Salt Lake City advice?

Tagging along on my wife's business trip to SLC this weekend. Will be there all of Fri. thru Sun. Catching the Cal-Utah game Saturday PM (just because we can), but no other plans. Staying downtown, I have absolutely nothing else on my "agenda." Frankly, she doesn't have a ton on her schedule, either.

Anything I shouldn't miss? Anything quirky / fun for evening entertainment (Brewvies Cinema Pub, for example, looks promising)? Good food options?

Appreciate any input...

 

Stay in Park City, or at least spend most of your time there. 20 minute drive from downtown SLC...great restaurants, shops, hiking, biking, blows away anything else in the area. SLC is really nothing special.

 

Turn to the west and open your eyes. The mountains there will drop your jaw, especially if you are not used to seeing them.

 

Wasatch Brew Pub is pretty good (there is also an outlet in Park City). Check out the Temple Square area if you enjoy history. Hit the Sunday buffet at the Little America. I'd recommend the Golden Spike Monument, but it's a good hour and change north and probably not worth it if the don't roll the trains out there. Don't know what the access to the state capital is on the weekends, but the views of the city are good.

 

There's (or used to be) a hole in the wall place on the north side of the road on the way into town (Temple Street?) from the airport called the Red Iguana. Great place to eat. Squatter's Brewpub is excellent. Utah's FB stadium is pretty nice. Got a major makeover (courtesy of Federal dollars) for the Olympics.

There's also a nice place to hike up by the capitol building.

 

Let Idaho take you to lunch at the cool place where he took me.

 

Thank you, I spend most of the the summer in that area. They have mountains in Park City too.

It's one thing to look at the mountains from the city, but you can drive a bit and actually be IN the mountains. Also, a short drive to Olympic Park, which is now a training facility and tourist destination.

(ps, the "summer" season just technically ended, a lot of the outlying places shut down for a month before the ski season kicks in...check what's open before you go).

 

Layman,
Any advice now that you've come and gone from SLC? Or anyone else want to add to what's already posted?
I'm bumping this because I'm going to be going to in SLC Wednesday-Friday.
I'm going to try to make it up to Logan to see a friend who's singing opera up there, in case anyone has Logan-specific things, but most of my time will be in Salt Lake. I'm especially looking for good places to eat and/or tip back a brew.

 

Glad you bumped the thread, we had a terrific time. Here's what I can remember, off the top of my head:

* Stayed at the Marriott City Center, nice location, solid hotel. I got a nice run in every morning, incredibly easy city to do that in.....even though I'd forgotten about the altitude. THAT wasn't great...

* Between TRAX light rail & walking, covered about 90 % of the "getting around town" we wanted to do.

* We spent a day in Park City, just wandering the shops, etc.. Fun day, gorgeous drive.

* I spent an afternoon in Temple Square, touring museums, etc.. I found it fascinating.

* Hit up Squatter's Brewpub a couple of times, for dinner and beers. Beers were very good, food was above average for bar food. I'd absolutely go back. Wife liked it, as well. You can take cold beer with you, as well.

* Went to a place called Lumpy's, a downtown sportsbar, to watch games. It was fine, lots of screens. Mini screens in a number of the booths. Typical loud sportsbar, food wasn't very good. Wife didn't like it. At all.

* On a whim, we walked over to the Salt Lake Film Society (111 E. Broadway) to catch a movie. Small, art house theatre. It's a downtown gem.

* Picked up sandwiches from a place (deli) called Toasters, thought they excellent. I think they have multiple locations downtown, no clue re: the surrounding area.

* We did take the light rail & caught the Utah-Cal football game, but that obviously isn't something you're looking for. It was incredibly easy to do, though. Highly recommended, if anyone considers it in the future.

* Based on a review, drove across town to a place called Eggs in the City for Sunday Brunch. In a converted gas station, in the middle of a residential neighborhood. It was out-freaking-standing.

That's what I can remember. I know we had dinner one other place....but I'm completely blanking.

 

The Temple Square tour is worth doing. For fun, try to bribe the very nice, polite volunteers to let you take a peek into the sacred temple.

 

Public transit in SLC is great. There is commuter rail service to Provo and Ogden, and a light-rail line to the airport is opening later this year.

 

Nice. Nothing out to Logan, though, I assume. It'd be really nice if there was....