‘Salt Lake City’ Category

 

The Place

John Miller and the Scion

Linda Burton posting from Salt Lake City, Utah – “I’m pointing to Salt Lake City,” said John Miller, standing beside the map on the back of the Scion, “because this is the place.” John was referring to his home, and the home of Mark Miller Toyota, but it’s a phrase I’ve run into a lot here. This is the Place Heritage Park marks the approximate spot where Brigham Young and the Mormon pioneers stopped in 1847 and declared journey’s end. Ruth’s Diner is past the Park out Emigrant Canyon Road, the second oldest restaurant in the city, where you can get a “This-is-Almost-the-Place” burger. Rice-Eccles Stadium is THE place where athletes from all over the world gathered for the 2002 Winter Olympics. It seems there are a lot of good reasons to come to Salt Lake City. And a lot of good reasons to stay. » read more

 
 
 

Integrity and Fortitude

Linda Burton posting from Salt Lake City, UtahIntegrity met me as I climbed the steps. I’d parked across the street from the east entrance to the Utah State Capitol; walked the long sidewalk past the statue of the Indian Massasoit; and wondered about the two marble lions that watched my approach. Now I see; Integrity is to my right, Fortitude sits on the left. Inside, I blink as my eyes adjust to the cool gray interior, pleasant after the brilliant sun outside. A school tour is happening, children’s voices echo just a bit; greeters to my right ask if they can answer any questions or help with anything. I sign the Guest Book, pick up a colorful brochure; diagrams and paragraphs explain the opportunities; I plan out what I want to see. The door to the Capitol Visitor Center is beside me; I step in and see a boldly-lettered statement on a post. » read more

 
 
 

Space Mountain

Kennecott Open Pit Mine

Linda Burton posting from Salt Lake City, Utah – The claim is that only two man-made creations on Earth are visible from the Space Shuttle – the Great Wall of China and the Kennecott Open Pit Mine in Utah. We have an image in mind of The Great Wall, so our imagination begins to stretch to visualize just how BIG an open-pit mine would be to be visible from outer space. It is two and three-fourth miles across, and three-fourths of a mile deep; set a Sears Tower at the bottom, stack another one on top of that, and they would not reach the top. The official name of this big hole is Kennecott Utah Copper’s Bingham Canyon Mine and here’s another boggler – it has produced more copper than any mine on earth; about 19 million tons so far, and still going strong. Heavens sake, what do we do with all that copper? » read more

 
 
 

Going Backwards

Linda Burton posting from Salt Lake City, Utah –“In my opinion,” I said to the librarian at the Family History Library, “every American history class should begin with teaching students how to trace their own family history at least four generations back.” A nod, of course, from one who spends her day surrounded by the largest collection of genealogical records in the world, containing the names of more than three billion deceased persons. People come from all over the world to delve into the two million rolls of microfilmed records here, assisted by staff who offer guidance in maneuvering the intricacies of such a voluminous storage vault.  » read more

 
 
 

Ring Around the Collar

Linda Burton posting from Salt Lake City, Utah – A trip to Salt Lake City wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the Great Salt Lake. It is, after all, the largest lake between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Ocean, and the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere! It is about 75 miles long, about 35 miles wide, and about 30 feet deep at its deepest part; all those numbers vary depending on the weather of the year. It is landlocked, with rivers feeding in but nothing flowing out, resulting in a mineral-filled mix five times saltier than the ocean. About. Only brine shrimp, and brine flies, can survive in it. I wanted to get my feet wet there, and so I did. And I learned something new. » read more

 
 
 

Since 1929

Linda Burton posting from Salt Lake City, Utah –“If you’re going to cough, now would be a good time,” advised our host. Live broadcast #4,312 was about to begin, and the perfect acoustics in the Tabernacle required that we not applaud or talk during the performance. No cell phones, of course; and no photography. I snapped as many photos as I could as the orchestra assembled and people took their seats; the balcony was filling fast. Our tour guide had slipped us into a third-row pew behind a walkway, almost in the middle. It was a great seat for listening, but as usual I wound up behind a tallish bald-headed man. Not so good for the bottom fourth of pictures of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! I retrieved a cough drop from my bag; now I was thinking about Not Coughing. I set my camera on the seat and tried to divert my thoughts by reading the program. » read more

 
 
 

Superglow

Linda Burton posting from Salt Lake City, Utah – It’s Cinco de Mayo, the fifth day of May. There’s a super moon tonight, and a super show at the Energy Solutions Arena. The San Antonio Spurs are in town and it’s Game #3 in the first round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs. The home-town crowd is stocking up on souvenirs. There may not be many more games for the Utah Jazz; they’re 0-2 going in. But hey, there’s hope, and faith. Horse-drawn carriages clop around the fringe of the intensity; in every downtown parking lot an orange-vested entrepreneur waves you in; $14 for the Event, fork it over, park close by. They’re lined up to the street at Red Iguana, waiting to get in, waiting for the game to start, waiting for the super moon to rise. Fast forward. » read more

 
 
 

Prom Night

Linda Burton posting from Salt Lake City, Utah – “My daughter had her prom here,” our tour guide said as we stood in the rotunda of the Utah state capitol. There was an audible “ah” from our group as we gazed upward, 165 feet we were told, clear to heaven it seemed; clouds and seagulls soaring and floating in blue, blue sky. Imagine that! Girls in party dresses with flowers in their hair, boys in Sunday suits; dressed up and dancing on a glass-bottomed floor, lit up from below. Music in marble halls on top of the loveliest hill in town. It’s a party in the People’s House, just one of many events that happen here on a regular basis – proms, weddings, concerts, meetings; get-together for fun or for business, this building is open for your use. But back to that prom. » read more

 
 
 

A Crowning Achievement

Linda Burton posting from Salt Lake City, Utah –The smell draws you in, it wafts out to the street and fills your car. It’s nearly suppertime, so stop already! There is plenty of parking or a drive-through if you have to get home. I’m going into Crown Burgers on North Temple, even though I don’t eat hamburgers. A place that smells this good has got to have good food, I think. I order a Single Chicken Souvlaki at the counter, with lemon rice and salad. While I’m waiting for my number to be called, I read a framed and matted article hanging on the wall; it came from the NY Times, 2009. The article touted the delights of the Pastrami Burger, a piled-high meat-on-meat delight that originated here. Well, partly. There is more to the story.  » read more

 
 
 

Central Square

Linda Burton posting from Salt Lake City, Utah – New York has Times Square and Central Park. DC has the Ellipse and Hollywood has, well, Hollywood and Vine. These are the Go to Show places that prove you’ve “been there”; you’ve set foot on the center of that city’s spirit, its soul, at least your take on it. It’s where you pose for pictures, the background leaving no doubt that you were really there. In Salt Lake City, that place is Temple Square, so central and so significant that even the street names designate one’s distance from the place. Why do people go? Is it a spiritual quest, or simple curiosity? Do people go for history – the history of their family, or the history of the settling of the west? Or do they go because it’s pretty?  » read more