A Theater? Can't Beat 'Er!

Back when I was in Chicago going to school, there was at first a movie theater within walking distance of my downtown dorm. It was a dump, but they had first-run movies and charged significantly less than the chains. For someone willing to endure the shame of sitting at a bar for hours while buying nothing but dollar hamburgers and soda in order to watch a playoff baseball game, this represented a real bargain. Sadly, the place closed down and was to be replaced by offices. I wonder why.

Since then, there has been no place like that. I am opportunistic by nature, and do things a lot more often when they are very convenient to do. This is a fault of mine, but in one respect it is no longer a problem, as a new movie theater has opened very near me. I watched the construction transpire eagerly for months before I had the least idea of what it was to be. You would think I'd know considering I knew a year or two ago that a movie theater was to open in the neighborhood. One tends to put little stock in such things, though.

Finally the place opened shortly before Christmas. The restaurant which been open for eight months had shut its doors just a week before this. One might have thought that timing the opening of a restaurant (which is always a dicey endeavor) to coincide with the opening of the theater would be smart, but never mind that. Someone will snap up the building and make a killing at little expense, since the debt is borne by those suckers.

Anyway, the theater is lovely. The auditorium I saw was huge and lavishly appointed, though this is not quite the sort of place where they have assigned seating. It does not appear yet that such a measure would be necessary, as the place was not exactly overwhelmed by customers any more than the restaurant had been. I cannot imagine that this will endure. The theater is likely to host festivals and draw people from far enough away the rest of the time, and I will be there.