Arcana in Progress - Location Scouting
Amidst everything else going on, I have been trying to work on a longer Urbis Arcana story I mentioned a month ago, and I ran into an unexpected problem.
Originally, the first chapter was supposed to take place in a McDonalds near Jefferson Park Transit Center. As most people who've read my work know, I'm fond of using real locations, and the actual McDonalds that was actually located there worked pretty well for my purposes. But then, I read up on the way McDonalds is depicted in fiction and discovered that the place was notoriously litigious when it comes to that sort of thing. So I started thinking about using something else.
Freddie's Fast Food was the obvious alternative candidate. It was pretty close to the transit center, it served fast food and it was open pretty late (most eateries in that area 6:00 PM, and I needed one that was open late). But when I thought about how the scene would play out, I realized that it was simply too small for my purposes. Without going into too much detail, the chapter calls for an action scene, and, whatever else you can say about Freddie's, there is barely enough room to sit, let alone fight.
After mulling it over it for a while, I remembered that there was another fast food eatery within walking distance of the Transit Center - King's #2 Gyros. A bit further than Freddie's, but still close enough to the major roads (this part is important to the plot). I've never been inside, and I had no idea how long it was open, but I decided it was worth checking out.
Inside, I found a very old-school eatery, complete with vintage photos and a very retro mascot. The dining area was decently sized. I ran the action scene through my head. A few things would have to be adjusted, but they were small adjustments. And it turned out that it was open until 2:00 AM. Perfect.
Yeah, I know. It would have been easier if I just made up an eatery from scratch. But like I said - I like using real locations. And, if the owner of King's Gyros takes issue with the way I use it... Well, it would be easier to negotiate with a small business owner than a multi-national corporation.
Now, I just have to finish that first chapter...