I do realize that the big cities have the pretty people, culture, and talent. The museums, concert halls, art galleries, colleges, universities, and restaurants are simply wonderful. I don’t want to live in them with their graffiti, crime, and filthy air, but visiting is a great thing to do. We live about halfway between Salt Lake City and Denver. Denver has the mining and railroad history, plus the Colorado Railroad Museum. However we’ll take Salt Lake City any day.
Salt Lake City has absolutely the cleanest, widest streets of any city in the entire world. I have found some neighborhoods which may be less desirable than others, but I have yet to find and slums or public housing projects. Colorado Springs has the Broadmoor, which we like to go to, but Colorado Springs can be very boring. (When we were in England and Scotland last year, we discovered that The Broadmoor in England is an insane asylum).
We live in an 1887 brick Queen Anne Victorian, and naturally we need antiques to furnish it with, and we have found the absolute ultimate antique place. It is known as “Anthony’s” and is located at 401 East and 200 South. (Salt Lake City streets are named according to how far east, west, north or south they are from Temple Square, so you can’t get lost). Tony Christensen owns it and it is in a huge church. The church failed and it became a bank. The bank failed, and Tony bought it and turned into a swank, beautiful three storey antique place, which one can spend hours in, just browsing. To me, it is one of the super attractions in Salt Lake. Our home has many, many antiques from Tony.
Where to stay in Salt Lake City? We always stay at the Grand American Hotel, which is the only five diamond hotel in Salt Lake City. It is the most beautiful, deluxe, outrageously wonderful hotel I have ever seen or stayed in, and it is at 555 South Main. We usually get a king size bed room, for $158 or thereabouts, and in any other city, the tab would be three or four times that. The gardens, restaurant, lobby, and perfection of the place is a wonderment to me. I love mechanical things like elevators, steam locomotives, merry-go-rounds, and the like, and the Grand America’s elevators are the fastest and smoothest I have ever ridden on in any establishment. The Sunday buffet is known far and wide, and not to be missed.
The Utah Symphony is the equal of any, and it plays in Abravanel Hall, named for the late Maurice Abravanel, its long time conductor and music director. The hall has superb acoustics and we always catch a classical music concert when we go to Salt Lake City during concert season. The lobby has the most fantastic glass sculpture I have ever seen. Abravanel Hall is located just a bit west of Temple Square. Salt Lake City’s streets are safe at night, and there are no worries about muggings or violence
Salt Lake City is the capital of Utah (named for the Ute Indians) and its capitol building has been recently restored and is breathtakingly beautiful. Above the Capitol is a neighborhood with the greatest views of the entire valley. Amusement parks have gone the way of all flesh, thanks to vandalism, and all that goes with racial minorities. I grew up in Washington D.C. and used to take the streetcar to Glen Echo Park, which failed, as did Willow Grove in Philly, because of the big city ruffians. Salt Lake City has Lagoon, and is full of flowers, trees, and is spotless. I didn’t see one undesirable when we there there Saturday, and there must have been 25,000 people in the park. I rode the wood roller coaster, dodgems, etc, and it brought back memories of growing up in D.C. The park has a three row Spillman merry-go-round, which runs well, but the band organ has long ago been substituted with speakers. My only complaint about Lagoon.
Like Italian food? We always make a stop at Cucina Toscana, which is located in an old Firestone tire store. The Firestone sign still is there, but it is a now a white tablecloth, splendid place to dine. It’s on South 300 West, on west side, below 200 West. Owner is Valter Nassi, who personally greets and talks to every single customer. In order to become a waiter or waitress at Cucina Toscana, one must pass a test from Valter, to be sure that every thing is perfect. Restaurant perfection is what it is. Tell Valter we sent you if you go. Salt Lake has lots of fine restaurants in all price ranges, and to suit all tastes.
At one time, Salt Lake had an extensive streetcar system, which made its last runs in the 1950’s, but the huge car barn is still there and is now a shopping mecca called “Trolley Square.” Nice place to visit! Salt Lake City a has light rail system, which is fast, quiet, and smooth. The fares are very reasonable and are good for a certain number of hours, not rides. Salt Lake’s wide streets accommodate the light rail very easily, and a line to the airport is now being constructed. You can take the light rail within the inner city free, so if you’re staying at the Grand America, you can get on the cars and go to Abravanel Hall, Temple Square, or the film and shopping complex, called Gateway, which occupies several blocks. Super shopping for middle classes. Gateway is located behind the huge Union Pacific Railroad station, which has been turned into a museum, but it will give you an excellent idea of what travel and stations were like in days of yore, when train travel was great
Temple Square is a Garden of Eden in Salt Lake City, and not to be missed. The Mormon Tabernacle seats 6,000 and a guide will go up front and drop a pin on a table and it can be heard at the rear of the building, so great are its acoustics. Sunday Mornings at 9:30, you need to take in “Music and the Spoken Word,” which radio show is the longest running radio show in history, and now is on TV. It’s a great show, and no Mormon teachings are mentioned. Purely generic, but grand. Occasionally, “Music and the Spoken Word,” is held at the Conference Center, across the street north from Temple Square. This auditorium seats 25,000 and it has not a single support pole to interrupt views, an architectural wonder. Both Tabernacle and Conference Center have huge pipe organs which are used regularly and kept in perfect tune and condition. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has about 600 members, all volunteers, and their music is breathtaking.
Across from Temple Square on the south, sits Utah Woolen Mills, which has been there since 1905 and has the best of men’s and women’s clothes. Also there, you will find a brand new shopping mall with huge water fountains and up scale shopping.
I’m not a Mormon, but I’ll tell you, these are fine people, and make beautiful music, have their own welfare system, and are extremely moral and hospitable. They have a wonderful city!
P.S. It looks as if Greece will exit the euro, and I’ll bet the presses are turning out drachmas right now, in preparation. If that happens, will Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland be far away? If nations cease using the euro, will they no longer be obligated to pay their euro debts? To get out of debt, wouldn’t it make sense for others to do the same? Would it cause convulsions around the world? You bet, and I don’t have any euro denominated investments, but I’ll guarantee you lots of retirement funds, and banks do. If I had any, I’d get out now. Gold is up $20. Was the low yesterday?