Come check out Salt Lake City with me.
As I was working for the City of Pasadena this summer, I was fortunate enough to be on a 9/80 work schedule. This means that I worked 80 hours over the course of 9 days and earn every other Friday off. Well, being the wanderer that I am, I had to take advantage. My long first weekend off resulted in a trip to Salt Lake City.
I went to Utah to visit my friend Pilar. She and I sat next to each other the first day of MBA orientation and have been close buddies ever since. After nine months of listening to her talk about how amazing Salt Lake City is, I knew I had to see for myself what all of the hype was about. With Pilar’s expert guidance, I was able to explore this new city!
Here are my big take-aways:
- Schedule an early flight – This rule applies to any weekend trip IMO. Since I was arriving on Friday and departing on Sunday, I wanted to make the most of my time. Although it made for an early morning, I scheduled a 7AM flight from Burbank to Salt Lake City. By 10:30AM SLC time, I was dropping my bags at Pilar’s family’s house and getting ready to hit the town.
- Take a hike
Utah is beautiful (Pilar definitely was not lying there). The mountains that surround the valley are breathtaking, and at a staggering 10,000″, they can be seen from any spot. Since I had just completed my half marathon earlier in the week, we did a shorter hike called Donut Falls. Being the donut lover that I am…
…I was in as soon as I heard the name. This was a super easy hike, only 1.5 miles to the falls at the end. We scrambled up to the top of the falls – at 7,800 feet – and took in the views. - Enjoy the Journey – I am extremely impressed with the roads in SLC! They are very well maintained and each lane is extremely wide. There is absolutely no comparison in Los Angeles were the roads are covered in potholes and the freeways are as tightly packed as possible. Fun anecdote via Pilar: The streets are like this because Brigham Young ensured that every road was wide enough for a horse-drawn carriage to make a U-turn in!
- Visit Park City
Not far from SLC, Park City is the place to ski in the winter. But it is also a great place to putz around for a day in the summer. This resort city houses lots of shops, art galleries, and restaurants. Together with Pilar’s family, we enjoyed Park Silly, the massive farmers’ market that turns up every Sunday during the summer. Be sure to take pictures with the local art. But the statues can be hot (it was 100F while I was there in July) so be beary careful when leaning against the statues
- Be Ready for Thunderstorms
One minute it is 101F, and the next you are running to the shelter of your car, getting drenched and lightening is cracking in the distance. Thunderstorms can – and will – come out of nowhere. Definitely magical to see the power of Mother Nature. Enjoy it! - Celebrate with Something Local
To celebrate my 25th birthday, Pilar took me to Orchid Dynasty, her favorite nursery and for good reason. Extremely adorable and the fantasy of every Pinterest lover, I am surprised I left with only one thing (well, maybe the fact that I was traveling carry-on only had something to do with it). Pilar treated me to a new succulent. Such a sweet and simple gift that I can look at and always be reminded of my first trip to Utah.
It was a short trip, but I am glad that I was able to experience SLC for the first time. It definitely won’t be my last trip to Salt Lake City, and I cannot wait to make it further south in Utah and visit Arches, Moab, and Zion.
-TM
Have you been to SLC? Let us know what you thought below.
From Brown Eyes 