Salt Lake City Blue Sky & Great Food

How can I explain Salt Lake City to someone who has never been there? Well, I will start by saying that it is a modern city that is open and welcoming to visitors while embracing its historic past. Far less expensive to visit than many American cities and most foreign ones, Salt Lake City can offer a nice time for families and for individuals who have a little free time when there on business. Winter is skiing and all winter/snow sports, but in summer there is still a great deal to do. The Trax urban transit system is easy to use and free to use in the heart of downtown. Although the major downtown shopping district is closed for remodeling and not due to reopen until 2010, there is still plenty to shop for a the Gateway Center west of the Salt Palace Convention Center. You can dine as well in Salt Lake City as anywhere in America.... and for less cost. Don't miss Temple Square. It is open during regular hours to all visitors and friendly guides will show you around without giving you a big sales pitch on their relgion. The museums there are excellent, but I prefer to walk around outside and have the experience of seeing the beautiful buildings in the clear sunlight. Above all I enjoy being with the people who live in Salt Lake City which is a big city with small town friendlyness. There is no hussle of tourists by the Great Salt Lake. No one will try to over-sell you on tours of things to do. Find your own pace and enjoy.

Quick Tips:

I really enjoy eating great meals in Salt Lake City. Doing so at reasonable prices adds to my pleasure. You aren't in New York City! It is an easy city to visit and to get around in. I also enjoy being outdoors even when it is very hot and very dry. Don't miss a chance to go see the Great Salt Lake and the huge copper mine that is nearly inside the city limits. There are parks and children's play areas as well as many things for families to do.

There is a large visitor's center on the east side of the Salt Palace Convention Center. Head there for free maps and great advice. Also very nice and clean rest rooms. The ladies there really know Salt Lake City and they won't try to spend your money for you.

You will find the the prices for meals, hotels and motels are very reasonable and often less that at other locations of the same chains. Take advantage of this! There are a wide variety of lodging choices from the very inexpensive to the very posh. Have someone explain the Salt Lake City grid system to you so that you can read a map and find your way. It is not unusual to have an address that reads: 100 West 300 South and it all makes perfect sense when it is explained that 0/0 is Temple Square. The numbers streets get their names (numbers) for the distance they are from that location.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Trax unban transportation system along with buses are the easiest way to get around. The airport is close to downtown and the taxi prices are reasonable. In downtown I either take Trax (which is free in the center of downtown) or walk. It is very flat, but be wared that the city streets are extremely wide. I would figure about 6 Salt Lake City blocks to the mile. If you want to go up to the Park Cities, you can take a bus. Your hotel or the Visitor's Center can help you find a tour if you want to get around in an organized manner. Rent a bike, walk, hike, ride a bus or drive your own car. Generally there is plenty of parking at small town prices.

The old Peery Hotel has a lot going for it: location (a stone's throw to the Salt Palace), great service, character and great food. Add in free Starbuck's coffee each morning and a haunted elevator--what more could you want?
The atmosphere is late Victorian as this hotel was built to take care of successful miners in the late 19th century who came to Salt Lake City for business, shopping and fun. Now a home to really nice antique furnishings, strong air conditioning and a staff with the desire to make all feel at home, the Peery stands out in the modern world of cookie cutter hotels. After one trip to the 2nd floor on Moaning Molly, the haunted elevator, I used the stairs. You would as well as this elevator sounds like it is crying. Bawling! My room was one of the larger ones and had a queen size bed, a great deal of large furniture and a suitable if oddly shaped bathroom. Forget details like an in room mini-fridge as that if for modern style hotels. There is an ice machine down the hall. Some of the rooms are really tiny and others are suites, so ask a lot of questions when you make your reservation. My room did not have the musty smell so typical of many hotels. Perhaps this is due to the quality of the bath products provided and the cleanliness of the room.
Bath products are from Bath & Body Works and are supplied generously in an assortment of scents including 'warm vanilla sugar' and a great lavender. I don't know what sort they leave for men. I don't like 'exclusively made for' bath products when in hotels are they are often cheap stuff and do harm to my long hair. I appreciate a full line of products with the TSA restrictions for taking bath products in carryon bags on flights. The more available in hotels, the better.
It was really, really hot while I was in Salt Lake City. Hotter than a typical June. The air conditioning at the Peery kept up with the demands of the guests and that is saying something. Best of all were the kind and helpful staff members who demonstrated that their work was more than a job during my staff of over a week. I really got to know this hotel.
There are two restaurants in the same building: the Romano's Macaroni Grill and Christopher's Seafood and Steak House. Christopher's offers breakfast which is not included in your rate for your room at the Peery. Free Starbucks coffee and Tazo tea are offered self service each morning in the great and large lobby and at least once a week there is a Manager's wine tasting open to all guests at no charge.
I really enjoyed staying at this hotel and will gladly do so again. The original address for this hotel is: 100 West 300 South.

Under the same roof as the famous Peery Hotel, this is a really nice restaurant. Be sure to make a reservation as this place can get very busy, very fast. We had a really nice dinner and much to our surprise, the seafood was great and really fresh--out here in the middle of the desert! The atmosphere is cheerful as most of the servers are university students and are happy to work in such a nice restaurant. The table settings are lovely with heavy restaurant silver. The food is great and the prices are reasonable. Alcoholic drinks are available at your table served from the adjacent bar. Salt Lake City has awakened to the needs and wants of visitors.
Don't quit before ordering desserts as they are really good and feature local recipes for pies and ice creams. Plenty of sweets. After all this is the Bee Hive state.

Let me start by saying that P F Chang's is a very high end Chinese restaurant. No $5.99 buffet here! Also before I forget the street name is also called West Broadway in the newly created entertainment district in Salt Lake City. The menu is heavy on Chinese restaurant favorites, but each dish is prepared with very high quality ingredients and carefully prepared sauces. Guests receive and sauce and spice tray to zip up their food should they choose to do so (and know what they are doing). I had hot and sour soup, vegetarian noodles and a very good quality pot of jasmine tea.
www.pfchangs.com for more information.
This is obviously a date night place for young people in Salt Lake City. We saw a lot of really attractive couples chatting over steaming dishes of Chinese food. You can order alcoholic drinks here as well. The atmosphere is heavy on heavy statues and dark woods. I tried to take photos of the interior, but it was too dark to do so. Salt Lake City is now getting many of the best chain restaurants as the doors are opened to encourage well heeled visitors. It is possible to make reservations on line.

One of my strongest opinions is about the need for public art in cities. Salt Lake City has a vast selection of works of art on sidewalks, sides of buildings and in the lobby areas of buildings open to the public during business hours. There are also the massive and very important areas such as Temple Square which hosts millions of visitors a year and it has monuments and statues for all visitors to see and enjoy.

I visited Salt Lake City in June, one of the hottest Junes on record. I had to walk from my hotel to my meetings and found the public art a refreshing way to cover the long blocks in the bright sunlight. Bravo Salt Lake City for doing such a fine job with public art and art for the public.

Fair warning: in summer in Salt Lake City is very easy to get overheated and dried out. Be careful as you go, use a lot of sunscreen, wear a hat, use an umbrella and rest often.

One of the best locations to view public art for free is in the lobby of the Wells Fargo Bank Building at 299 South Main St. The art is dedicated to Olympic competitions as well as having a Wells Fargo Stage Coach on display. Other areas for strong public art is Temple Square which has beautiful buildings which glow in the sunlight and it has very interesting and moving statues. My long time favorite (I'm a frequent visitor to Salt Lake City) is the Monument to the Pioneers in Temple Square which is generally known as the Handcart Monument as it is in memory and in honor of those pioneers who walked to Salt Lake City from across North America while pulling and pushing crudely built handcarts with all their food and possessions on them. It always brings me to tears and my grandparents were western pioneers.

There is much to do and see in Salt Lake City that doesn't cost money. Take advantage of this and enjoy your visit.