Freezer Burn

My work doesn't take me into big cities too often.  But I found myself in downtown Dallas a couple of weeks ago on a business errand.  I cruised the streets in the morning looking for a central parking space.  There weren't any.  So I ended up parking several blocks north of where I needed to be and resigned myself to walking... a lot.  I love large urban centers in the spring.  But wandering about the wind-swept shadows of skyscrapers in mid-winter is no picnic.  Hands shoved deep in my coat pockets, I put some hustle in my stride to get me to where I needed to be.  Fortunately, most of the buildings I needed to visit were located on the same block.  That's most of the buildings.

My luck ran out at the District Clerks office.  They told me they no longer kept certain records I was looking for; but they're kept in a repository at the public library.  "How do I get there?" I asked.  "Head east down Commerce Street until you lose three extremities from frost-bite, then hang a right."

So off I went.  Marching at a steady clip, leaning forward to beat the wind, my breath freezing on my beard.  After several blocks, I saw the flashing lights of a police car ahead.  I kept moving closer and closer, and saw a crowd gathered on the street.  Great, a pedestrian traffic jam.

As I approached, I saw the police car was behind a traffic barrier.  And the side of the car read "Chicago Police Department."  What?  My brain was freezing, but I still had all my digits.  Behind the police car were three stretch limos bearing what looked like the Presidential seal.  And then there were several dozen people waving signs reading, "Vote for Seymour" or something similar.  All of this was going on in front of the Hotel Adolphus.  Only after I started moving through a crowd of onlookers did I notice a camera crew.  I wasn't going crazy after all.

I was in a hurry to get out of the cold, so I didn't think to ask what was being filmed.  I saw a FOX News van out covering the scene and figured I'd be able to look it up on the internet later.  Well, no such luck.  I couldn't find a story on their local news page or any other network's for that matter.

Anyway, the curiosity started to eat at me again this evening, so I did a little online investigating.  Turns out they're filming the Fox TV series Prison Break in the Dallas area this year.  The first season was filmed in Chicago, but they moved production to Dallas for the second season for logistical reasons.  (They could shoot urban and rural scenes more efficiently, without having to drive their crews two and half hours to escape Chicago's suburban sprawl.)

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed to learn all that fuss on the street was just for some TV drama.  I was hoping it was a big film with big names so that when it was released I could boast to my Evil Little Brother that I was there during the filming.  But no.

Instead, I got a call from ELB this weekend telling me he just got Fidget's autograph.

   

Jerk.

Comments

[CBK]

Hey, I watch that show! It's pretty cool to me.

But Fidget's autograph beats it. Sorry. :-(

[E. McPan]

I was going to guess it was a third Blues Brothers movie.

[CBK]

E - Considering the travesty that was Blues Brothers 2000, that would rank even lower than a TV drama.

[Evil Little Brother]

Did he mention that I have Fidget's autograph?