Ah, the joys of airline travel. During our PDX-LAX-SLC-AUS route flying home from Portland, we hit a snag. The plane in LA was delayed about an hour and a half on the tarmac, meaning we would certainly miss our connection in Salt Lake and also that we couldn't get up from our seats. Rather than take another two additional connections and a red eye, we opted for a hotel voucher and a flight out the next evening. After all, Brett and I were both on spring break. Why not? As fun as sitting around the airport sounded, we decided instead to go into Salt Lake City. Below is a photo journal and a little commentary to highlight our brief stay in SLC: We took a free shuttle from the airport run by a Mormon couple who drop visitors off at Temple Square. Know that, if you take advantage of this free ride, they will ensure that you are transferred to guides for a tour of Mormon religious sites (also free). Don't get me wrong, Temple Square is beautifully landscaped and features stunning architecture. The Mormon religious history is also interesting, given that it's a newer religion, was started in America, and has some controversial elements in its past. I would love to hear the famous Tabernacle Choir sing sometime. We, however, had not eaten since our meager airport food between flights the night before and needed breakfast ASAP. If you do not want the tour post-van ride or want to do it later, be very clear to the guides. Our subtle "we actually need to get some breakfast soon" was met by, "Ok! We'll try to shorten the tour a bit." Not wanting to make a rude exit, we walked around for a bit and saw the Assembly Hall and a Visitor's Center before getting breakfast. Epic Brewing, one of the many small craft breweries popping up around Utah. They are "Utah's first brewery since prohibition to brew exclusively high alcohol content beer." And they have a gluten-free beer! Due to Utah's extremely restrictive alcohol laws, they cannot have high gravity beersvon tap, we were required to order an entree with our drink, and we could only have a certain number of glasses in front of us at any given time (including tasters - no tasting flights here). Our question to the bartender at Epic Brewery's Tapless Taproom was "What made the owners choose to start their brewery here, given the restrictive alcohol laws?" eBorn Books in Downtown Salt Lake City. I can never resist stopping in a bookstore. This one sells new, used, and rare books. The rare books were particularly interesting to peruse. Unsurprisingly, the section contained many LDS books, including copies of The Book of Mormon in various languages from the 1800s. A few thoughts on Salt Lake City after my 8 hours there: It is incredibly clean. I think that the public transportation is the cleanest I have ever seen. The mountains are beautiful. Many of the people are very friendly. The alcohol laws are much more restrictive than in other states, which makes sense given that Mormons abstain from alcohol and there is a high Mormon population in Salt Lake, so they likely influence the laws. In contrast to the generally squeaky-clean feeling of the city and many of the residents, there were also a few slightly aggressive homeless people that we encountered, such as a guy yelling at us on the train about someone dying and being kidnapped (the story kept changing) after not letting him use our cell phones. However, I did a bit of research on Salt Lake City and noted that they have done A LOT to combat homelessness in the city.
I honestly felt like a single day gave me a pretty good feel of the city and allowed me to see some of the downtown sights - Temple Square, downtown shops, City Creek Center, etc. With a little more time, I might have gone to check out the campus of University of Utah or tried to find a performance of the Tabernacle Choir, which has public rehearsals on Thursday evenings. If I was there for a multi-day stay, I would definitely head into the mountains for skiing or hiking, depending on the season.
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AuthorMy name is Alyssa Good and I have a passion for travel, adventure, culture, and new experiences! I focus on budget friendly travel, trip planning resources, and seeking out new experiences. Archives
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