Salt Lake City, UT was always on my travel list, so when James received a residency interview invitation there, I had to tag along! Of course, with it being an interview trip, everything was planned last minute. We booked our tickets and were on the way in just over a week! So we scoured through every “Best of Salt Lake” list we could find and tried to hit up the top spots. If you have two- three days in SLC, these are the things I recommend!
Where to Stay
Kimpton Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City
Best location ever! The Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Salt Lake City is smack dab in the heart of SLC. You can walk to most attractions and there are plenty of restaurants in the area. We rarely used our rental car when traveling through the city.
The hotel accommodations are very cozy and our king sized room was perfect for us. Our first full day was spent on a 10 mile hike, so having a comfortable bed to recover in was essential. Our room also had an amazing view of the city with the mountains in the background. Sunrise and sunsets were beautiful!
ALSO! We were pleasantly surprised that the hotel hosted a wine social hour every evening. They have a large variety of wines to indulge in and tons of board games to play. We played oversized Jenga and Scrabble and really enjoyed relaxing after a long day.
The Kimpton Hotel Monaco also has a delicious restaurant, Bambara, and an amazing cocktail bar, The Vault.
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What to Do:
Hiking
There are tons and tons of stunning trails in and around the Salt Lake City area, so if you’re a fan of the outdoors, I highly recommend spending a day enjoying the mountains.
We decided to hike the White Pine Lake trail, which is a 10 mile out and back trail that is rated difficult. We were underprepared, there was snow towards the top, so definitely bring the right footwear
and trekking poles
There were tons of wildflowers and we heard a bunch of deer and moose were on the mountain! It was stunning and worth every step.
The hike is located in Little Cottonwood Canyon area. Just a mile past the camping area, there is a parking lot leading to a bridge where the hike starts.
There are two options in the area, White Pine lake and Red Pine Lake. We went with the White Pine Lake Trail, but will definitely check out Red Pine Lake next time!
Temple Square:
The headquarters of the LDS Church, Temple Square is a beautiful block with amazing architecture and landscaping. The church itself was stunning and it was surrounded by flowers and other well maintained buildings.
The LDS Church offers guided tours throughout the day and we learned a ton about the history of the Church. If you’re visiting on a Sunday, check out the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!
City Creek Center
A beautiful indoor/ outdoor shopping center with 100s of stores. If you’re planning on shopping, this is where to go! We just walked around while we waited for our restaurant reservations.
Salt Lake City Library
One of the best public libraries I’ve ever been to. I can easily see myself spending hours here!
Utah State Capitol
Located on Capitol Hill, the Utah State Capitol is a great place to learn about the history of Utah. The building itself is beautiful and is a great place to walk around.
Ensign Peak
A quick and easy hike close to the Utah State Capital leads to an amazing view of Salt Lake City and the surrounding areas. We could even see the Great Salt Lake in the distance. We squeezed this in right before our flight out of the city!
Eat and Drink
Takashi
Amazing sushi! We indulged in this for lunch right after James residency interview and it was DELICIOUS! Probably some of the best sushi we’ve had outside of Japan.
Squatters Pub
Great beer selection and tasty pub food! I had the seared Ahi Tuna salad.
Red Iguana
A hole in the wall that serves tasty mole! If you go here, trying the mole is a must!
Cafe Molise
Northern Italian dishes with a great wine selection.
Sweet Lakes Limeade and Biscuits
We went twice for the limeade because it was so refreshing! The breakfast selection is great too!
