Salt Lake City visit
 

Will be in SLC in mid October for a week (Sun - Fri) for work, will have evenings free. Appreciate suggestions from Fodorites about
1. where to stay - meetings are in a building on Foothill around the University. Being a Priority Club member I'd like to stay at one of their properties (HI, HIX, Staybridge or Candlewood) but none look close to this location. Would it be insane to stay near the airport, on the east side of it? What is Decker lake / West Vvalley City like?
2. where to eat - will have a car so can get around. Omnivorous, try to eat healthy but not a fanatic
3. evening activities - know about the choir on Thursday evening, open for suggestions for other days. Should be free after 5 each day.

Thanks!

You are right, none of them are convenient. I might stay at the one in Midvale. It is easy access to the beltway I-215 which funnels right onto Foothill Dr. Plus the area is a little nicer than out by the airport. Or the one in Murray on Century Drive. That area is okay. None of them would be insane. Maybe you could even join all the commuters in the morning and take TRAX up to the U?? Depending on which building.

Lots of restaurants in the Midvale area around Fort Union. Or try some of the restaurants in Gateway Mall downtown. Red Iguana usually gets good reviews if you want authentic Mexican. Rodizio Grill in Trolley Square has Brazilian bbq. My favorite little spot is the Corner Bakery on Foothill and Wakara,,,good stuff. The Pie Pizzaria by the U is also a great spot.

Do you like to hike? You could head up the mountains for some cool evening hikes. Millcreek Canyon would be close, take the trail to Dog Lake or Grandeur Peak.

Definitely take one evening and head up to Park City for a good break.

Mid October is kind of empty for theater and symphony. Even the Jazz don't start playing till November. But check out the City Weekly for clubs and bands.

The aquarium looks good- http://www.thelivingplanet.com/
It has been many years since I went to the zoo and saw the liger. As I remember the Zoo is up near the "This is the Place" monument.
Try for a hotel near the TRAX if your meetings are near enough.

There are some good threads here on Salt Lake City restaurants, and I've participated in some of these discussions. I'd recommend a board search to find them.

If memory serves, many of the Mormon-based attractions are open after 5 pm -- that would be your best bet for such things to do. Gateway Mall is a good option as well.

Do not, I repeat, do not stay out by the airport. Lousy location and the construction out there right now is a total pain. STay as close as you can to the meeting location. They are doing some massive construction on Foothill right now and the morning commute from south to north on foothill is a BEAR what with all the U traffic plus all the people who work on campus/at the hospital etc.

Plenty to do right there. Red Butte Gardens is amazing. You can hike the shoreline trail around Red Butte--very nice. The U has a really nice Fine Arts Museum. Near Foothill, the best places to eat are Red Butte (in the Foothill Village) and East West Connection is also there--decent food. Or go up Emigration to Ruth's Diner.

In SLC, there are plenty of great places to eat. Pago, Mazza, Fresco, Trio, FAustinas, Ems, Vinto, Cafe Martine. And do NOT miss Red Iguana if you like Mexican--real Mexican, not texmex. Truly the best.

If the meeting is on Foothill Blvd or even in REsearch Park, Trax is NOT convenient. If it is on campus or at the hospital, then trax is the best way to go.

StantonHyde is absolutely right -- DON"T stay by the airport. If you don't want to stay close to the University (Marriott in Research Park) or the University Guest House, stay downtown, lots of options; your drive to your meetings will take about 10-15 minutes or less from anywhere downtown West Valley City can be a 45 minute drive from the Foothill/University area, and Decker Lake is not a recreational area, it's a man-made water feature, really.

To Stanton Hyde's restaurant list I would add The Copper Onion, Eva, Cafe Niche and Hong Kong Tea House -- all searchable online. Enjoy!

Thank you, thank you stanton and katy! To show you how ignorant I am about SLC, just where IS downtown? The meeting organizers sent info about an Embassy Suites on West 600 South and a Springhill on South 300 west - are they downtown? I am pretty much resigned to not being able to find a property that would earn Priority Club points (already made top tier for next year anyway, though I do enjoy the KMA treatment.) Meetings are 8 to 4 daily in the medical center area and I will have a rental car if needed. So please feel free to recommend a property for my five nights - major points for good wifi at no cost, good in room coffee and a decent exercise room.

The Red Iguana gets such universal raves that it must be great. I am indeed a lover of good Mexican food so will put it on my list.

Yes, both those locations are considered downtown. Downtown is fairly small, only about the first 6 blocks in all directions from Temple Square. (7 blocks equal a mile).

If you are at the Medical Center then the TRAX will take you there if you want to stay further away.
Though I agree the University Guest House would be very convenient to the meetings. This was where the Olympic athletes stayed during the 2002 olympics. They have a fitness center, I haven't seen it, but I have to believe it was built for world class athletes (though could have been changed since then of course). And you could take the TRAX downtown to enjoy the restaurants there. http://www.universityguesthouse.com/...ty-Guest-House

Salt Lake is a pleasant town, but you may find yourself running out of things to do after a week unless you're an avid hiker or mountain biker. I mean running out of things to do in terms of tourist attractions. SLC has all the regular stuff you'd expect to find in any city of it's size (cafes, bookstores, nice malls, a university, NBA team, etc.) Your best bet is to stay downtown. Even though much of the downtown area is currently under construction, you'll be close to a lot of nice restaurants and shopping and nightclubs as well as some interesting sites such as Temple Square and the state capitol. Avoid staying around the airport or on the west side. Nothing to see or do there.
Downtown is also fairly close to where your meeting will happen. There is a light rail (Trax) that goes from downtown up to the University of Utah.
If you have a rental car, be sure to take a drive to Park City (about 20 minutes away), or up Little Cottonwood Canyon to Alta Ski Resort. You could also drive west to see the open pit, Kennecott copper mine.

I would suggest staying at the Guest House or University Mariott--the closest places to the meeting. YOu can easily TRAX downtown if you are at the Guest House. If you have a car, it is easier to park downtown in the evening to go to dinner etc.

If you give us an idea of what you might like to do after meetings, we can give you some more concrete suggestions. :-)

Hi from SLC! Wound up staying at Hampton Inn downtown. Place is fine - not posh but clean and comfortable, free WiFi, parking and breakfast, indoor pool, hot tub and fitness center, staff friendly and efficient.
Dinner at Red Iguana last night was excellent - some of the best mole ever. Drove to Park City this evening, nice meal at Easy Street brasserie. Plan to attend the Mormon Tabernacle choir performance tomorrow evening.
Thanks to all for the tips!

Glad to hear. Enjoy your visit. The Thursday night choir is a rehearsal. So not quite like a performance, but still gives you a chance to hear them. I believe they do at least one song for the audience, but haven't been for awhile so can't say whether it is at the beginning or end.

Hi Seamus,

Sorry I didn't get to answer sooner, but I've been extremely busy at work too. I'm another UT resident - live in Park City and work in Research Park, next to the U.

Hope you are enjoying our city. Our fall colors in Park City are almost over, but at least you are catching some nice fall weather.

We just had the Red Iguana do a large company catering event for us (not the first time either) and yes they are just great.

If you have a chance, here are some more restaurant recos for you

SLC - Cafe Trio & Oasis Cafe both in downtown area
Park City - Grappa, Blind Dog Saloon

Also highly recommend a ride up the Snowbird tram to enjoy the views!

Ciao!

Dayle--I work in rp too!! Small world!

Hi StantonHyde,

Yes, well there are reasons why the traffic is so bad on Foothill, aren't there!

Fortunately for my commute I live in the aves. But u r out of the inversion!