Crowded
I was at the Prairie Gold CD release party on Wednesday night, sitting at the bar at the Artful Dodger, and people kept standing right in front of me. I didn't mind that they were blocking my view of the stage, but it was making me feel surprisingly claustrophobic.
Crowds in Regina don't usually do that to me anymore mostly because whenever I start to feel that way I remember the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting. I went to the tree lighting in 2014. I knew that you had to get there early, but I didn't really know what I was getting into.
While the ceremony is open to the public, all the good viewing areas are reserved for press, television, and VIPs. The public viewing area is a fenced off section of Fifth Avenue in front of Saks that is about a block from the tree. Parts of the pen have limited visibility to the tree (I could only see half the tree when I first got there) and the only part of the ceremony you see is the tree. The worst part though is the number of people they put in the pen.
I don't think my picture really captures the density of people in a small space. At best someone else was bumping into me all the time. At worst, I couldn't really move my arms without elbowing someone else. I've never been more uncomfortable. (I don't think I want to try the Tokyo subway at rush hour experience.)
People more sensible than me left before the actual lighting so my view of the tree improved over the evening until I was actually pretty much in the center of the pen when they actually lit the tree. I pretty much had to stay though. Seeing the tree lighting was part of the reason I scheduled the trip the way I did.
I generally tell people, that they should skip the tree lighting ceremony and go the next day instead when you can get close to the tree. There are still big crowds but not I think I'm in a sardine processing plant crowds. I might be wrong though. I got a story out of it and the ability to better handle crowded rooms, so perhaps I should be telling people to go and see it. Who knows, if I went again I might even swap Instagram handles with some of the people in the crowd.
Once I reminded myself of this story, I was able to enjoy the rest of the Prairie Gold show. Well, not quite all of it. I had to leave before Brodie finished his set because it was late on a Wednesday, but seeing four and a half bands on a weeknight is pretty good. (I don't expect things like that outside of music festivals.)
Crowds in Regina don't usually do that to me anymore mostly because whenever I start to feel that way I remember the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting. I went to the tree lighting in 2014. I knew that you had to get there early, but I didn't really know what I was getting into.
While the ceremony is open to the public, all the good viewing areas are reserved for press, television, and VIPs. The public viewing area is a fenced off section of Fifth Avenue in front of Saks that is about a block from the tree. Parts of the pen have limited visibility to the tree (I could only see half the tree when I first got there) and the only part of the ceremony you see is the tree. The worst part though is the number of people they put in the pen.I don't think my picture really captures the density of people in a small space. At best someone else was bumping into me all the time. At worst, I couldn't really move my arms without elbowing someone else. I've never been more uncomfortable. (I don't think I want to try the Tokyo subway at rush hour experience.)
People more sensible than me left before the actual lighting so my view of the tree improved over the evening until I was actually pretty much in the center of the pen when they actually lit the tree. I pretty much had to stay though. Seeing the tree lighting was part of the reason I scheduled the trip the way I did.I generally tell people, that they should skip the tree lighting ceremony and go the next day instead when you can get close to the tree. There are still big crowds but not I think I'm in a sardine processing plant crowds. I might be wrong though. I got a story out of it and the ability to better handle crowded rooms, so perhaps I should be telling people to go and see it. Who knows, if I went again I might even swap Instagram handles with some of the people in the crowd.
Once I reminded myself of this story, I was able to enjoy the rest of the Prairie Gold show. Well, not quite all of it. I had to leave before Brodie finished his set because it was late on a Wednesday, but seeing four and a half bands on a weeknight is pretty good. (I don't expect things like that outside of music festivals.)
