Nearly acclimated to the thin mountain air now, I finally plunged more fully into la vida Sundance yesterday — via shuttle bus of course. The secondary focus here in Park City after the films seems to be figuring out how to get to the films; and since parking in such a bear (see our earlier post), the extensive bus system is what everyone relies on when they can't afford a cab. Each ride is a funny little vignette, with characters ranging from the chatty, madcap Portuguese bus driver to the rowdy drunk with a plastic cocktail cup in his parka pocket to the stressed-out PA confessing to her coworker with tears streaming down her face. Lest we lose any opportunity for reportage, we created the "In Transit" interviews we've been running the past few days to start getting the man-on-the-bus take on the fest.

First, I stopped in at the press office at the Marriott, a venue always abuzz with industry folk and purposeful-looking journalists pounding coffee and typing away on computers — oh press headquarters, you bastion of wireless! In a random side note, the heart and soul of the press office is an adorable crew of young Brooklynites (represent!) who are infinitely helpful and kind. Then, it was off to Main St, the main drag of Park City, to head to the Starbucks Salon to chat with Lauren Currie Lewis, the star of the forthcoming slasher flick, Salvage. Look out for the video interview with Miss Lewis (also from Brooklyn!) here soon.

Stocked with loads of free dark chocolate that I indelicately scarfed down pre-interview in lieu of lunch, the Starbucks Salon is hosting one of the better events series running concurrently with the festival. Sonya Kitchell and Imogen Heap played yesterday, along with the Honey Brothers, which features Entourage star Adrian Grenier on drums. (I caught a glimpse of him on my way out, and, ladies, he's just as dark and dreamy as you'd hope. I refrain from commenting on the music though.) Other highlights include Ally Sheedy and Lili Taylor tag-teaming for a reading, pianist Eric Lewis providing a live soundtrack for The Line: A Journey to the Far Fringe of Skiing, a performance by goofball hip-hop artist Buck 65, and readings from JT Leroy's The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things. Stay tuned for live video coverage of some salon happenings later this week.

The next stop was the Fuel TV chalet, a ski-in/ski-out house, nestled into the mountainside just over the hill from Main St. Affiliated with the X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival, Fuel sponsors the Fuel TV Experiment, which has nine filmmaking teams, chosen at last year's X-Dance, competing for the grand prize of a Scion (the presenting sponsor) and a one million dollar production budget. Despite its "extreme" associations, the Fuel TV digs were surprisingly chill. As this visit popped my mansion-party cherry, so to speak, I have little to compare it to, but word on the street is that such downtempo, non-schwag-hawking vibes are an anomaly in these parts.

But that doesn't mean it isn't posh. The house is decked out proper with an action sports films screening room; a game room with a mini bowling alley, air hockey, and a pool table; numerous rooms devoted to showcasing covetable extreme lifestyle schwag from 686, SpyOptic, Vans, and more. The top floor sports a homey kitchen with live-catered food and a den outfitted with couches, a fireplace, a flatscreen playing extreme viddies, and wide picture windows overlooking the snowy mountain terrain (see picture above). All in all, it was pretty sweet. We'll be headed back there today to do a video tour with a surprise guest, so check back.