Soon, we’ll be headed to Salt Lake City, Utah for a few days. We’re going to visit my husband’s childhood best friend and wife. While my daughter was at the U of U, we’d see them regularly. But we’ve only seen them a couple times since my daughter graduated. We’re making the trek to spend some time with them.
I looked up what I wrote in the past about SLC and this post popped up from 2018:
After four years of visiting our daughter at the University of Utah, my love affair with Salt Lake City is sadly over. She left the great state of Utah to start a career in Arizona. Although my husband said we can always go back, I wonder, how often will we? My bet is that on a rare occasion we will trek up to see our friends the McKinneys or maybe go to an alumni swim meet. But, other than that, I will miss the gorgeous city surrounded by mountain peaks. Salt Lake City is a vibrant, clean, friendly yet small city.
Another thing that is amazing is the community spirit of rooting for the Utes. Everywhere you see “Go Utes!” murals, flags and signs. The football stadium is always sold out–rain or shine. The gymnastics team is the most attended women’s collegiate sport in the country with more than 15,000 fans in the Huntsman Dome.
A friend asked my daughter and me to put together a list of things to do in SLC for her niece who’s a freshman at the University of Utah. Most of our things to do revolved around food. But, all in all it’s a list of our favorite memories during four years of being Ute fans. Here’s our Salt Lake City guide for UTE students, parents and visitors:
Hotels
The Grand America Hotel — nicest in SLC, fun to walk through, even if you don’t stay there. I never made it to Sunday Brunch, but it’s supposed to be amazing.
The Little America — same company, Sun Valley Company, owns both the Little and Grand America hotels. It’s very nice but a little more low key than the Grand America. Restaurants are great, try the Coffee Shop for comfort food and amazing hot rolls with butter. I loved the gym and pool and big rooms at a great price. Our home away from home in Salt Lake City.
FYI, we’ll be returning to our home away from home on our upcoming trip.
Restaurants
Valter’s Osteria — fine Italian, special occasion, delicious and great atmosphere. The owner Valter is so personable!
Market Street Grill — Pacific Northwest seafood flown in daily. Great for big parties or family lunch and dinner.
Sushi:
Takashi My favorite sushi restaurant. They have an excellent menu with many hot dishes, too.
Sapa My daughter’s favorite sushi restaurant. I think she and her friends liked the “all you can eat” special. Plus it was exciting for them their freshman and sophomore years, because you aren’t allowed in unless you’re with someone 21 years old or older.
Other Favorites:
Les Madeleines — small Parisian bakery/cafe for breakfast and lunch. I love the tomato basil soup with salad!
Freshies Lobster Co. — Park City must! Casual restaurant that started as a food truck serving lobster rolls and lobster salad, amazing! The best meal I ever had in Utah! So simple but delicious. Here’s a review by the Salt Lake Tribune which says they opened a Salt Lake City restaurant blocks away from my daughter’s old house.
Italian — Antica Sicilia and Doce Sicilia. Recommended by Matteo Songe, swimmer from Italy on the Utah Swim team. He said this was authentic Sicilian. The Carbonara pasta is prepared with flames in a cheese wheel tableside!
Aristo’s — family-operated Greek. Delicious. Outdoor seating on the patio in the summer.
The Pie — pizza hangout for students.
Copper Onion and Stoneground Kitchen are two other restaurants we went to a lot that were always good.
We are trying a new Italian restaurant this trip. Matteo’s. Matteo was the swimmer and friend of our daughter’s I mentioned above. He was a distance and open water swimmer along with our daughter. We got to know him at Open Water Nationals one year. Our daughter said he stayed in the US and opened up this restaurant — which is now the place to go for special occasions.
Daughter’s breakfast list and what to order:
Blue Plate — Benedict omelette
Ruth’s Diner — Anything! Have the biscuits.
Finn’s Cafe — Eggs Benedict
Eggs in the City — Literally anything, if you want something sweet get the cinnamon roll pancake
Park Cafe — Michigan hash
Bruges Waffles & Frites– amazing waffles and fries. Only order a size small of the fries though
Daugher’s shopping list
Love Street Apparel — super cute boutique and not expensive.
City Creek Center — nicest mall with the most stores including Nordstrom, Lush, Apple, Sephora, etc. Shop Friday or Saturday if you’re there for a weekend, since the entire mall is closed on Sunday!
Patagonia Outlet in SugarHouse
Things to do:
Liberty Park — beautiful city park for walks or running.
9th and 9th — small area of shops and restaurants you can walk to and from Liberty Park. Thursday nights 9th and 9th at 9 pm bike ride.
Sugar House — more shops and restaurants
Salt Lake City and County Building — historic 1890s building with 2002 Winter Olympic display.
Temple Square — interesting to walk to and around. We never made it to find our geneology, but that is supposed to be available to the public.
Park City — day trip to walk and shop.
Deer Valley — chair lifts in the summer. Spectacular views and hiking.
Skiing — Alta, Deer Valley, Brighton, Park City, Snowbird, Alpine skiing at Brighton has beginning to more advanced, plus rentals.
Hiking
Sports at UTAH — go to football, gymnastics, basketball, swimming, etc. The crowds at football and student MUSS section are so enthusiastic. Red Rocks Gymnastics is a top five NCAA team consistently and they have 15,000 plus in attendance at meets — the most attended Olympic sport for collegiate women in the U.S.
Church — CenterPoint in Orem. Pastor Scott McKinney. Scott and my husband were best friends from grade school through high school. It was so nice to reconnect with Scott and his wife Sara. They provided our daughter with a home away from home. She was invited into their home for Father’s Day, Thanksgiving and whenever she wanted.
Where your favorite places to visit and do you have any recommendations?
That’s really a major list EA! That’s a great guide for anyone actually. Alison (youngest) has been to many of the nat’l Parks in eastern Utah as part of a field study with her geology cohort when she was finishing her degree. I wonder if they saw any of Salt Lake City on their way through? They would have appreciated this list I think 🙂
Thanks! It is four years from my visits, plus my daughter’s four years living there. I have the National parks on my bucket list. How fortunate your daughter got to be there as part of her field study.
I hope you guys have a wonderful trip. Enjoy yourselves.
Thank you! It’s fun to return to a place with many good memories with family and friends.
I know, reliving the past in a new way.
That’s it!
😍🩷
Oh have fun EA. Looks amazing. It is amazing how that happens. You make so many trips to a city or a place and it’s like a second home because of a child and then you’re child moves on and you only get to go back once in a while. It’s such a strange experience. Ha, ha, but you always have the memories and trips to see your friends. Have fun. And after yesterday’s announcement, plan your 2034 Olympic plans now. Ha, ha.
That’s it exactly. I thought we’d always be going to Salt Lake City and then our daughter graduated college and left. Why didn’t she stay for us to come visit? I didn’t hear yesterday’s announcement. That’s exciting but a little too far off for planning.
We’ve been to Salt Lake City on a long weekend trip and enjoyed it. Pretty and pleasant. Wish I had this list before we went but we wandered around in our own way. Aside from the way planes land there, it was relaxing.
We were shocked at the airport. It’s been completely redone since we were here four years ago. It’s massive with local boutiques and restaurants. It took us forever to walk from our gate to baggage claim.
No kidding? I didn’t know that about the airport. It was an awkward mess whenever I’ve gone through it. I like progress like this.
My daughter’s been back to visit friends and she told me I wouldn’t recognize it. There’s also tons of cranes and more airport being built!
I’m with Deb! What a list! Enjoy every moment. 🥰
It’s a nice place to walk around the city and hike. Oh yes, and eat!
You had me with the word “biscuit”! 😂
Just for you Vicki, I added a photo of Ruth’s “mile high biscuit.” I couldn’t put it in the comments, so it’s under that listing.
Aren’t you the best!!!??
🥰❤️🥰
Thanks! 🥰
What a great list! I hope you’re able to revisit some old favorites.
The hotel itself is a treat and walking the streets. Just in time, my broken toes aren’t killing me! The Little America has a hotel in Flagstaff to that we’ve stayed at.