The Landmark Blog

Salt Lake City - My Hometown for the Holidays

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Warning...this post has absolutely, totally and utterly, nothing to do with market research, social media research, or anything else research related or otherwise academic in any way.  It's about time I throw out some random stuff for the sake of extinguishing the fire from my head that drives me to write...without having to somehow tie it to the mechanics of my business.  This blog just happens to be my current forum for putting out the fire.  

I had the awesome opportunity to take a bunch of 12-year old boy scouts to downtown Salt Lake last night.  If you've never been to downtown Salt Lake during the holidays, it is certainly a site to behold.  There are Christmas lights EVERYWHERE.  A local LDS (Mormon) attraction called Temple Square has been lit with over a million lights for many years.  The display is so extensive that the grounds crew begins setting up for this display starting in

 August, and it takes them until March to bring everything back down.  If you ever get a chance and you're in the area at night (5:30pm - 10:30pm) between the day after Thanksgiving, and January 1, it's well worth the visit.  During the time the lights are up, hundreds of thousands of people visit the area.  Don't let the crowds keep you from seeingthis amazing site.

Driving into work this morning, I made the realization that I've lived in the Salt Lake area for half of my life.  I've mentioned before that I grew up in a rural city in Idaho, but I started out in Salt Lake and will probably end here as well.  Many things have changed in the area, but much is still the same.  My children went to the same zoo that I did.  I take my family to see the lights, just like my parents did.  The downtown buildings have had a facelift, but much is still the same.  It really is home.  

As my holiday gift to you, I thought I'd give you a quick list of tips and local places to visit when you come to my hometown.  They are all within short driving distance of downtown Salt Lake (in some cases walking distance).  I polled my staff (so there's the only mention to Market Research) and here's what the locals came up with (in no particular order):

(More content below the list)

Art's Related:

• Sundance Resort, Film Festival & Sundance Summer Theater

• Utah Arts Festival

• Capitol Theater

• Abravenel Hall

• USANA Amphitheater

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Free Concerts)

• Utah Symphony

Food Related:

• The Pie (Pizza)

• Crown Burger (Hamburgers & Gyros)

• The Tree Room (Fine Dining at Sundance)

• Harvest Restaurant (Restaurant at Thanksgiving Point)

• Ruth's Diner (Highlighted on Diner's, Drive-ins & Dives)

• The Roof Restaurant

Museums & Gardens:

• Natural History Museum of Utah

• Red Butte Garden

• Thanksgiving Point

• "This is the Place" Heritage Park

Nature:

• Snowbird, Brighton, Alta (Ski resorts for the locals)

• Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons (Biking, Climbing, Nice Drives, Hiking, Resort Locations)

• Antelope Island

Miscellaneous:

• Downtown Park City

• Bonneville Salt Flats

• Real Salt Lake (Utah has a HUGE soccer culture)

• Temple Square & LDS Conference Center

• Utah Jazz (We love Jazz basketball) 

• Observation Deck on LDS Church office building

 Shopping:

• The Gateway

• Park City Outlets

• Trolley Square

This is by no means a complete list, feel free to add your favorite spots in the comment block below...

Lastly, I want to challenge the readers of this blog to do something...a "call-to-action" in marketing terms.  This isn't a call-to-action for me or my business, but for yourself personally, and the people around you.  Regardless of your religious philosophy, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Denali, or Festivus...the holiday for the restuvus, it's time to step up.  

On the way home from downtown Salt Lake, with these 8 boys in tow and three adult leaders, we stopped at a local fast food restaurant (12 & 13 year old boys are always STARVING).  While we ate, we began to notice an old man, missing two fingers, slowly nursing a cup of coffee.  As we were wrapping up, the man approached these young men and started asking them questions that they couldn't understand about chicken, playing pianos, the weather, and if they were missionaries.  It was apparent that he was homeless, had nowhere to go, and was just trying to stay warm.  One of our leaders offered to buy the man some food but he was too "out of sorts" to understand.  He made kind of a scene in front of these young men, and then apologized to them for making a scene.  The scouts didn't know how to react.  As I was thinking about it this morning, I realized that, regardless of your current lot in life, there will ALWAYS be someone less fortunate than you.  Here's the call to action...at this time of year...when we have so much to celebrate...find someone to give a little service to.  It can be big or small, doesn't have to be monetary, could be a small little gesture, but find someone to help, even for an instance.  I can guarantee you this; it will be a gift to both of you.

Best wishes and have a merry Christmas.  Happy holidays and may you have a successful and wonderful 2012.

Vaughn