Thinking about doing a trip to Salt Lake City to explore and eat.
Anybody have any tips on food or things to do/see? @Devil , think you’re in SLC? Any tips?
Not really a fan of Milan tbh. One of my least favorite larger cities in Europe I’ve seen so far, but most of the others are pretty great, so it’s stiff competition.
Been in Istanbul for 2 days and kinda in awe with how good it is. I understand it’s probably a pretty polarizing city, but in terms of things I look for in a city, it crushes (aside from politics, which is a biggie).
Heading to Puerto Rico on Thursday for four nights with my vegan girlfriend. One night in Old San Juan and then three in Rincon. Food options look particuarly good for her in Rincon, which draws lots of surfers.
If anyone has recommendations in Old San Juan or Rincon, I would appreciate them.
I lived in SLC for a few years, just recently moved. Devil I should have looked you up.
We were somewhat disappointed with the dining scene, it felt like it should have been better, given the size of the city. The places we did like tended to be smaller ethnic restaurants. We liked Mahider (Ethiopian), Afghan Kitchen, Stun Cube (Korean), Taquería Los Lee, Laan Na Thai, Siegfried’s Delicatessen (German), Robin’s Nest (sandwiches). Some of these I mentioned are a ways south from downtown. Some of the fancier “fine dining” places we found to be underwhelming.
One good beer bar is the Beerhive. Some decent breweries, I liked Templin Family.
Hiking in surrounding hills is great, but can be a bit crowded depending on weather and day. Grandeur Peak is a pretty easy hike with great views. I dunno what the snow situation is at the moment… Any hike you pick will be pretty good.
Antelope Island is kind of fun, good views of the lake, some bison and other things
If you go in summer it’s worth getting out of town and driving up highway 150 into the high Uintas for a hike. Snow lasts a while though
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Thanks. Looking at going in April so snow will probably inhibit much hiking.
Debating between SLC and Omaha, mostly based on food quality.
Fine dining isn’t our thing. We like ethnic and or regional specialties, though I’m thinking SLC doesn’t have any regional specialties.
Sure, how about a nice tour of the LDS Temple? J/k but I rarely go out in the best of times so I’m about the worst person to ask. Other than the resorts, these places are in or close to downtown SLC.
If you want an interesting place to stay, this is supposed to be haunted and one of Brigham Young’s wives ran away and stayed there.
There’s a decent brew pub across the street
Another one nearby
OK Mexican food here
or here
Grungy place popular with locals we used to go to pre-pandemic. They have live music some nights. Not sure about their current status so you’d want to call and ask.
College hang-out near the university with good pizza.
For things to do, maybe walk around Park City downtown and browse the small shops there. Or skiing ofc. These will take up most of a day, minimum. Could maybe just drive up one of the canyons for the scenery. For a casual walk/hike, City Creek Canyon/Memory Grove Park are easily accessible. The path is paved.
Hope this helps and you have a good time!
Yeah. It is kinda meh. Just that comparing it to Frankfurt is pretty brutal.
Anyway, checking out the lake district is why I really wanted to go to Lombardy. Staying in Milan was done because I happened to fly into it.
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Hm. We may rethink our trip to SLC and head somewhere with better food offerings.
I’ve been lobbying for Albuquerque so we can just spend 3 days eating red and green chile.
Pastrami burger at Crown Burgers. Fry sauce on your fries. Local specialties like funeral potatoes and jello molds probably don’t translate well to restaurants.
There are some nice restaurants in Park City.
I feel like SLC has some surprising ethnic dining due to Mormon converts across the world coming to the city.
Yeah, you can get these at the garage. Guaranteed caloric overload.
Sorry, fatboy. I’m sure there are some hidden gems here, I’m just not the one to ask. Albuquerque does seem more promising for food.
Well now Google thinks I really care about slc restaurants. I’ve only been to 3 of those on this list. All were good on their way. Lol at Shooting Star being #1. It’s a ways out. Used to go there when I lived in Ogden 25 years ago. It probably hasn’t changed a bit.
I’ve been to Caputo’s, Current, and Kyoto.
Cool. Haven’t been to those myself. The names are familiar, probably because they have sponsored local NPR. The ones I’ve been to are Shooting Star, Red Iguana, and Copper Onion. I wouldn’t hesitate to go again.
Shooting Star is memorable for their extra greasy burgers and a near confrontation one time bc my friend and his wife were laughing at a dude wearing assless chaps. The review is pretty accurate.
And the trains are on strike the day I plan to leave Milan.
I suspect that this will ruin my trip if it persists.
EDIT: I guess they have to let just enough trains depart so the station doesn’t get overcrowded and possibly violent. So I do get to leave. Just much later than scheduled.
You know a bar, cafe or restaurant in Italy is targeted at tourists when it’s open all day. Gotta find the places on side streets that open late (in the case of bars/pubs) or have intermittent opening hours (restaurants)
Yeah that region is great - central to everything. Rome is ridiculously easy to walk around provided you don’t mind walking a few miles in a day. I’ve been there twice and only taken the trains a few times.
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We are going later this year and are staying within your circle. I was astonished how much cheaper Airbnbs are relative to hotels. Trastevere seems like the best place for authentic restaurants for locals but may not be great with kids. Have never been to Italy so any tips for Rome, Florence and/or Venice are appreciated. We’re doing 3 days Rome, 3 days Florence and 2 days Venice.
Separately my fight times keep changing which is super annoying for positioning flights.
The only reason to reserve a hotel these days is if you plan to actually do things in it that aren’t sleeping.
But really, why go to Italy and spend part of your day in the hotel swimming pool?
As for tips, buy tickets to the major attractions online at least a day in advance so you avoid the insanely long lines for them. Rome, Florence, and Venice were extremely busy even when I visited in February. I have to imagine tourists are packed like sardines during high season.
Also helps to learn a few words of Italian to get around better. Nothing huge, just your ultra-basic stuff. People will be more willing to bridge a language gap if you initiate first.
I also recommend trying to cook at home a bit if you’re getting a full flat for AirBnB. Save a ton of money that way. You’ll turn into a blimp if you eat a menu del giorno every day.
Yeah, I staid in an AirBnB right around the “della” in that circle. Great spot. Easy and pleasant walk to the major sites.
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I posted some Florence and Tuscany stuff up thread for Goofy. Venice, I’m not sure how I’d do it again. I visited in grad school as part of a conference, and it was all on the island of Lido. That was pleasant, and unlike Venice itself seemed like a place where locals actually lived rather than being primarily a tourist destination, but it’s also a long ass water taxi ride from anything. Venice is pretty dense with amazing things, but it’s also pretty tourist-trappy when it comes to food, and it kinda shuts down about 9 pm. But, given how much time it takes to get anywhere else, it’s arguably the best use of your time there to just suck it up and stay in Venice proper, as you can better prioritize dodging tourist traps in Florence and Rome, which are not as constrained. A couple somewhat lesser sights worth considering are a water taxi ride out to Burano, both for the ride itself to see the the laguna and because of the colorful houses and exquisite lace work in some of the shops there, and the Basilica Dei Frari, which doesn’t look like much on the outside but houses some beautiful art inside.