Harry Potter and the Theater of Confusion

Yesterday afternoon while out on a walk, Garrett and I decided to see the latest "Harry Potter" movie. We were going to purchase tickets for a show later in the day. The nearest theater is located inside a mall with a very confusing layout. There are escalators wherever you turn, and the circular floor plan makes it hard to tell how to get from one place to another. We were able to find the theater lobby on the third floor, where the concessions stand is, as well as Fandango-like kiosks.

"But where's the box office?" I asked. "I think I remember seeing it outside." However, after navigating our way out of the building, we discovered I was wrong, and there was no box office on the sidewalk. We agreed to just return later and figure it out then.

Several hours later, we were back on the third floor by the concessions stand. We then spotted a sign that said, "Tickets and Concessions." It turns out that you pay for your tickets and your popcorn in the same place! Of course this means it takes nearly as long to get your movie ticket as it does to go through customs at the airport (i.e., "some time"). Nevertheless, we were able to purchase student tickets (sweet as!*) and made it just in time for our show.

As the woman tore our ticket stubs, she said, "Cinema 6... J-8... and J-9." Juggling those numbers in my head, I looked at my ticket and realized we had assigned seats! Amazing! The aisles and seats are labeled. There weren't ushers to make sure people were sitting where they had been assigned, but it seemed to work out well. The computer program must scatter everyone throughout the theater, because no one was really in anyone else's way.

The movie was excellent and made for an exciting yet relaxing afternoon. Well done, New Zealand.

*"Sweet as!" is a New Zealand exclamation that translates as, "Awesome!" Perhaps they need some tutoring in how to complete similes.