ACRL College & Researc Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Salt Lake City—seeing its sights

By Blaine H. Hall

Humanities Librarian Brigham Young University

Shopping, dancing, skiing, and Wild West boom towns offer tantalizing alternatives for those non-conference hours.

Part of the pleasure of attending ACRL national conferences is visiting the cities in which they are held. For many librarians, this may be their first visit to Salt Lake City, as it is for ACRL. So the Local Arrangements Committee has ar- ranged several tours to help you become acquainted with the city and its unique pioneer, cultural, and recre- ational heritage. You will be able to see Salt Lake by day and night, take a bus ride up Parley’s Canyon to nearby ParkCity(aformerwildwest boom mining town), or try your luck on a gaming tour to Wendover, Nevada. And if you want to come early or stay a day or two longer, you can enjoy skiing or snowmobiling at several Wasatch Mountain resorts only a short car or bus ride from downtown, or visit some of the six Utah na- tional parks within a day’s drive.

Utah’s Capitol Building surveys the Salt Lake Valley from its perch on the north end of the valley. The Corinthian-style building contains ornate reception rooms and striking marble staircases.

Photo credit: Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

A great way to become acquainted with Salt Lake and its rich pioneer and cultural heritage is to sign up for the Sample Salt Lake CityTour. This will take you to Temple Square with its imposing granite temple, lovely spring gardens, fountains, and visitor centers; the Renaissance Re- vival Utah Capitol Building in its commanding spot at the top of State Street; the Beehive and Lion houses, the homes where Brigham Young lived with his twenty some wives and many of his 57 children; the Roman Gothic-style Catholic Cathedral of the Madeleine with its beautiful stained glass windows and other elaborate works of art; the restored Capitol Theater, home of the Utah Opera Company, Ballet West, and other dance companies; and South Temple Street, where wealthy early Utah mining magnates built their ostentatious man- sions in various architec- tural styles popular at the time, many of which have been converted to busi- ness and other uses but still retain their late 19th- and early 20th-century styling. The tour also in- cludes a visit to the University of Utah and historic Fort Douglas; Trolley Square, formerly the car bams for the Salt Lake trolley transit sys- tem and now a fashion- able and picturesque shopping center with restaurants, theaters, and boutiques; and the Pioneer Trails State Park at the mouth of Emigration Can- yon with its recreated pioneer village and impres- sive “This Is the Place Monument” marldng the end of the 1,300 mile Mormon Trail used by the pio- neers on their move west.

For a night on the town, you can sign up for the Salt Lake City After Dark tour. A shuttle bus will pick you up at your hotel for an evening at Salt Lake’s best private clubs for dancing, live music, and fine dining. Get a few friends together or just join the group and enjoy Salt Lake’s surprisingly varied night life. Or for a change of pace join the tour to Wendover, Nevada, a two-hour drive across the salt desert, for an afternoon and evening of fun at the casinos and night spots, catching the shows or trying your luck at the blackjack, poker, or craps tables, or feeding the slots. The tour package includes keno tickets, food dis- count coupons, free drinks, and $11.00 cash.

If you enjoy mountain scenery and a touch of the Old West, take the tour to Park City. A hun- dred years ago this was a wild town born in a wild era when tons of rich sil- ver, lead, zinc, and gold ore were extracted from over a hundred mines in the Wasatch Mountains, a half-hour drive from downtown Salt Lake. Ho- tels, saloons, breweries, and dance halls catered to the miners in a lusty and brawling atmo- sphere. Today, Park City’s treasure is its dry powder snow. But the narrow winding streets, gingerbread houses, old miners’ shacks, saloons, and shops are still there along with boutiques, bars, and restaurants. Take a walk into yesterday and hear stories of this Old West town now noted for its ski resorts, arts festival, and international film festival, and as the birthplace of Mrs. Field’s Cookies.

Should your schedule not fit these planned tours or you want some exercise, you can put on your walking shoes, pick up a printed walking tour guide at the conference Hospitality Booth in the Salt Palace, and strike out on your own. Within just a few blocks of the convention center you can visit many of the sites included on the bus tour, and will also find museums, shopping centers, art galleries, and many early Utah historic buildings and other attractions. These include Temple Square, Brigham Young’s Beehive and Lion houses, Eagle Gate, Brigham Young’s grave, and the LDS Church Office Building on North Temple Street where you can take the free elevator to the 26th floor observation deck for a spectacular view of the city, the mountains, and the Salt Lake Valley. A walk up South Temple Street will take you past the impres- sive Catholic Cathedral of the Madeleine and man- sions of the mining magnates including the Kearns Mansion, now the home of Utah’s Governors. A vigorous walk a few blocks up the hill north to the beginning of State Street brings you to the impres- sive Utah State Capitol. While you’re there, walk across the street and visit the restored Salt Lake Council Hall, formerly the home of pioneer city and territorial governments and now home of the Utah Travel Council. A walk a few blocks south on State Street takes you to the City and County Building and across the street is the Salt Lake Public Library.

“This Is the Place” Monument is located near the mouth of the canyon through which the Mormon pioneers first entered the Salt Lake Valley. The granite and bronze structure commemorates the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the pioneers in July 1847.

Photo credit: Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

For shoppers, the Crossroads Mall and the ZCMI Center on opposite sides of Main Street at South Temple Street (the intersection with the Brigham Young Monument in the center) put hun- dreds of stores and shops at your pleasure, including ZCMI, the oldest department store in America. Or you can hop on the UTA Trolley for a ride to Trolley Square for shop- ping in trendy boutiques and gift shops or dining in one of several popular restaurants. The fare is 65 cents and the trolley stops at most hotels and shopping centers and at the gold and burgundy T rolley signs in the downtown area. If you get tired, you can take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage around the downtown streets.

If the official conference tours don’t meet your needs or if you would like more information on what to do or where to go in Salt Lake City or Utah, you can call or write either the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau, 180 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1493, phone (801) 521-2822 or the Utah Travel Council, Council Hall/Capitol Hill, Salt Lake City, UT 84114, phone (801) 538-1030. Either one can help you tailor your own travel itinerary.

Watch for additional articles in future issues for more information about restaurants, museums, galleries and other cultural and recreational opportunities that will make your visit to Salt Lake City both enjoyable and memorable. ■ ■