Hi guys,

Coming down to SLC in a couple weeks to relax for a few days. It's me the wife and a 21 month child.

How's the crime there? Staying at the Crystal Inn, is that an ok area?

Planning to hit the discovery center, the aquarium, and the zoo. Do some shopping too.

Any other things we should check out?

Is there good Chinese food around downtown? The Chinese up here sucks.  Any other good restaurants to check out? Not interested in Mexican or burgers and we have a young one of course.

Any other tips or suggestions for navigating the city? It will be after conference so fortunately we're avoiding all that.

Museum of natural history at the U is great. Also there are short hikes from there.

Look into the Leonardo if the wife unit likes artsy and museums.

If you can make it to Ogden do the John browning museum.

HAFB aircraft museum in the Roy area... Browning museum, Union Station, and some of the restaurants along 25th street in Ogden are pretty good. I know this is a bit North of SLC (25-30 minutes from downtown), but you'll likely be passing through this way, unless you take the backroads through Star Valley and Rich County. 

Wife and I really like this place: Rovali's, Italian food on 25th Street. There are lots of other decent options down there too.

They recently changed ownership, but ABC Mandarin is still decent, also in the Roy area. A bit further off the freeway is this place, also pretty good: https://www.facebook.com/Zhangs-Chopstix-217866868236778/

I am not as up to speed on SLC area, but there are lots of options in SLC and the surrounding valley. The only areas I'd suggest avoiding in downtown SLC are Liberty Park and the Gateway area, particularly later in the day.

Crystal Inn isn't in a great location, but only because it's across the street from a park where all the homeless in the state descend upon every day as if it were mecca for vagabonds. Don't let that deter you though because the entire downtown area is full of homeless people, so it doesn't really matter where you stay in that area, it'll have homeless all around.

That's actually a pretty good location for shopping and tourism because it's within walking distance of the Gateway mall where the discovery center is. It's about 3 miles away from the zoo, and other shopping areas like City Creek.

As for food, are you interested in authentic Mexican and Chinese food or do you like white people Chinese and Mexican? If white people, you're in the perfect place because there's PF Chang's, Charlie Chow, and a couple Chinese buffets all around and then there's the Red Iguana which is about a mile from your hotel and another Red Iguana in the City Creek mall. If you want authentic Chinese food, you'll need to travel about 2 miles South East to Ho Ho Gourmet, Dim Sum house, Cafe Anh Hong, or Golden Dragon restaurant but if you show up on a Saturday or Sunday morning during high dim sum traffic times, be prepared to wait in line amongst about 200 Chinese people pushing and shoving their way to tables. For authentic Mexican food, you'll find Mexican restaurants on every street corner; it'll be the same stuff served at Red Iguana but for about 1/4 the price. For burgers, the options are endless.


Since you have a 2 year old, I would take her to Liberty Park because they've got this little water feature with different fountains and sprays for kids to run around and play in. I used to take my 2 year old to a different park in South Jordan that had the same water feature and she'd be in there all day long playing in the water. There's also an aviary in Liberty Park with some kiddie rides if your kid is old enough for that.

Oh, and since you're from Wyoming, you might want to hop on the train and head to Farmington Station. I like to go there because my wife will drop me off at Cabela's where I'll walk around all day in the one store as she browses the dozens of other stores in the area with the kiddo.

I think we've been to Leonardo before. We went for a night or two a couple years ago and checked out the body exhibit.

I'll have to see about Ogden.

Thanks for the heads up on the location and bums. I have no CCW but will get some pepper spray and be carrying a knife. I'm sure it'll be nothing compared to what I grew up with in Baltimore though.

I'll be looking into the authentic Chinese. We have no good Chinese here so that's a definite must.

Is he cabelas a big one? We have one a couple hours away in Idaho but I've never been impressed with it.

Thanks again.

The big Cabelas is south of Salt Lake in Lehi. About 10 miles further from your hotel than the Farmington one.

Gary

There are more than one Crystal Inn, which one you staying at. The one in Murray is pretty OK.

Have you been to the HAFB Museum? Ogden's Union Station Museum? Worth doing. Smith & Edwards is always a good time, and eating dinner at Maddox in Perry is really a must. Get the Halibut, you'll thank me later.

Thanks for the heads up. We're going to go to the big one.

Staying at the crystal inn in downtown. 23 and 500s or something like that.

Is there a restaurant that serves a real English breakfast in SLC? Including blood sausage?

Negative.


SLC is gastranomically challenged. As far as food diversity, we have American, Asian, Greek, Polynesian, Ethiopian, and Mexican; nothing else. I think there's two French restaurants in the entire state and the only English place (Five Alls) doesn't serve breakfast.

Doubt you find blood sausage for breakfast. I am quite a fan of bohemian brewery's fare. They have a breakfast schnitzel that is amazing. (Not a sausage)
Bent fork up big cottonwood is tasty as well. Snowbird has pretty decent brunch too

There's about 2.36 billion pasta places here. We went to one of the only bad one. (Lambs grill)

Breakfast has been in our hotel.

Went to In N out

Cabelas in Lehi is awesome. We're going back there and to the outlets to shop.


Discovery center was fun. Zoo was packed and the Pallas cat wasn't there . Other animals were fine though.

We are at cafe anh hong getting to go food. The boy is tuckered out in the back after a day at the discovery center.


We did take note of the homeless people but again compared to where me and the Mrs grew up in Baltimore it's not bad. You guys have a first generation ghetto here so at least the culture isn't really ingrained into people.

yep, if you made it through baltimore, you'll be just fine here.

Doesnt take long with how the state is hard at work importing every useless asshole that can breathe (all of whom already have that getto mentality firmly ingrained long before ever setting foot here)...




California used to be a conservative and pleasant state too from what I've read, though it was LONG before my time and it became the shithole it is for the same reasons. Trash is trash and it doesn't matter if theyre first gen or have been there for 400 years.  Just look at all the migrant camps (excuse me, I meant London, Brussels, Paris....etc) in Europe to see how well third world retards manage even without an ingrained local getto mentality.