By Carrie Snow

Dear Fellow Western Museumers,

For those of you who haven’t become all ‘a Twitter’ at the mere mention of “WMA SLC 2013,” let me say I completely understand. While I currently reside in downtown Salt Lake City, I am not a native Utahn, I was born and raised in Southern California so I can empathize. My parents are Utah natives, so Utah became the standard summer vacation destination for us. When I finally moved here, I gradually began to realize that I resided in a place that was not my parent’s Utah. No longer do I see Utah as a less glamorous alternative to Disneyworld, instead I see it as an underappreciated gem. So much so that I often find myself of two minds about this land I call home. On one hand I want people to fall in love with the folksy, earnest, ever evolving state; on the other hand I worry that too many people will ruin the awesomeness (excuse my use of 80’s Californian slang) of this place. What makes it this place a gem is its ability to mix things that don’t seem to belong in the same environment.

For example, while you can start your tour out by visiting the more traditional Temple Square, you just need to travel one mile to the southeast and end up at Gilgal Gardens, a place designated a "visionary art environment.” For the architecturally minded, a day trip can lead you from the Salt Lake Temple and Tabernacle and then continue onward to the City and County building built on the site of the first Latter-Day Saint encampment. Next, cross the street you can take a tour of the Salt Lake City Public Library Main Branch, which was designed by Moshe Safdie, an Israeli/Canadian architect, urban designer, educator, theorist, and author.

On a Saturday morning when a hunger for breakfast hits you, visit the Les Madeline Café for some serious goodies. I recommend Kouing Aman – this Brittany pastry ushered in a month long addiction before my jeans staged an intervention. For those of you who refuse to indulge, hit the Downtown Farmer’s Market in Pioneer Park, where you can troll the farmers’ stands for Brigham City peaches, Bear Lake raspberries, Samack jerky, Beehive cheese, Morgan Valley lamb etc., or hit food alley for empanadas, Thai food, German bread, woodfire pizzas, pan au chocolat, and locally brewed coffee. Make sure you bring an extra tote bag and wear pants with a loose waste band. You can stuff yourself crazy while listening to local musicians. My personal favorites are the “Steel Guitar Guy in Overalls” or the “Biking Piano player”…the guy bikes a piano into the market (take that Lance Armstrong).

Lest you think that Salt Lake has completely sublimated everything with food, let me prepare you for the quirky, humorous side of the city. For example, while you can hit the Tabernacle, you can also spend an evening at Salt Lake’s Dueling Piano bar The Tavernacle. You can grab some early morning coffee from the Jack Mormon Coffee Company or end the day with Wasatch Beer’s Polygamy Porter or Squatter’s Brewery’s St. Provo Girl Pilsner.

Speaking of ending the day, what does one do when it gets dark in Salt Lake City? I’m not gonna lie, our restaurants close pretty early, but that’s because we do a lot before the day is done. So either before you get to town or just after you drop your bags off, find a copy of the Salt Lake City Weekly. This guide to city will tell you has listings of all the clubs, shows, plays, and events worth going to, as well as provide and insight into Salt Lake life. Now Playing Utah will provide you with everything happening across the state while you are in town.

However, if your entertainment was solely up to me, and at this point I feel it is, I suggest grabbing a car or cab and taking yourself down to 1415 South 700 West to a little place called the Derby Depot and see Wasatch Roller Derby on October 12^th, (after the WMA closing social at the Church History Museum). It’s been voted Best in State for 2013 and it is worth your time. I admit I am totally biased. I skate for them and love it. Seriously, how else is one to end a trip to Utah? You take in the history of the religious group that made the state, and then go see a group of women that is the polar opposite of what you think a woman in Utah is like. The best part is, Utahns loves both groups! How’s that for not being my parent’s Utah?

See you soon,
Carrie Snow

Carrie Snow is the Manager of Collections at the Church History Museum and Treasurer for the Utah Museums’ Association. When she is preserving the collections of her institutions, you can find her eating her way across the city or skating calories off on a derby track under the name Jane Accostin’.