What an interesting city! It's highly liberal here, but hippie liberal, not "let criminals run amok while we make a bunch of arbitrary and draconian laws" liberal. They do appear to have a large homeless population, all congregated in the blocks around their city mission downtown. They also have a weird law that bartenders can't pour a beer in a restaurant bar where children might see them do it. 
I'm not making that up - they're called "Zion curtains". The bartender takes your order, then disappears in the back where the beer taps and alcohol are to make your drink.
Oh, and today they had their annual SlutWalk, with women marching in skimpy outfits to protest...women being sexually assaulted.
Um....
But it really is a neat city. Lots of stuff to do here, tons of shopping and dining options, cute neighborhoods with their own personality, and it's easy to get around.
Today we went to the Mormon Temple, which was amazing and creepy at the same time. It is in direct contrast to the rest of the city, with eerily wholesome Mormon people milling about in an over the top environment of filthy lucre and pure excess. The visitor's centers are...unsettling. But it was very interesting, although you kind of feel like you're about to be kidnapped and brainwashed into a cult.
The residents are very friendly here, and they're a good looking bunch. It's kind of Stepford, how attractive everyone is. "Wholesome" is the word that keeps coming to mind here. Clean. Outdoorsy. Fresh. Osmond teeth. In fact, if Donny Osmond were a city, he would be Salt Lake City. It's like a Disney World Showcase attraction. The inverse of Baltimore. On one hand, I really like it; on the other hand, I'm creeped out.
It's exceedingly white here. Even the black people are white, like they were imported in from a movie set. The Mormon Temple made me laugh because all the Biblical depictions (dioramas, paintings, etc) are like - remember the Bible Stories books they used to have in doctor's offices? Like that, with all the characters decidedly caucasian, clean, and wholesome looking. Nothing to indicate that these events took place in the, you know, Middle East.
I don't want to sound negative about SLC because it really is cool here. It's the kind of city where I think I'd want to live here, but probably not really. Like I think I want to put on makeup, do my hair, and put together a great outfit every day - but in reality I'm not going to do that. Thinking I'm going to have a salad and fresh steamed veggies for dinner, but giving in to the cheeseburger and fries. In my infrequent fits of self-dissatisfaction, I think I should be the kind of person who lives in a place like Salt Lake City. And puts on a face and cute outfit every day. And eats organic steamed vegetables and quinoa for dinner.
Basically, SLC makes me feel inferior.
But again, I do like the city and we're enjoying our visit. If I came here once or twice a year on travel for a few days, I'd look forward to it. Then I'd be glad to go back to someplace more real.
I'm not making that up - they're called "Zion curtains". The bartender takes your order, then disappears in the back where the beer taps and alcohol are to make your drink.Oh, and today they had their annual SlutWalk, with women marching in skimpy outfits to protest...women being sexually assaulted.
Um....
But it really is a neat city. Lots of stuff to do here, tons of shopping and dining options, cute neighborhoods with their own personality, and it's easy to get around.
Today we went to the Mormon Temple, which was amazing and creepy at the same time. It is in direct contrast to the rest of the city, with eerily wholesome Mormon people milling about in an over the top environment of filthy lucre and pure excess. The visitor's centers are...unsettling. But it was very interesting, although you kind of feel like you're about to be kidnapped and brainwashed into a cult.
The residents are very friendly here, and they're a good looking bunch. It's kind of Stepford, how attractive everyone is. "Wholesome" is the word that keeps coming to mind here. Clean. Outdoorsy. Fresh. Osmond teeth. In fact, if Donny Osmond were a city, he would be Salt Lake City. It's like a Disney World Showcase attraction. The inverse of Baltimore. On one hand, I really like it; on the other hand, I'm creeped out.
It's exceedingly white here. Even the black people are white, like they were imported in from a movie set. The Mormon Temple made me laugh because all the Biblical depictions (dioramas, paintings, etc) are like - remember the Bible Stories books they used to have in doctor's offices? Like that, with all the characters decidedly caucasian, clean, and wholesome looking. Nothing to indicate that these events took place in the, you know, Middle East.
I don't want to sound negative about SLC because it really is cool here. It's the kind of city where I think I'd want to live here, but probably not really. Like I think I want to put on makeup, do my hair, and put together a great outfit every day - but in reality I'm not going to do that. Thinking I'm going to have a salad and fresh steamed veggies for dinner, but giving in to the cheeseburger and fries. In my infrequent fits of self-dissatisfaction, I think I should be the kind of person who lives in a place like Salt Lake City. And puts on a face and cute outfit every day. And eats organic steamed vegetables and quinoa for dinner.
Basically, SLC makes me feel inferior.
But again, I do like the city and we're enjoying our visit. If I came here once or twice a year on travel for a few days, I'd look forward to it. Then I'd be glad to go back to someplace more real.
So this was right up my alley - Asian food AND cooking it at the table! BRILLIANT!! You spend a lot of time chasing the meat and veggies around the broth pot (I did notice, however, that the Chinese girl at the table next to us didn't seem to be having that problem, and I studied her intently to see what I was supposed to be doing).
It happened to be like a week after the Sundance Film Festival which helped yuppify the place, however it's a very cute little ski town. It wasn't too hipster as of 2011 when I was there, so who knows where it's at on the bourbon, beards, and flannel scale now. But I loved it. So many fantastic restaurants, architecture, friendly residents, couple cute museums about the area (used to mine coal there), plenty of fun things to do... My mother and I spent one day doing a historical tour on snow shoes - we ended up being the only ones signed up and got our very own private tour by one of the town's most prestigious historians! And a serious quads workout. wow. 
I could barely leave the elevator. However the views were phenomenal. Actually the whole trip, there was never a bad view. Although I was there in February so everything was covered in snow! So pretty.
