (at least I'm hoping they took a bath, donned some clean clothese and got shave before entertaining the ladies) men who just got paid.
Just a side view of PC. This is the PC that I love, nothing fancy. Notice the wooden stairs up the hillside. These stairs are all over the place. What do expect when a town is built on uneven ground? What else do you notice? NO SNOW, except for a few patches in the shade. This does not bode well, especially considering the fact that PC always hosts the first World Cup event of the ski season, which will be after Thanksgiving. Better break out the snow blowers and make some snow.
Was driving down the street and liked this shot, so took a quick shot through the window. Stay at this hotel and you can catch the lift from the foyer.
Ah, I called this place home for six months. It was the second lodge built in PC and is right at the foot of the slopes. It was not a fancy, schmanzy place when I worked there and it appears that it hasn't changed much. It was clean and homey. There were TVs, but no phones in the rooms, only a pay phone at each floor's landing. There was also a no-frills dorm type area on the first floor where money-strapped skiers would plunk down a few bucks for a mattress on a bunk bed (I think there were four to six bunk beds per section), a locker and shower facilities. Every night the owner would build a fire in the foyer. There was a round fire pit (think 60s movies) and we'd sit around and chat. Met lots of people that winter from all over the nation, the world even. I was finishing my student teaching at the high school in Price, wanted something temporary because I was planning a big summer vacation and didn't want to be tied down, was reading the BYU newspaper in the library and saw an ad. Turns out the owners are LDS and were recruiting LDS girls. Sign me up. I was one of the first to arrive, had my own room on the top floor (pays to arrive early). My job was to help Marva, the cook, with breakfast. I then had rooms to clean which took the remainder of the morning, but I was usually finished noonish and off to the slopes I went. I worked ten days straight, had a day off by the floater. My pay was $60 a week, room and board, and a season ski pass. Worked for me. I had no expenses, only needed some gas for my little red Toyota Corolla and some play money in my pocket. I banked the rest.
Close by the Chateau (my home) was the old PC high school, then sitting unused, but fortunately has been renovated and is now the town's library. There's a big open grassy field to the side of this high school and in front of the Chateau which will always be open area by law, so that's good. My grandfather Jones worked on the construction of this school when he was just a young guy, I'm guessing maybe late 1910s??
And this little beauty, which was my second place of love in PC, the library, was just down the road from where I lived. I went several times a week to check out books and read the periodicals. This library housed quite the art collection. Previously it was the miners' hospital. Speaking of reading, check out the thepioneerwoman.com. Just discovered it last week. Go down to the bottom and click on love story. I don't currently have a book to read and I've been totally immersed in this story. Too much fun. 
End of memory lane. This was previously the Snowflake Inn, half way between PC and the Canyons Ski area, is now some type of school. Anyway, this is where R and I honeymooned for a couple nights before heading to CA.
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