SALT LAKE CITY

If you’re planning to fly in, Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) will be your obvious choice. In addition to being a hub for Delta, SLC is also served by United and American. The really good news is that JetBlue and Southwest seem to also love this airport. Ultimately, Salt Lake is one of the best cities in the country for finding cheap, frequent flights. Salt Lake is one of the rare major cities to have its airport positioned just four miles from the center of downtown. That means you don’t necessarily need a rental car if you prefer to take a shuttle or hail a ride.

What to Expect in Salt Lake City

First, the Mormon in- essentially to Mormons life easier in Salt Lake fluences on everything what the Vatican is to City every time I visit. from architecture to Catholics. The center- This has to be the most attitudes are appar- piece of the campus is non-frustrating city in ent everywhere in Salt the Salt Lake Temple. the United States in Lake City. The city’s Most of the grounds are terms of layout and acpopulation is about open to non-Mormon cessibility! Even finding split between Mormons tourists just looking a hotel is breezy. Salt and non-Mormons. As to take in some sights! Lake City’s downtown a result, you get a nice Also stunning is the features Salt Lake City intersection of fun bars Tabernacle. While this Marriot Center, the and fascinating reli- may feel like a place of Salt Lake Plaza Hotel, gious landmarks. I have secrecy at first glance, the Grand America to recommend Temple outsiders are invited to Hotel, the MetropoliSquare if you’re look- stop in to watch choir tan Hotel and dozens ing to get right into rehearsals and hear the more that offer luxury action after arriving in world-famous Taber- within walking distance the city. This is a 10- nacle organ! of nearly everything. acre complex of build- It always feels like 44 || Terra Travelers ings and facilities that is fate aligns to make

Red Butte Garden is a highlight. Consisting of close to 100 acres of both manicured and pure terrain, this garden invites you to explore the city’s foothills at a leisurely pace. Hundreds of thousands of blooms populate the garden in the spring. Utah’s Hogle Zoo is another fun spot to discover in Salt Lake City. Spanning 42 acres, this impressive zoo is home to roughly 800 animals. The standout exhibit in the zoo is the African savanna campus that serves as a grassland home to African lions, zebras and giraffes. The zoo’s elephant exhibit is also a spectacular surprise. There’s also a big-cat exhibit that certainly made my hair stand up a bit! One thing I did not expect during my first visit to Salt Lake City was that the city is a hub for luxury shopping! Located right on Main Street, City Creek Center is a high-end, ultra-manicured retail and dining destination. You’ll find everything from department stores like Nordstrom to niche retailers like Fabletics when you pop in. I don’t know that I can say that Salt Lake City has a definitive “culinary” identity. You do get the impression that restaurateurs here really go out of their way to get past the infamous Utah casserole dishes we’ve all been warned about by going heavy on fusion influences. You’ll find a good mix of steak houses, oyster houses, pizza joints, sushi joints and diners in the city. The standouts near downtown for me are Current Fish & Oyster, Log Haven and the Pie Pizzeria.

Salt Lake Really Is a World Within a World

I have to say that Salt Lake City did feel like a place from a dream the time I watched African lions peeking out from frayed tall grass on the same day that I heard organ music coming from a sacred Mormon temple. No place in the world pulls off being quite so welcoming and enigmatic at the same time as Salt Lake City! You’re going to love the way that natural beauty, industry and Terra Travelers || 45 mysticism can come together to create a one-of-a-kind city like Salt Lake City.

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