My Solo Salt Lake City Day

Spending time alone has never been hard for me. I’m easily entertained and am usually fairly flexible with plans. However, this Thanksgiving break was the first time I found myself wandering solo in an unfamiliar city. As a student, I was obviously on a budget. I was also without any kind of itinerary. I never took the time to plan the 12 hours I had to kill. Luckily, or perhaps willfully, the day was no waste.

At around 9:30 AM my plane from Baltimore was sitting on the tarmac and I took the opportunity to pull out my phone and look through several blog posts about what to do in Salt Lake City. Here is what I found. There were a few interesting locations worth noting. I was especially keen on keeping my eye open for what wasn’t going to cost me anything but a couple of hours.

Transportation

The first item of business was to get from the airport to the hotel in order to drop my suitcase and lighten my load enough to easily navigate the city. My original thought was Uber or Lyft. The ride was going to cost about $25 (actually fairly cheap compared to other places) and I was cringing at the thought of what else that $25 was capable of going towards. Fortunately, my fate was changed when I saw the light rail sign. Light rails get you where you need to go (or close by) for less than $3, and since I was in no real rush I was ready to commit.

No Need To Stick To The Plan

Around 45 minutes later I had made it to my hotel near Temple Square, had dumped my baggage (literally), and was ready to find out what the day had in store. City Creek Center was recommended to me by my sister who had spent a summer living in Salt Lake, so that’s where I set off for first. Her exact wording described the mall as “beautiful and huge” and I thought, although I wouldn’t be buying anything, it was worth going to see. My GPS gave me an estimated 20-minute arrival time if I walked and that’s what I set out to do.

About half way I was stopped by a charming bookstore and coffee shop called Ebore Books. I love reading and I loved everything about this little store. Upon walking in I was hit with the smell of old paperbacks and the cappuccino I ordered was exactly what I needed. After I spent some time enjoying my find (Pillars of the Earth, A Great American Read book!) I decided it was time to continue my adventure.

City Creek Center

I know malls don’t sound like place anyone needs to visit on their one day exploring the city but this one was! Honestly, I didn’t expect to be impressed but my sister was right to send me. The building itself was gorgeous (I mean, come on! Look at that ceiling) and there were plenty of cool views of temple square, which happens to sit on the next block.

Temple Square

Temple Square is captivating. The buildings and statues look solid and pure and lasting. I felt like they demanded more than a five-minute walk through and so I gave them more time. Walking slowly and pausing occasionally allowed me to really recognize the worth and the beauty of what I was looking at.

UMOCA

Next, I wandered over to the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art. In the past, I have found that I appreciate paintings the most, however I found the artworks witty and inspiring. This was the only thing I paid for all day and it was only $5!

The City Library

In case you thought I had my fill of books from the cozy shop earlier in the day, I hadn’t. The City Library was on several lists of things I should see, so I went and saw. The building had an interesting curve that gave way to a great mountain view. Plus, there were a bunch of cute shops to look through on the first floor.

Café Rio

Last but not least, is it really a trip to Utah if you skip out on the best fast food Mexican restaurant ever?

 

Maybe it was the fact I was on my own schedule. Maybe it was because it was such a nice day for spending time walking outside. Whatever it was, I think I’ll be back to Salt Lake soon.

Also, in case you’re wondering if I’m capable of traversing the world on my own, I think this should give a good indication. Okay, okay, I’m being dramatic as per usual. At least the day was one well spent!