Son Brian and DIL Nicole were married in May 2010. Ten years later Hubby Tony and I were all ready to babysit for them so they could have a celebratory getaway. However, thanks to Covid that didn't happen.
Fast forward to January 2022. We're all vaxxed and boosted; Nicole asked if we would be willing to try again. Tony and I agreed. Since we would already be in California for that period, we added time with Son Tony and his family. Then we also tacked on a destination just for us. We booked flights and waited for the time to arrive.
Our trip was divided into three sections. The first destination was Salt Lake City (the "just for us" part). We chose it because it was in the general direction that we were going, Southwest flew into the airport, and neither Tony and I had been there before.
On the morning of April 29th we headed to the airport. Originally we had booked a non-stop flight, but Southwest changed our plans, deciding that we wanted to make a stop in the Denver airport first. That added a couple of hours, but we were still deplaning in Salt Lake City before lunch. After picking up a rental car we drove to a lovely old building, where we had rented a private apartment Airbnb. After unpacking, we started exploring.
For the next two and a half days we explored the area on foot and by car. The Salt Lake City streets are logical and grid-like. Everything radiates out from Temple Square, where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple and buildings are located. Major roads are numbered (200, 300, 400, etc.) and include the direction (North, South, East, or West.)
Friday we concentrated on walking around the downtown area. Saturday morning we were in and around Temple Square, where toured the Beehive House (one of the official residences of Brigham Young), learned about the LDS from the Sister Missionaries in the Conference Center, and caught a portion of an organ concert in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. Much of the area was being renovated, construction signs were everywhere, and it was a little hard to navigate.
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During the second half of the day we walked a trail up Ensign Peak (a 400-foot elevation gain). At the top we could see the Great Salt Lake and the city spread out like a panorama. In the evening we investigated a couple of neighborhoods recommended by our host before coming home and falling into bed.
On Sunday we drove a half hour southeast to Park City, the site of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games. There, we walked around and explored the historic downtown area. On the way back to Salt Lake City we stopped to get information about the Olympics museum, but we were tired and decided to pass on visiting it.
Before I knew it it was time to pack our suitcases again and head to the airport for the next part of our trip. On our way out of town we stopped to see the Cathedral of the Madelene, a beautiful Romanesque building.
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Exciting times! Looking forward to the rest of the trip!
ReplyDeleteExciting times! Looking forward to the rest of the trip.
ReplyDeleteGood to know SLC remains lovely. I visited in 1980.
ReplyDeleteI heard Salt Lake is drying up. I floated in it once, as a kid, long long time ago.
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DeleteI heard that, too. It was on the chilly side and I had no desire to visit the lake and try floating in it :-)
You've managed to walk and see quite a lot. Looking forward to read about the next part of your trip.
ReplyDeleteThis part of the trip was definitely our most active!
DeleteI looked at the pictures first and thought you'd found some new building here.
ReplyDeleteThey would fit in, wouldn't they?
DeleteLooks beautiful! I have never been to Salt Lake City.
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely go if you get the chance.
DeleteThe cathedral looks nice. I bet it was beautiful on the inside.
ReplyDeleteIt was stunning. My camera couldn't do it justice.
DeleteThe Man took me to all these places since he's from Utah and his Grandfather was one of the Founders of Park City, before it became a big resort, he was an Assayer at the Mines, one of the last Assayers. I find the History fascinating of so many places that some people have deep ties to. My own Family was much too Nomadic for Generations to have deep ties anywhere.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! How interesting about The Man's family history.
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