We had been keeping track of the weather forecast the last few days for both Park City and Salt Lake City. It had bounced back in forth between rain and snow for several days. When we woke up in Park City it was foggy and drizzling, but hope was on the horizon. The forecast showed the skies would be clearing by mid-morning. We decided to go ahead and make the short (40 minute) drive from Park City to Salt Lake City. Thankfully the forecast was right and as we got closer to Salt Lake City the rain stopped and the clouds began to roll away. By noon we were blessed with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-fifties to enjoy this spectacular city that is home to close to 1.5 million people.
In spite of it's size, Salt Lake City is easy to navigate. Many of the top sites to see such as the Capitol building, Tabernacle Square, and the city center are conveniently located near each other. There is plenty of surface and underground parking available. We drove up State Street which ends in front of the very impressive looking Capitol, and were pleased to find a visitors center located directly across the street. The young lady working in the visitors center was very helpful in confirming that the research Beth had done of things to see and do would make for a great day. She added a couple of suggestions to enhance our time in the city known as the Crossroads to the West.
We knew we would walk across the street and get some pictures of the outside of the stately looking Capitol building, but our planning helper had strongly suggested that we go inside and take a look. I was somewhat skeptical thinking that it would require security checks and an organized tour. Much to our surprise we simply walked in and looked through the small museum just inside the door. We were told by a security officer to feel free to walk around any of the four floors.
The rotunda was somewhat of a mini version of the US Capitol with marble floors and murals of the walls tracing the history of Utah. Steps on one end led up to the second floor where the state Supreme Court was on one end, the Senate Chambers in the middle and the House of Representatives chambers on the other end. The doors to the Senate and House chambers were open allowing us to walk right up to the entrance and take a peek inside (they were not in session). The entrance to the Capitol is a side entrance, but we were able to exit out the front door which gave us a great view of the city from the high vantage point.
We then drove a short distance to City Creek Center which is an impressive indoor/outdoor mall. There are four main buildings connected at the street level and by sky walk bridges. The roofs of the building are retractable so on warm, sunny days they are open, and if the weather isn't cooperating they can be closed. Even though they were closed yesterday all the natural sunlight along with the trout filled creek gave the feel of being outdoors. We're not shoppers so we didn't go in a single store but still enjoyed our very short time in the mall.
Just a short block away from the mall is Temple Square. Mormon's make up slightly less than 50% of the population of Salt Lake City, and Temple Square is the center piece not only for worship, but also for historical and administrative offices for the Latter-day Saints. In the middle of the 10 acre Temple Square is the Temple itself, which was dedicated in April, 1893 and took forty years to build. It's over 250,000 square feet in size and remains the largest Latter-day Saints Temple. The temple is currently undergoing a massive renovation project to strengthen the structure. It's a four year project that is scheduled to be completed in two more years. The temple is closed to the public at all times but next to the temple is the dome shaped tabernacle, which has a seating capacity of 3,500. The shape of the tabernacle is an acoustic masterpiece that is frequently used by the world famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. There are daily noon concert recitals on the huge pipe organ. We walked over to the tabernacle and were fortunate to be able to catch the last 10 minutes of the approximately 30 minute recital. If you're visiting Salt Lake City try to plan your visit so you can take in one of these recitals, it's well worth it.
Our next destination was Liberty Park, Salt Lake City's oldest and second largest city park (it is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places). Our friend from the visitors center suggested we eat across the street from the park at the Park Cafe and what a great suggestion this was! The small cafe is open everyday from 7:00-3:00. According to reviews as well as from talking to one of the cafe's team members they are know primarily as a breakfast place. We don't know about their breakfast food, but what both of us can attest to is that the hamburger described as the Galaxy Dominating Super Burger was amazing. We don't know exactly what it was, but the combination of the meat, bacon, cheese, chipotle mayo, grilled onions or fresh veggies made it quite possibly the best hamburger we've ever had. If we're back in Salt Lake City at lunch time, we already know where we'll be eating!
After lunch we enjoyed a walk through the 110 acre park which is also home to the Tracy Aviary. The aviary was founded by a local banker (Russell Tracy) in 1938 when he donated his private bird collection to the city. It currently houses around 135 species of birds from around the world, and is well worth the small admission fee.
Our last destination of the day was the Great Salt Lake State Park and Visitors Center. The lake is about 75 miles long and 35 miles wide. Four rivers and multiple streams bring water into the lake, which has no outlet. The lake has a high concentration of salt which ranges from 5% to 28% making it uninhabitable for fish and most aquatic life. For comparison, the oceans salt concentration is around 3% and the Dead Sea (Jordan and Israel) is 33%. The small visitors center has several informative displays about the lake and there is a small beach that can be easily accessed from it.
We had an incredibly fun day in Salt Lake City. It was a great place to wrap up this seven day, approximately 2,000 mile road trip (The Silver Bullet must need a break I had to replace the battery last night) and a great place for a hamburger!
