Podcast

This podcast will rank the activities already detailed and reviewed in previous blog posts and provide a summary of the places visited.

AMC Adventures

This blog post will cover the cost difference in the normal AMC movie ticket and the discounted movie ticket offered by the Comet Center to students as well as the overall experience of visiting AMC.

Cost

Picture of AMC's concession area.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Visiting AMC is advertised to cost $10 by buying a ticket with a student discount (UTD Office of Student Affairs, n.d.) but AMC advertises a normal ticket for $9 and doesn’t list student discount
prices (AMC Theatres, 2013). Normal movie snacks are around $5. Participating AMC theatres with the AMC Dine-In option prices most meals at $10 with the most expensive coming in at $16 (AMC Theatres, 2013).

Traveling to AMC by car from the University of Texas at Dallas’s campus takes 17 minutes. AMC is also accessible by bus, with the travel time increasing to 1 hour and 21 minutes. (Google, 2013.)

Experience

Picture of AMC's ticket stand.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

AMC’s exterior is misleading, given AMC appears to sit separate from the mall, but is actually inside the Valley View mall on the third floor. The large ticket stand with giant lettering as well as several registers makes the entrance hard to miss. Past AMC’s entrance is the concessions stand, and an arcade; beyond that is where the theaters are located. AMC displays current and upcoming movie posters between the theater doors.

AMC appeared to be less popular, given the lack of people. AMC would be a good theater to visit when avoiding crowds or wanting good seats for a midnight showing. The theaters were spacious regardless, and staff checked in once to make sure nothing was wrong.

Picture of AMC's theater screen.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Programs offered by AMC include “AMC independent,” “Sensory Friendly Films,” and “AMC Dine-In Theatres,” with 20% of the AMC theaters participating in AMC independent, which brings lesser-known movies to the screen (AMC Theatres, 2013). AMC’s programs allow for more opportunities to visit the theater given they offer more than just seeing what movies are currently playing everywhere.

Bibliography

AMC Theatres. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.amctheatres.com/ 

Google. (2013). Retrieved from https://maps.google.com/ 

The University of Texas at Dallas Office of Student Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.utdallas.edu/cometcenter/tickets/

Angelika Advantages

This blog post will cover the cost difference in the normal Angelika movie ticket and the discounted movie ticket offered by the Comet Center to students as well as the overall experience of visiting the Angelika.

Cost

A picture of Angelika's food prices.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Visiting the Angelika normally costs $9.00 (Reading International Inc., 2007), but buying a ticket with a student discount reduces the price to $7.50 (UTD Office of Student Affairs, n.d.). Additionally, at the Angelika on Sundays, there’s a Walking Dead showing that offers free admittance.

Angelika charges $4.25 for a small drink, as well as higher prices overall for food. Angelika is another theater where I would eat before or after elsewhere and just come for the movie.

Traveling to the Angelika by car from the University of Texas at Dallas’s campus takes 15 minutes. Angelika is also accessible by bus, with the travel time increasing to 1 hour and 19 minutes. (Google, 2013.)

Experience

A picture of Angelika's entrance.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Angelika’s exterior presents a modern look with its sleek wording while hinting at old theaters by showing the currently playing movie titles above the door. Angelika’s register for tickets is outside and staffed, displaying the available movies, which had current movies with a few old titles. Once inside, the Angelika’s interior looks bright and seemingly crowded by the staircases and escalators immediately in one’s vision. Upstairs shows Angelika’s large chandeliers as well as where food can be bought. 

A picture of Angelika's interior.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Angelika offers, “TV and the Angelika,” which shows a live stream of the newest Walking Dead episodes on a theater screen with other people just as hyped to see what will happen; other shows are available as well (Reading International Inc., 2007). Angelika also provided zombie themed shirts after the showing, a nice bonus to take home. They also offer After Hours showings, which plays films in the theater not typically seen at other locations, such as “Pan’s Labrinth,” “Aliens,” “Scanners,” (Reading International Inc., 2007) and more.

With a welcoming environment and opportunities to watch old films and show streams as well as movies, Angelika makes a great theater, especially with the student discount.

Bibliography

Google. (2013). Retrieved from https://maps.google.com/ 

Reading International Inc. (2007). Retrieved from http://angelikafilmcenter.com/angelika_index.asp?hID=7915 

The University of Texas at Dallas Office of Student Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.utdallas.edu/cometcenter/tickets/

Studio Movie Grill's Savings

This blog post will cover the cost difference in the normal Studio Movie Grill ticket and the discounted ticket offered by the Comet Center to students as well as the overall experience of visiting the Studio Movie Grill.

Cost

Picture of Studio Movie Grill's
ticket area.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Studio Movie Grill is advertised to cost $6.25 on the Comet Center (The University of Texas at Dallas Office of Student Affairs, n.d.) after buying a ticket with a student discount, though “some restrictions apply.” In person, Studio Movie Grill’s regular price for adult is listed at $13.00 and gives $11.75 as the listed discount price for students. 

Though unlisted online, Studio Movie Grill charges on the higher end for food, with desserts at least $5.00. Studio Movie Grill also advertises specials depending on the day, such as $2 off any burger and $10 endless pizzas. (Studio Movie Grill, 2013).

Studio Movie Grill is located 10.2 miles from campus, taking around 18 minutes to drive. The route is accessible by bus, with the travel time increasing to 1 hour and 11 minutes. (Google, 2013.)

Experience

Picture of Studio Movie Grill's bar.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Studio Movie Grill sports an adult atmosphere, mostly from the bar displayed immediately behind the ticket counter. Outside of the theaters, Studio Movie Grill offers a lounging area, where menus can be examined ahead of time. Inside the theaters, Studio Movie Grill provides seats with swinging tables attached to the arm, where ordered food can be kept.

Studio Movie Grill is current on their movie showings, promoting the posters outside as well as on a screen above the ticket counter. Studio Movie Grill offers tickets from the front, with staffed registers, as well as from do-it-yourself electronic registers. Purchasing Studio Movie Grill’s tickets requires seats to be selected before a payment can be made. The electronic register also prompts to ask if the purchaser is an adult, child, or student, without requesting verification.

Picture of Studio Movie Grill's logo
on a theater screen.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Because Studio Movie Grill offers food during the movie, staff sometimes cuts through to deliver items or check on customers. Attending Studio Movie Grill during a film that doesn’t need constant eye attention is recommended. Studio Movie Grill’s adult setting with current movies and food promotes going out to eat and watch a movie.

Bibliography

Google. (2013). Retrieved from https://maps.google.com/ 

Studio Movie Grill. (2013). Retrieved from https://www.studiomoviegrill.com/Default.aspx/

The University of Texas at Dallas Office of Student Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.utdallas.edu/cometcenter/tickets/

The Galleria Ice Skating Center's Steals

This blog post will cover the cost difference in the normal Galleria Ice Skating ticket and the discounted ticket offered by the Comet Center to students as well as the overall experience of visiting the Galleria Ice Skating Center.

 

Cost

Picture of the word "Galleria" in the rink's ice.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Visiting the Galleria’s Ice Skating Center normally costs $10.00 (n.d., galleriaiceskatingcenter.com), but buying a ticket from the Comet Center gives a student discount that reduces the price to $7.50 (UTD Office of Student Affairs, n.d.), including skates. The Galleria’s Ice Skating Center also charges $3.00 for skates (n.d., galleriaiceskatingcenter.com), bringing the total of an undiscounted visit to $12.00. 

The skating rink is located 11.5 miles away from campus, taking around 15 minutes to reach; the Galleria Ice Skating Center is also accessible by bus, though the travel time increases to 1 hour and 20 minutes (Google, 2013).

Experience

Picture of the word "Dallas" in the rink's ice.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

The Galleria’s Ice Skating Center is open during varying times during the week and weekend, with the earliest entry at 10AM, and the latest availability to stay at 11PM. (n.d., galleriaiceskatingcenter.com). The rink is noticeably emptier during normal school and work days, though even with kids, parents, and other people on the rink, plenty of space remains. The Galleria’s Ice Skating Center holds lessons throughout times of the day, which take up the middle of the rink and add more people to work around. The rink is usually emptiest after 10PM, an hour before close.

Picture of the Oklahoma and Sooner
logos on the rink's ice.
© 2013 Macy Sheehan

Though the Galleria’s Ice Skating Center promotes an air of Winter, the temperature inside of the rink is warm, made more so by the activity of skaters. When there aren’t lessons, the middle of the ice is a safe place to get away from shakier skaters. The rink keeps people skating in the same direction, and once off the wall, most skaters maintain a steady pace.

The Galleria’s Ice Skating Center hosts different decorations depending on the week. On the weekend of October 12th, Longhorn and Sooners logos were displayed on the ice via light because of the football game. During Winter, a large Christmas tree is placed in the middle of the rink. The Galleria’s Ice Skating Center changes their environment to keep things fresh while providing a laidback activity enjoyable in all seasons.

Bibliography

Google. (2013). Retrieved from https://maps.google.com/ 

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.galleriaiceskatingcenter.com/ 

The University of Texas at Dallas Office of Student Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.utdallas.edu/cometcenter/tickets/