Fewer strangers, greater courtesy

I've been to the Prytania Theater three times lately. (Fracture, Grindhouse, and 300) The Prytania is the last of the locally owned, neighborhood movie theaters in New Orleans. Going there is such a nostalgic experience.

The Prytania has only one screen. Sometimes there is only one employee, at which time you go directly into the lobby and pay for your admission and buy your popcorn from the same person. There is a real balcony and an organ down at the front. The seats don't recline and are not really all that comfortable.

There is an air of community in the lobby. Patrons walk to the theater and neighbors greet one another by name. With fewer strangers, there is greater courtesy.

When I was growing up in New Orleans there were lots of these little neighborhood movie theaters along with a few really big ones on Canal St. (The Joy, Saenger, and Lowes) The theater was near the drug store and grocery that served the neighborhood.

Now we go to multiplex theaters with many screens and vast parking lots. Its all very impersonal and there is not a scintilla of charm.

I choose the Prytania because I choose to support local businesses and traditions.