Originally published in RANGE magazine (Issue Four), a Jackson Hole, Wyoming lifestyle and design publication. By Jeremy Pugh.
For Jackson Hole residents, Salt Lake City (SLC) is often the place to go for less-expensive, more convenient flights (direct to Paris, London, and Amsterdam, anyone?). But these days, the city in the shadow of the Wasatch is a destination itself. CityhomeCOLLECTIVE is a SLC design and real estate shop specializing in midcentury modern and historical homes with urban flair. Its founder and a tireless booster of the SLC design scene, Cody Derrick, puts it this way: “In this time we’re living in, everyone is giving everyone else permission to do what they want. Open a rad little coffee shop. Be artistic. Be creative. Open a Zen center. Whatever. Be bigger and better at being who you are. In Salt Lake it is rampant, and that’s why I’m here.”
It was members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) who founded Salt Lake City in 1847. And, in 2015, it was Salt Lake voters who elected the nation’s first lesbian mayor, Jackie Biskupski. This push and pull between the sacred and secular runs through life here and informs the city’s creativity. Salt Lake’s artists, chefs, and makers freely admit that the early Mormons who settled here—literally building the city out of the desert—did a bang-up job designing a clean, orderly place that sometimes feels like a blank canvas. Today, the wide, long streets on a sensible grid juxtapose old SLC neighborhoods with new urban spaces and high-rises. An apartment building boom is on in Salt Lake, and a great transit system, bike-friendly roads, and active Uber and Lyft services have created a perfect storm of new urbanism.
Get Your Architecture On
Temple Square, in downtown Salt Lake and the spiritual headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is a good starting point for an architectural tour, which is free and offered multiple times a day. Today, the square is thirty-five acres, but it was originally platted as ten. These ten acres and the buildings on them are on the National Register of Historic Places. Included in the larger square is the Salt Lake Temple, multiple gardens, the Tabernacle, the Supernacle (more on that name shortly), the Victorian Gothic Salt Lake Assembly Hall, the former home of LDS president and Utah territorial governor Brigham Young, and two visitor centers, among other things. The imposingly multitowered temple—it has elements of both Gothic and Romanesque architecture—took forty years to build, and it was finally consecrated in 1893. It’s not open to visitors, but its exterior is impressive. (Note the Masonic symbols carved into its sides.) Looking at The Beehive House, Young’s former residence, you’d never guess it was designed by the same architect as the temple, Young’s brother-in-law Truman O. Angell.
Both the Old Tabernacle, where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs free concerts every Sunday morning, and its successor, the LDS Conference Center (jokingly called “the Supernacle” by locals), are open for tours. The acoustics in the former are legendary, and tours include the famous “pin drop.” The Supernacle, opened in 2000, is the biggest auditorium of its kind in the world: It has a 21,000-seat auditorium, a 7,667-pipe organ, and not a single visible support pillar. Free tours daily.
Utah’s historic Mansion Row begins around the corner from Temple Square. The Utah Heritage Foundation offers tours and information on this area, which was developed by silver barons—non-Mormon entrepreneurs who capitalized on an early Mormon proscription against mining, starting around 1880. The oldest homes here date to the turn of the twentieth century (801/533-0858).
If Temple Square is the religious heart of the city, Library Square is its premier secular space. Designed by Israeli architect Moshe Safdie, the main branch of the Salt Lake City Public Library opened in 2003. The six-story, curving 240,000-square-foot building is home to more than 500,000 books, and a rooftop garden with 360-degree views of the city (210 E. 400 South, 801/524-8200).
Bring It Home
There’s a concentration of furniture, book, antique, and consignment stores on 300 South Street between State Street and 300 East. The Green Ant features a beautiful selection of midcentury modern pieces in excellent condition for fair prices (179 E. 300 South, 801/595-1818).
At the densely packed Ken Sanders Rare Books you’ll likely find Mr. Sanders himself holding court in his comfy armchair. Sanders has been an agitator and countercultural rabble-rouser in SLC since the 1970s. His store is a mess of rare books, Mormon historical oddities, and regional books. You can often catch his act on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow (268 S. 200 East, 801/521-3819).
Feel like a kid again at Jitterbug Antiques, filled with whimsical vintage toys and collectibles from old cribbage boards to racecars and erector sets, Snoopy phones, and John Wayne cowboy duds. If you were born before 1975, you’ll no doubt recognize childhood treasures in this trove (243 E. 300 South, 801/537-7038).
Across town, in the 9th and 9th neighborhood, you’ll find another selection of boutiques; these are anchored by the city’s beloved arthouse cinema, The Tower Theatre (900 East and 900 South).
Stop in to the Stockist to find high-quality designer goods by burly hipster brands like Red Wing and Danner, jeans by Made and Crafted, and hard goods by Woolrich (875 E. 900 South, 801/532-3458).
The Children’s Hour sells children’s books and unique and imaginative toys from European makers like Vilac. There’s even stuff for moms—a well-curated selection of clothing and shoes by Camper and Melissa (kids shoes, too), Eileen Fisher, and Gentle Souls to name a few (898 S. 900 East, 801/359-4150).
Where to Play
The Wasatch Mountains are Salt Lake City’s backyard. Millcreek Canyon is a popular place for easy-access rigorous hikes. Start hiking right in downtown from Memory Grove, a collection of memorials and monuments below the Utah State Capitol. From here, you can hike into City Creek Canyon; walk to the end of the canyon and it’s a four-mile round-trip. You need only go a few minutes to feel like you’re out of the city, though—sidewalks are quickly gone, replaced with a shady creek in undeveloped foothills (300 N. Canyon Rd.).
Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort’s tram can’t compare to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s, but it still allows for easy access to high alpine hiking trails from Hidden Peak. You can hike down into Mineral Basin, Peruvian Gulch, or Gad Valley, or brave one of the black diamond downhill mountain biking trails into Gad Valley. The resort’s new Summit Lodge, at the top of the tram, serves lunch and spectacular panoramic views daily, year-round. Just like at JHMR, if you do the tough, 3.5-mile hike from the base area (8,100 feet) to the top of the tram (11,000 feet) the ride down is free. Every weekend from August 13 through October 9 is Snowbird‘s annual Oktoberfest, which will keep you entertained with Bavarian food, music, and beer (9600 Little Cottonwood Canyon Rd., 801/933-2222).
Eat Well
Salt Lake is fast becoming a foodie town; an emphasis on craft and quality and chef-driven menus abound. Stanza, an Italian bistro, features fresh ingredients and classic dishes like Veal Saltimbocca in a modern, glass-walled, two-story space nestled on a quiet SLC street. Local booze booster Jimmy Santangelo designed Stanza’s cocktail and wine program (454 E. 300 South, 801/746-4441).
Stanza’s sister restaurant, Current Fish & Oyster, is currently (pardon us) the hot new restaurant in town, with a sleek outdoor patio space (complete with fire pits) and seafood flown in fresh daily. The adjacent, cheekily named Under Current (notice its subtle nautical theme) is the perfect place for pre- or post-dinner drinks. Mixologists serve handcrafted cocktails at an impressively long marble bar (279 E. 300 South, 801/326-3474).
For something more casual and easy, try Buds or Blue Poblano. Buds is an all-vegan sandwich shop (509 E. 300 South) with communal picnic-style tables and a walk-up window. Blue Poblano (473 E. 300 South, 801/883-9078) serves classic street-style tacos and burritos with Dia de los Muertos flair in a colorfully embellished space adjacent to Dick N’ Dixies, a favorite SLC neighborhood watering hole.
Rest Up
Although Salt Lake is experiencing a cultural renaissance of sorts in food, art, and nightlife, it still wants for hotels. The Monaco is the exception. (The city has yet to see the likes of a hip Ace or Chelsea-style hotel.)
A Gotham-esque hotel in the heart of the city, The Monaco is the perfect place to park it after a day of adventures in the 801. Enjoy a daily wine hour in the signature striped Kimpton lobby (accented with, yes, the signature Kimpton scent, because that’s a thing). The pet-friendly hotel’s bar and restaurant maintain the big-city style, with street-level views and accents left from the building’s former avocation as a bank (15 W. 200 South, 801/595-0000).
It’s hard to miss the tombstone-like fortress hotel at the bottom of Main Street, the overly grand Grand America Hotel. Grand America’s over-the-top styling dances the line between luxe and gauche, but its spa and pool are not to be missed (day passes are sold if you just want to drop in). Movies are shown poolside through September. The hotel shops are also a draw—namely, the darling French sweet shop La Bonne Vie and the fantastical toy store JouJou, featuring a selection of educational and international toys in a please-touch-and-play setting (555 S. Main St., 801/258-6000).