Salt Lake City Travel Guide

Salt Lake City seems to be inundated with a multitude of private clubs from nightclubs, dance clubs and even some restaurants. These places are restricted to members only. So before heading off to some of the local night life, it might be a good idea to give the establishment a phone call first to make sure that non-members are invited. It could pretty frustrating to fine oneself venturing from place to place only to find out they are unwelcome. Don’t think that just because a place is listed in the city guide means that it isn’t private because often times it is. The way in is through temporary membership or to be sponsored by a current member. Many people may have heard, or remember from their visits to Salt Lake City years ago that Utah has a reputation for tee-totaling. While their laws really are not quite as stringent as some of the other states in the union, there are a few things one needs to know if they plan to do any drinking. A restaurant can only sell beer or liquor if it is ordered with food to be consumed by the same person. A tavern can only serve beer that will be consumer on-site. A person cannot order a double in Utah. Liquor shots are limited to one ounce singles and the patron can only have one drink in front of them at any given time. When getting around the city, Salt Lake City streets were patterned on a Cartesian grid based around the downtown temple. The city’s blocks are usually larger than the typical metropolitan block elsewhere. There are seven blocks to a mile instead of ten. Working around Temple Square, the street to the west is West Temple, to the north is North Temple, to the South is South Temple and to the East is Main Street. Numbers jump up by one hundred for every block. If getting instructions from a native of the city don’t freak out if they say Fourth South or Seventh East, that’s just their way of saying 400 South or 700 East. Each street has a number as well as a name that corresponds with its particular place in the grid. The street’s numbers are listed in the yellow pages.  « hide

For those visitors who like to skate or rollerblade, it would be wise to leave them at home when visiting Salt Lake City. Although there are no signs posted stating it, it is illegal to rollerblade or skate within the downtown area at any time day or night. This includes the wee hours of the morning. Should a violator be caught, the police will make the offender remove the rollerblades or skates and walk barefoot and unaccompanied back to their hotel or car. They are very strict about this rule and it has been said that the police are not very nice about it either. For those visitors wishing to see the inside of the temple, they should be aware that unless they are practicing Mormons, it is strictly prohibited. Vacationers are free to roam Temple Square but should be aware that church volunteers constantly patrol it. They can be very helpful with regards to any questions a visitor might have regarding their belief system and the area. Just be aware that many of these volunteers are trying to convert people to their religion and can be very persistent. So unless a person is genuinely interested in the church and conversion, it is best that they refrain from contact with these people. Also, never give out addresses or phone numbers unless one doesn’t mind receiving a visit from a Mormon recruiter after returning home from their vacation.  « hide