So yesterday, I was forced to interrupt my complete lack of work... I might normally be quite glad not only for the work, but for the change of pace... Our main client was doing a show in Jersey City with another production company. They wanted some of the scenery that we store for them, but they own. So we prepped the stuff, and sent it on the way. Yesterday however was when the gear went in... The production company in question does not do scenery apart from things like pipe and drape... That meant someone had to go... Sadly it fell to me.
So after driving up to Jersey City, I managed to miss the exit off the Turnpike Extension... I had to play loop-de-loop to get back to where I needed to be since I didn't have my large scale north jersey map with me that shows all the streets in the city... (where it is I can't imagine... probably still in a box from when I moved to the house) So back down the ramp, across town to the Hyatt, which is quite new, and should be nice... Drive up to the Hyatt, and find there is no parking deck associated with the hotel... What the fuck?... You build a brand new hotel, and put in no additional, convenient parking?... There is a deck 2 blocks away I'm told... That was full naturally... The next deck 4 blocks away didn't take oversized vehicles. (that's another rant folks, why is my truck oversized, and those fucking SUV's not?) So I ended up 9 blocks from the hotel... Fine, I'm in shape, and it was a fairly nice day... Hump my tools, and some little plywood feet that managed to miss the truck 9 blocks to the hotel... I'm not sweating lig a pig, but I'm there on time... Find the people I need to, find the room I'm going to, and then find the path from the dock to the room...
Remember, this is a new hotel that is pushing for big meetings, and convention type work... That means scenery, amongst all the other gear... Keep this in mind...
So the route goes from the dock, to freight elevators... The elevators are almost 8' deep... Almost... So instead of just rolling the 8' scenery in to the elevators, we're having to go in diagonally, killing tons of space... Stupid design... Dumb ass architects never actually speak to anyone that has to work in these places...
Anyway, up to the third floor, where those elevators go... Then all the way across the hotel through twisting hallways... Why are there 6' jogs in those hallways?... This is insane... Every 30' or so, there is a 6' offset in the hallway... Why are the hallways only 8' wide?... Everybody knows damn well that the hotel staff is going to store catering carts in the hallway, cutting the aisle down to 6' max, and often 4' wide... What the fuck?... So down the twisting, turning hallway, to the next elevator... Same dumb ass size elevator, up to the 9th floor.... Through more rat maze hallways in to the room... Thankfully, we only had 3 dollies of scenery, so it was a brief nightmare...
Once in the room, the production company guy didn't know where the units went... Great... These things are semi fragile once assembled... My shop didn't build them sadly... They were built by a couple guys that don't do scenery for a living... They look fine once together, but they're just not built to tour like this... So eventually we got them placed, and they decided to only use about 2/3 of what they brought... I got an ok, and headed for the door like a bullet... I've worked for this client a long time... I know that they were going to move those damn things 10 times before the reception... I made damn sure I wasn't going to get tied up in that crap... So, back out the door, walk the 9 blocks back to my truck, and pay the $15 for the hour and a half I was there... Get me the hell out of that city...