Salt Lake City -- Opinions?

[HomogenousHomo]

As a naive, young, college student, one of my biggest things I want to accomplish is travel. Although I have been all around the world, my aunt inspired me with an offhand comment -- "instead of world travel, I'd like to take a cross-country trip, because there's so much to see in just America itself."

 

One of the cities i've always wanted to put on my list is Salt Lake City, Utah. Although I have been all over the east coast, and consider myself a New England kid, the West Coast outside of my current state of Arizona is a huge mystery to me. Much of my friends, LDS and non-LDS, have encouraged me to get a few peeps and mob down to SLC. I've done a little bit of research through friends, and the internet, and it sounds like a really popping place. Although Utah is known for its large LDS majority, I have heard that SLC is a huge place of diversity, culture, and lots of things to do. I always identify myself as a city kid at heart, and I love cities with its own "thing" going for them.

 

What are your opinions of Salt Lake City? All input from both non-Utahnians and SLC/Utah residents welcome. 

[PolarVortex]

I'm a city person, too.  IMHO, SLC is a typical American city, although the streets are very wide and parking isn't the nightmare that it is in Manhattan or San Francisco.  I visited SLC for the first time in my life last year as a middle-aged man.  Temple Square is definitely worth seeing, but you can easily see the whole thing in one day.  If you can choose the time of year to go, I would avoid winter.  The air pollution, sadly, is much worse than I imagined, and the air seemed bitterly cold.  But if you must go in winter, the Christmas lights in December in Temple Square are quite nice.

 

I know nothing about SLC nightlife or things that might appeal to a college student, sorry.  If you appreciate architecture, the LDS Conference Center is fascinating, and hear the SLC public library is also a marvel.  SLC was in the upper third of my list of desired U.S. travel destinations, right between Monterey, CA and Honolulu.  

 

On the surface, SLC is a bit less Mormon than I expected, but I didn't interview for a job or have to live with LDS neighbors, so I'm not getting the big picture.  Outside of Temple Square, the only evidence of the LDS Church that I saw was on two billboards: a tourism billboard for Temple Square, and a billboard for some inexpensive local attorney that said, "Because your home teacher isn't a lawyer."  (That last one puzzled me for a few moments.)

 

Happy travels.

[Guest]

I've never been to Salt Lake so I can't help you there... but I got world traveling experience... I have lots of tips on how to travel the world on a backpacker's budget...  works especially for the single young traveler who goes for the cultural experience and not the touristy activities and is open-minded about where they sleep and open to bottom-rung cash-paying work along the way.

Edited November 21, 2014 by anatess

[Just_A_Guy]

If you can choose the time of year to go, I would avoid winter.  The air pollution, sadly, is much worse than I imagined, and the air seemed bitterly cold. 

 

Sounds like you caught us during an inversion:

 

Inversions occur during the winter months when normal atmospheric conditions (cool air above, warm air below) become inverted. Inversions trap a dense layer of cold air under a layer of warm air. The warm layer acts much like a lid, trapping pollutants in the cold air near the valley floor. The Wasatch Front valleys and their surrounding mountains act like a bowl, keeping this cold air in the valleys. The snow-covered valley floors reflect rather than absorb the heat from the sun, preventing the normal vertical mixing of warm and cold air. Fog exacerbates the problem, facilitating chemical reactions that create even more particles and higher pollutant concentrations. The longer the inversion lasts, the higher the levels of pollution trapped under it. The warm inversion air layer is usually displaced by a strong storm system which restores air quality to healthy levels.

 

In the Salt Lake Valley, inversions typically occur following a snowstorm. The new snow pack enhances colder temperatures near the surface. At the same time, clear skies lead to warmer temperatures above. Fog and freezing rain can also occur during inversion periods. The lowered visibility that accompanies inversions doesn't necessarily signal high pollution levels because visibility often deteriorates well in advance of harmful concentrations of pollutants.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Just_A_Guy

[PolarVortex]

Sounds like you caught us during an inversion:

 

Probably.  I'd be very happy to know that it's not that way all winter long.  I went back to SLC last August, though, and the air and climate were insanely wonderful, like something from the Garden of Eden.

[Vort]

Salt Lake is a great city. We loved visiting there. Very clean, lots to do. (Unless your idea of "lots to do" involves bar-hopping and nightlife, in which case I can't speak to those things.)

[pam]

Yes air quality during the winter is horrible.  It's sometimes rated the worst in the nation.  It usually runs November through February.  

[The Folk Prophet]

Yes air quality during the winter is horrible.  It's sometimes rated the worst in the nation.  It usually runs November through February.  

 

Though if you come to ski you get above the inversion and the mountain air is wonderful (albeit a bit thin).

[mrmarklin]

SLC is a typical big city in many ways, but there is a lot to do there.  Certainly worth a couple of days.

 

Eat at the Red Iguana.

 

Terrific Mexican.

[Dr T]

Eat at "The Pie" in SLC.  THE BEST PIZZA imo

[paulsifer42]

Eat at "The Pie" in SLC. THE BEST PIZZA imo

The pie want nearly as good the last time I went. Still good, just not as good. It could have been an off day though. I recommend the Greek pizza there. They use lamb and cucumber sauce. So good.

[Backroads]

THe Pie ' s ogden location is the best one.

[kapikui]

I personally hate cities, but Salt Lake is the only large city I've ever been to that doesn't leave me fantasizing about a Tunguska Event to happening to it.

[Dr T]

Bummer news.  I never had an off day there.  It was always great.  :)

[Bini]

I'm not a native to Utah (or the US for that matter) but have been here over ten years now, and about five years or so in the Salt Lake City area. Yes, there is a large Mormon population in Utah, period, but Salt Lake City itself, has become very diverse over the years. I'm seeing more ethnic groups and cultures. And I learned this recently, that SLC is in fact densely Democratic, despite other areas of Utah. So there is diversity in SLC.

 

If you haven't been to Utah or SLC, it's definitely worth the travel, as there's so much to do out here. It's a beautiful state and for so many reasons. If you're an active person that loves outdoors and doing energetic activities, there's tons of that out here, and lots of people to meet up with to do it.

[pam]

SLC is a typical big city in many ways, but there is a lot to do there.  Certainly worth a couple of days.

 

Eat at the Red Iguana.

 

Terrific Mexican.

 

The Red Iguana is excellent.  I highly recommend it but you need to go to their original location.

[bytebear]

If you are doing a road trip through Salt Lake, I would recommend taking the I-15 South, and head to Vegas and then to California. If you have extra time, take the side highways through the smaller towns (and check out the Manti temple). It's an extra hourish, but worth the effort at least once.

 

I live in Southern California and do this trip a lot, and I always do a stop over in Vegas. Hotels are fun and interesting, and there's a lot to see without gambling.  I stay overnight to break up the California drive. 

 

The Red Iguana is the only Utah Mexican food that compares to California Mexica food.  You just can't go wrong with Mexican food in California.

 

And sadly, there is no pizza like the Pie. 

I made a Google Map of sightseeing spots for a trip we took a few years ago.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zj7fUJW2UDaI.koRT_sD8LkvY