Skiers dashing from the airport to the resorts of the Wasatch Range 30 miles east of here might not pause long enough to discover just how traveler- friendly this city is.
Its wide streets are easy to navigate. Traffic never gets really ugly. There`s plenty of parking-curbside and in city-center parking garages. And with a little planning, you can take in the major sites in a morning or afternoon.
Even urban encounters that might seem ominous in other American cities take on a softer edge here. Case in point occurred on a visit early this winter, when I rounded the corner outside my hotel a few blocks south of the heart of downtown and stopped short. There in a snowbank, a man lay motionless. He wore no coat, no gloves, no hat. His jeans were soaked through. His face was seared red and skinned raw by the cold. His hands were bloodless.
”Is he dead?” I whispered to my friend.
The figure moved, grasping first for an alarm clock that lay near him in the snowbank, then for a pack of Old Gold 100s that had spilled out of his pocket. With some difficulty, we got him to his feet and convinced him the best thing would be for us to call the police so he could get some dry clothes and sober up.
”I`m sorry about this,” he said finally, shivering in the cold. ”Salt Lake needs visitors, what with losing the `98 Olympics bid and all. I hope this doesn`t make the city look bad.”
Later, the police dispatcher asked, ”Is he a transient?”
”Well, I don`t know . . .” I hesitated. ”He seems to have a lot of civic pride.”
Now, the incident has little bearing on what to do if you have a few hours to kill in this city, but it does speak to the unfailing niceness of its citizens.
Lost? Someone will take the time to point you in the right direction. Step off a curb, traffic will screech to a halt. Stumble across a drunk in a snowbank, he`ll apologize for messing up the street. Or so it seems, anyway.
Mormon influence
Salt Lake City was settled in 1847 by a group of early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who had fled religious persecution in the Midwest. Today, less than half of Salt Lake`s residents are church members, but this is clearly Mormon country. And much of what the casual visitor sees is related to the church, as it`s referred to here.
The semi-Gothic, granite spires of the Mormon Temple-a structure Aldous Huxley once called the Chartres of the Desert-define the city`s skyline. Indeed, Temple Square is the center of downtown. The major streets, laid out on a grid pattern, emanate from here.
Though the Temple itself is off-limits to non-Mormons, the other buildings on Temple Square are open to visitors. Free guided tours of the grounds are every 20 minutes daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in winter; from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. in summer.
The 45-minute tours contain more historical information than religious doctrine, although the history of this city is inextricably bound to Mormonism. Guides recount how early Mormon settlers traveled 1,300 miles from the Mississippi Valley, their belongings stacked in pushcarts and covered wagons, and built a city in the desert.
Among the most remarkable buildings on Temple Square is the Tabernacle, an oval-shaped, acoustical wonder built almost entirely of wood. Guides demonstrate the marvel of the acoustics by dropping a pin on the podium. You can hear the ping at the rear of the building 170 feet away. Its pine benches are painted to look like oak, which was regarded as a more elegant wood in 1867 when the building was completed. The pioneer builders painted the pine columns to look like marble for the same reasons. The most outstanding feature of the building is the massive organ, whose pipes, 11,633 in all, cover the front wall. They`re painted a rich gold, but like the columns and benches, they`re also made of pine.
Time the visit right, and you can sit in on an organ recital in the Tabernacle. Concerts are Monday through Saturday at noon and on Sunday at 2 p.m. Visitors also can attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir`s weekly live radio broadcasts at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
Trace your family roots
Across from Temple Square, the Family History Library contains the world`s largest collection of genealogical data. The library`s computer files contain the names of millions of deceased people and 100 million new pages of historical documents are added annually to the library`s microfilmed records. The library is open to the public, and a 15-minute film shows novices how to use the facility to trace their roots.
There is no charge for using the library. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday; 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; and 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Just east of Temple Square at 67 E. South Temple is the Beehive House, where early Mormon president Brigham Young lived with some of his 27 wives. The house, built in 1854, is an elegant structure with furnishings from the era. Free tours of the house are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. The free tours last about 30 minutes.
Tours of downtown via horse-drawn carriage are conducted year round. The carriages are parked outside Temple Square. Cost is $25 for a half-hour ride for up to six people or $10 for a ride around the block.
Open-air trollies run from the third week in May to early September. The Old Salty narrated tours depart three times daily from the south gate of Temple Square. Fare for the 1 1/2-hour tours is $7 for adults and $4 for children.
Two large shopping malls are across from Temple Square. (For the best aerial view of the square, get a window seat in the top-floor restaurant in Weinstock`s department store.) Mormon Handicrafts, 105 N. Main St., specializes in handmade goods, including a large selection of quilts ranging in price from $366 to $800. Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
Downtown Salt Lake is a 15-minute drive from the airport. Cab fare to city center is about $12. City buses depart from the airport hourly or more. Fare is 65 cents (exact change required).
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For more information, contact the Salt Lake Convention & Visitor Bureau, 180 S. West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101; (800) 541-4955.
