Wal Mart Adventures -->Marie

This is my last blog for this class. And so I would like to talk about my experience picking up photos at wal mart for my group presentation.
So I walked in the door to wal mart and decided to kill some time and NOT do homework by looking around wal mart for a bit. So I wandered around, tried on some shoes, ect. I picked up the photos and then went to the check out when I realized that I didn't have my keys on me.
And I started freaking out.
You see, that key chain had my car and dorm keys along with my school ID on them. So basically I'd have to either have my parents drive three hours in bad weather to give me spare keys to my car, or let my car get towed. The locks on my dorm would have to be replaced. And I'd need a new ID. So I frantically searched all through wal mart trying to find where I had left them. I asked all the department desks if anyone had turned them in. ANd I waited in a freaking long line at customer service twice to see if they had them. By the end of a few hours I was pretty upset and in tears. No one would help me! The wal mart employees all just had this attitude of "eh. good luck. not my problem." It was so frustrating! So I went out to my car for the third time to see if maybe I'd missed spoting them through the window again somehow. No luck. But this time as I went to go back into wal mart I heard someone call, "Hey! Are you alright?"
This nice black man in an expensive car had stopped to see if I was ok. We chatted for a couple minutes. He was very sympathetic. He told me that if it had been a simple matter of me locking my keys in my car he'd have paid for the police to get into it. Since that wasn't the issue and there wasn't really anything he could do, he just gave me his number and told me to call him if I needed any help. He was the only person who was nice. I wish I could thank him somehow.
But, long story short, my good friends Jeffrey Jay Cottle and Spencer Lee Richards came to my rescue. They drove to wal mart to pick me up and of course as soon as they got there someone turned in my keys.
Pretty much the suckiest saturday of my life.

Sugarhouse (Bryn)

I believe this is the last post I will have for this class. I have just finished counting all of mine, and I do indeed have eleven individual posts including this one. It appears my group and I only did three group posts, but I will continue to look.
The last walkabout my group went on was to Sugarhouse. I found that when we went on the walkabout we noticed the hole had a very negative impact overall on the community. It greatly cut down on the walkability of the area, and now the only traffic that remains at the intersection of 21st and 11th is car traffic. We were able to conduct five different interviews, although we were really hoping for a sixth. The first interview was with an employee of Sugarhouse Coffee, one of the stores that used to be located where the hole now is. They have since moved across the street. The employee was very helpful and informative about what the community's outlook is on the project, and also the effect it had on local businesses. He talked about why he felt the old buildings were torn down, and what people feel the developer is trying to do. This was probably my favorite interview, but I very much enjoyed the interview my group conducted with Mecham, the man responsible for the torn down buildings.
Mecham had a completely different view of Sugarhouse than anyone else we talked to. All the local business owners, residents, and employees we spoke to thought very negatively of the situation. They didn't believe the buildings needed to go, and because they were torn down, Sugarhouse has become less of what it once was. Mecham, on the other hand, told us Sugarhouse was very near and dear to his heart, and the community was falling apart. He believes his project will revitalize the community. He plans to build a multi-use seven-story building made of steel, glass, and red brick. All the buildings in Sugarhouse are about one to two story buildings, and the new seven-story complex will be completely out of place. Only high-end retailers will be able to afford to rent space in the designated retail area of the complex, eliminating places for local businesses to thrive.
My group and I are putting the finishing touches on our project this weekend, and we are excited to share with everyone what we have learned.

Glue Fingers - Slover

Sorry about writing about the weather, but this is just crazy. I've lived in Utah my whole life and I've seen some cold days drop down to the single digits. In February, not December. We should be in the thirties and forties, and maybe have one strange weekend reach up into the fifties. I walked down to the business building this morning without gloves. Big mistake. When I got down there I pulled my hands out of my jean pockets. What I saw wasn't right. Nothing but bone and frayed nerve endings all the way down to the metacarpals. Well, I walked into class--Arabic--and of course I couldn't write a damn thing. That cursive script is hard enough with fully functioning hands. Just try holding the pen with your exposed bone fingers, I dare you. Dropped it about a million times. Back at the dorms I fashioned some temporary skin/flesh replacements out Elmer's glue and paper clips. It ain't pretty, but it'll do for now.

Public Transportation- Maddy Oritt

I look forward to Salt Lake's new streetcar system, assuming it comes to fruition, as a needed addition to our public transportation system. I haven't had that much experience with UTA so far- in high school, I got rides everywhere from my parents until I got a car after sophomore year. Then I would normally drive myself wherever I needed to go- public transport didn't factor in much. Now living on campus, sans car, I rely on it much more that before. I take shuttles almost daily, and take the bus or Trax if I need to go somewhere beyond campus. However, in my limited use of UTA, it doesn't seem like the greatest system. If the destination is on a line, that's great, but otherwise it seems tricky to figure out and not terribly extensive. It would be nice if more Salt Lakers depended more on public transport, to alleviate road congestion (not that it's a big problem) and pollution (which is a big problem), but in order for that to happen, I think our transport network and infrastructure needs to improve. It seems we are on the right track, though, with Trax and Frontrunner extensions and the new streetcar line.

Imprisoned - Slover

The sudden drop in degree (I think it's around twenty Celsius) has discouraged me from getting down to the city for a few days now. Cabin fever is setting in. Last time I took Trax down 4th south I wondered how it is the trains are able to stop on the tracks. You'd think that of all the things that get slicked during a storm metal would be especially at risk. But I don't know anything about trains. And the rails themselves are veins of freedom that flow with blood even when the cars are frozen up on their artery streets. The trains are the keys.

Reflections on City as Text- Maddy Oritt

At our floor meeting this past Sunday, Carlie asked us all to think about the past semester and how everything went. We talked a little bit about City as Text, which made me think more about the class and what I got out of it. Overall, I really enjoyed the class. I think the concept is very interesting, and it was a great way to explore the city and learn more about it. I think everyone learned things they didn't know, regardless of whether they were from here or elsewhere. When you are looking for specific things, which are different from the things on which we normally focus, there is so much to be found! The walkabouts were my favorite part for these reasons. Also, I really liked spending time with my group. I don't think our group could have turned out any better. Group dynamics usually mean that one or two people get stuck with all the work, but all five of us have equally shared our group work and been equally involved in everything we have done. Also, the five of us are all very different from one another, so it was fun to spend time with and get to know a variety of people. Our final project has been a good experience as well. It was interesting to focus on the topic we chose. We got out of our comfort zones to conduct interviews, but they turned out to be very informative and kind of exciting. Overall, I would say City as Text has been a good class. I didn't like the timeslot, though. I didn't like having to go to class on a Wednesday evening, but I understand that that could have been the only time that worked. Also, the class has required a fair amount of work (actually, more work than one of my 3-hour credit classes!) The work has been stimulating, interesting, and enjoyable, but I think it merits more than just one credit hour. Altogether, I'm glad we had this class this semester; it was a great way to meet people and explore the city in a different way, as well as do work that was creatively challenging and thought-provoking.

Wendy's - Slover

There some things you just can't do if you live on a farm or in a cave or underwater. One of them is go to Wendy's at two in the morning. That's a privilege, if you can call it a privilege, only accorded to us smallish town to big city dwellers. So there's a dark side to urban life, or at least a double-edged sword. When you're driving around late at night and the hunger pains come over you, you don't have a lot of options. Unless you want to go home and fire up the kitchen, which you don't, it's not like you can just pop into Whole Foods and get a loaf of spelt bread. So you opt for the jr. bacon cheeseburger instead. And, boy, does it taste right around one-thirty or two. You sit in your car munching, not worrying about what strange things you may or may not be shoving down into your stomach, and admire how the smallish town to big city operates at night. You may notice that all the neons are still blazing angrily garishly away, blocking out the stars. It's then you might get jealous of the corn-fed (although we're all pretty eating nothing but corn these days, but you know what I mean) kids in the Midwest, milking cows, plowing, chopping, keeping the American machine moving. You can have thoughts like that at night, where your mind jumps from one thing to another, not worrying about logical connection, eating your cheeseburger. And then you drive home fairly full and satisfied, your arteries clogged just a little more, but not enough to really hurt you yet, right?

Sugarhouse - Slover

For our final walkabout we went to Sugarhouse to investigate the background and problems of the big empty lot that's been there for a few years now. Here's the skinny: There used to be a bunch of old buildings there where local businesses set up shop--the Blue Boutique, Sugarhouse Coffee, and a smoke shop, to name a few. But they all got taken down at the behest of the landowner, one Craig Mecham. His reasons for doing this are unclear. All we know is that he wants to put in a new shopping complex, and it's likely that only big corporate stores like the Gap will be able to pay the rent, so it won't be local anymore. However, when the economy tanked, so did Mecham's plans. No more money for construction. So the lot's just been sitting there. Lots of the locals are pretty mad about it, especially the business owners. They think Sugarhouse should stay local, and they don't want big stores crowding them out. Mecham claims that the old buildings were unsafe and HAD to be taken down, but there's some speculation that he didn't approve of the stores that conducted business there, and that he was trying to force them out (he raised the rent on lots of them) for moral reasons, but also because he thought he could make more money with something more mainstream. Whatever the truth is, one thing is clear: Sugarhouse is seeing less pedestrian traffic than only two years go, and business is slower for everyone. The area's in trouble.

Christmas Break (Bryn)

Although the stress of finals is beginning to feel greater every day, the knowledge that Christmas Break is quickly approaching is a wonderful relief.
This year, Christmas will be different than any other I have experienced. Instead of going "home" for Christmas, I will be visiting my family's new home in Cinncinnati, Ohio. I have never been to Cinncinnati, so I am excited and also interested in seeing where they have taken residence. It will be quite strange visiting my family for the holidays in an unfamiliar place.
Reluctantly, I will not be going home to Boise at all over Christmas break; the plane ticket for a multi-destination flight was emaculate. I was planning on spending time with Quaid's family in Boise, and then spending time in Ohio with my family, and I am sad now I won't be able to see the family and friends I have in Boise.
After Christmas, Quaid is coming to see my family in Ohio. He has never been to the East Coast, so I'm excited to show him a bit of it. Not only will he see Cinncinnati, which I am not familiar with, but my family, Quaid, and I are going to Philadelphia for New Year's to see the family we have in Pennsylvania. Showing such a historically rich city to Quaid is something I look forward to. I, myself, am anticipating my return to the city, but to be able to share with him places I grew up and called my home is so fantastic!
I am certain this trip will leave a lasting impression on Quaid and I.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's everyone! Good luck on finals!

Football Games--Marie

The last home football game was two weeks ago. It was kind of sad. I sort of wonder what impact on the city the football games here have. Because that stadium can seat like 45,000 people. Thats so many!! And its not like theres anywhere close to enough parking for everyone. Trax must get way crowded. And driving I could definitely see as a potential nightmare.
And what would happen if there was some sort of disaster and everyone had to get out of the stadium? How smoothly would that go? I mean, they have that "safety video" that they show before the game. But honestly, how many people actually watch it? And for me at least, I know I was way more distracted by the awesome 3D arrows then what they were actually saying. Too bad the 3D arrows weren't real....that would be sweet!!

Owning a Car---Marie

So I know that probably about half of my blog entries compare small town vs big city, but thats kind of the only way I know how to view salt lake is through the lense of a small town. SO! With that in mind, I think I want to talk about owning a car.
See, owning some sort of vehicle is just about as much of a need as food is when you live in the area I do. (and yes, most of those above mentioned vehicles are super lifted trucks....lame I know) There is no public transportation system in Sevier. Actually, I remember at the beginningo f the summer when I moved up here my mom didn't let me bring my car. I was freaking out! How was I supposed to get anywhere??
That was when I got to know Trax.
Its actually pretty convient in some ways. I like not having to drive everywhere. It saves on gas money and its good for the enviroment. But, it just takes FOREVER! Going to the public library is this huge ordeal that involves me driving to the institute parking garage, parking, walking to the trax stop, waiting for a train, getting on said train, getting off said train, walking into the library, and then reversing the process. It becomes this hour long activity to return two books. If somehow they could make the process a little faster, then I would be moer in love with it.
New York comes to mind. Most of the people there don't even own cars or have a drivers licesne (well...at least I thiknk thats true.) Its cool that people can do that. That means theres no car payment, no insurance payment, no gas, no repairs. You just have to walk a lot.

Sugarhouse--Marie

For our final project, our group is doing how that torn down building affected Sugarhouse. To be honest, I was about as excited for this project as I would be to make a large paper mache duck. Paper mache is not my thing. Caring about torn down buildings in some random part of the city is not my thing either.
But as we got going and talked to some of the local people it actually got more interesting. I didn't realize how much frusteration there was over the issue. A lot of people were pretty upset at Mecham, the guy who tore the buildings down in the first place. Then we actually got to talk to the guy. That was pretty awesome. I still don't feel super connected to the issue. But its ok. Its still a good topic to explore some more.

Drifting Apart--Marie

I hate how distance affects friendships.
Theres something about how different people seem if you don't see them in a while. Suddenly their personality is different from what it used to be, and what would normally be subtle changes stick out like a sore thumb. I think distance facilitates this in a big way. Its a lot harder to keep a close contact with someone who isnt' a few minutes drive away.
Guess thats part of growing up and moving out. Doesn't mean it doesn't suck though.

Thanksgiving--Marie

Well..it appears that everyone is talking about thanksgiving so, heck, I guess I will too!
My Thanksgiving was probably a bit different from everyone elses. Huge family gatherings are usually what comes to mind when someone says "Thanksgiving". Thats not how it is with my family though. I don't have any siblings and relatives other than my immediant family live far away. In the past its just been me, my parents, my grandma, and my aunt. This year however, with the death of my grandma, it was just the three of us. My aunt wasn't invited (thank heavens). No thats mean. My aunt had previous engagments.
I enjoyed it a lot though. I love my parents and hanging out with them was pretty fun. Granted, the stuffing didn't come out quite so good. And the mashed potatoes tasted really strange (I TOLD my mom that tons of onion in mashed potatoes was not a good idea). But all in all it was really nice just hanging with my parents.
As for the rest of the break, it was super relaxing. I felt like I got really fat though since I did absolutely no physical activity what so ever. My day consisted of: eating tons of junk food, reading, watching meaningless TV, and taking ridiculously long naps. I loved every second of it!

Thoughts About Recapitulation--Marie

A lot of people I talked to didn't like Recapitulation. A couple hated it. A couple really loved it. I wonder if the general dislike of the book was due to the fact that the book was assigned reading. Assigned reading as a general rule is usually pretty lame. As for me, I thought it was ok. I definitnely would never just pick up Recapitulation for a fun read. Its not my type of literature. But it was this awful super boring book like I thought it was going to be. I liked Bruce Masons memories, although a couple were maybe a bit more sexually explicit than needed. I'm not sure I cared that Bailey was having sex with some girl on the porch. Oh well.
I guess the one thing I wished was that the book had some sort of viable plot. It was more like...this guy randomly wandering around Salt Lake. Which is cool, but not exactly exciting. Even his memories didn't ahve a plot. The only thing that kept me interested was I wanted to know how Nola and Bailey got together. Which it never explained, to my dismay.
Probably my favorite part of Recapitulation was when he joined the tennis club. Course that may just be because I play tennis....

Thanksgiving Break

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! It was so nice to have the extra days off. I got to see a couple of friends who went out-of-state for college- my friend Sami is in Nashville, Tennessee at Vanderbilt, and my friend Ray is at Mizzou in Columbia, Missouri. It was interesting to hear them both talk about how much they miss Utah. They miss their friends and family, but both talked a lot about missing Salt Lake City and Utah. I think it's easy to forget all the wonderful things about Utah living here, but moving away makes Utah's charms very evident! For one, our weather is pretty great. Ray said it is overcast for days and days without a break in Missouri, and neither Columbia nor Nashville have such pronounced seasons. I complain about the snow sometimes, but I have to admit that I'd miss it if winter consisted of gray rain, as is characteristic of winter in Philadelphia, where a couple of my friends are going to school. Also, Salt Lake is a great-sized city. I frequently run into someone I know at the grocery store, but it is big enough to support great cultural opportunities and events. And, of course, one of the best parts about SLC is the geography. I love having the mountains so nearby, both for looking at and for playing in. Southern Utah is also a quick drive away, where bounteous opportunities for hiking and biking await. All in all, Utah is indeed a "pretty, great state."

Thanksgiving (Bryn)

I wasn't able to go home for Thanksgiving, but I did get to spend the holiday with my boyfriend and his family in Ogden. I haven't seen his eldest brother, or his girlfriend, or his parents since I moved to Utah in August. I missed them very much, and was excited I got to see them! This morning we woke up around seven thirty, and began cooking breakfast. Quaid's mom made everyone breakfast; we had biscuits and gravy.
Originally, we were going to eat Thanksgiving "dinner" at about two, but ended up postponing dinner until five. We began cooking dinner at around ten. I was excited to help make dinner for everyone! In all, we had turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, tapioca pudding, stuffed mushrooms, deviled eggs, fruit salad, jellied cranberry sauce, rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and turkey and ham gravy to top everything off. Everything turned out so deliciously.
It was so nice to be able to cook and spend time with everyone. After dinner, I helped clean up. Then, we all sat down around the fireplace with hot chocolate and watched a movie! After two movies, we went to bed, knowing we will be up very early for shopping tomorrow.
On Black Friday, I plan to begin Christmas shopping. I am also hoping to get a new iPod nano.

I hope everyone else had an awesome Thanksgiving! See you all on Monday!

Time Travel- Maddy Oritt

I really enjoyed our guest speaker last night- he was dynamic and interesting and I especially loved seeing his slides of Salt Lake in Stegner's adolescence. It is so amazing to imagine the U when all that existed were the buildings surrounding Presidents Circle. The pictures of downtown SLC during the '20s and '30s were enchanting as well. Seeing the photos gave me a fervent desire to be able to travel back in time and get such a different perspective on various places. I have always loved time-travel-y books and movies: Somewhere In Time, with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour is a great one. I admit to being a "Lost" junkie, although that time-travel business is so convoluted and confusing.. I also read Time and Again, by Jack Finney, last winter. It's an entertaining, light read and includes fascinating pictures of New York City taken decades ago. It's fun to indulge in thoughts about time travel, thinking about where and when you would go in time. In the last couple of years, though, theoretical physicists have been doing work which suggests time travel might in fact be a possibility, though not currently a practical one. Even Stephen Hawking has accepted its possibility, changing his long-standing opposition to the idea! And they always said anything was possible...

Thanksgiving - Slover

I'm going south to a mystical mysterious land over Thanksgiving break--Provo. Dunn, Dunn, Duuuunnn. Anyway, the point is it's a place I know very well. Nooks and Crannies, corners and alleys. All have secret names and associations. Since we've been learning all about those tricky frustrating concepts called nodes, paths, edges, districts, and landmarks--called imageability when you smash it all together--since we've been learning about those things, I'll be trying to apply them to Provo. Who knows? Maybe some grand new image of the city (ha ha) will come crawling out of the woodwork. At the very least I'll be able to give names (path, landmark, whatever) to ideas before mired in abstraction. Or maybe I'll just have some new vocabulary to slide into conversation over the grouse. Mostly I'm excited to get away from the H.C. food.

Final Project(Bryn)

My group and I are getting ready to go on a walkabout for our final project. We have decided to build our project around the question, "How have the torn down buildings impacted Sugarhouse and the surrounding area?" We have each come up with at least two interview questions so that we may interview pedestrians on our walkabout. This will be an important part of our entire project, influencing our map, presentation, and individual papers.

I am interested to analyze Sugarhouse more in depth. I have passed through paying little to no attention to features of the community or atmosphere. The walkabout will enable my group and I to choose stand-out landmarks for our maps and watch peoples' interaction with the area.

Remembering we are to build a layered map about this area, we must consider the basic structure of roads and buildings, landscaping, special features, people, and much more. We plan to be very creative with our map, including colors and possibly even texture. I am excited to witness our final piece! Once we have completed the map, we must move on to our presentation. This is an integral part of the project, and we want to portray knowledge and confidence in ourselves and our insight about Sugarhouse. While working on these steps of the project, we will all be doing our own individual papers as well.

As far as the paper is concerned, I'm a bit confused...Do we all write on the same topic: Sugarhouse? Or do we each choose different aspects of Sugarhouse to write about?

It is very important to see and feel the area before deciding what it is about. We will be going on our walkabout Friday, and I believe that is when we will concrete our plans for this project.

Construction- Maddy Oritt

It seems like ever since the years leading up to the Olympics, construction has been omnipresent in Salt Lake. Trax comprised a lot of that construction, as well as work on the freeways and now the looming City Creek center. Also, walking around campus, construction always reroutes me. I don't like living with all this construction: part of it is the hassle of walking or driving through areas under construction, but I also don't like the constant newness. It seems as though our knee-jerk reaction is to tear down and build up bigger or better. The result is an ever-expanding city of ever-growing buildings, and a seemingly incongruous jumble of architectural styles. To me, Salt Lake doesn't visually feel harmonious or fluid; every building is very different in appearance, and very few are aesthetically beautiful. Sometimes rebuilding is an important thing, such as when retrofitting for earthquake safety or becoming more environmentally friendly. As far as personal enjoyment of the city goes, though, I don't like the constant reconstruction. A large part of the reason that cities in Europe are so charming is that so many of their buildings are old and beautiful; instead of tearing buildings down, perhaps they reconstruct from the inside, but preserve the historical facade. Also, we Americans love our skyscrapers, which are not often found in old European cities. All in all, I wish I could look at our skyline once in a while and watch the beautiful sunset without having it obstructed by building cranes, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Going to Ogden (Bryn)

Although I really enjoy Salt Lake, I believe that experiencing a city also includes exploring the surrounding area.
Almost every weekend, I travel to Ogden to see my boyfriend and am able to explore its downtown area, mountains, side streets, and Weber State University. In comparison to Salt Lake's downtown, Ogden's is very small and quaint, but similarly, it still has a family-friendly atmosphere. Salt Lake's downtown is that of a metropolitan city on the rise, with lights that cover the city like a blanket. Ogden's downtown is not nearly as lit up, yet I find it very beautiful. The buildings have flashing multi-colored signs, and the streets are lined with trees wrapped in white lights. The movie theater has a variety of colorful lights and screens outside, and the surrounding buildings are home to some very unique activities. Ogden's downtown offers indoor skydiving, indoor rockclimbing, indoor surfing, laser tag, an arcade (similar to Dave & Buster's or Boondocks), restaurants, and much more.
The mountains are beautiful, as well. In the summer, Quaid and I took a hike up Mount Ogden to the waterfall at the top! It was so much fun, and a refreshing walk. The mountains are situated similarly to Weber as the they are to the U.
Weber is also an incredible sight at night. Different from the U, Weber has a very compact campus. At night all the lights combine to create a campus that stands out against the night sky as a massive star.
I'm sure I will continue to explore both Salt Lake and Ogden, as well as other towns nearby. An important part of learning about a city, is to analyze every aspect of it, including outside pieces.

Hmm...

This is a difficult blog for me to write. I haven't spent much time in the city, lately, and because our last walkabout was two weeks ago, I haven't put any time aside to explore. The most recent place in Salt Lake I have visited, besides Central Station, is the Gateway. Can I just say I am in love with this mall?! It is so fantastic! It was a bit of a whirlwind trip, but I was able to go to most of the stores that I wanted to. I found the cutest jacket at Forever 21. Ellie, my roommate talked me into buying it. I also went to Old Navy, but I didn't make a purchase there. I visited a few other stores, and bought some clothing at Wet Seal.

I took the trax to and from the mall. Each time I take public transportation, I see so many interesting people. The one thing I love most about public transportation is that I am able to watch the city pass by; I'm not distracted by driving.

Some pictures to go with my post- Maddy

Maddy- Rooftop Green Space

I was flipping through a National Geographic from May this afternoon, learning about Shangri-la and the possibility of cloning extinct species, such as a wooly mammal. Also in the issue was an article and accompanying photo essay about rooftop gardens and green space in large cities. I only knew a little about them- they are environmentally advantageous because they improve air quality and reduce the urban heat island effect, as well as reducing runoff and having a cooling effect on the building. The pictures showed such amazing and intricate types of gardens that I hadn't expected! For example, one hotel had a garden on its roof which provided about $16,000 worth of produce every year for the hotel restaurant. What a great idea! Also, some larger buildings are creating parks on their roofs to provide green space that was gobbled up by the construction of the building. These are havens within large metropolitan areas where people can enjoy the outdoors, greenery, and nature, but they are several stories above the ground! It seems like such a novel idea and something that should be implemented in a much more widespread way than it is currently. Hopefully we are moving in that direction. These rooftop gardens also improve the aestheticism of an urban, dirty metropolitan area, especially for residents or office workers whose views are changed from those of buildings to those of green grass and flowers. This would probably improve morale! It seems like the only structure in SLC that has implemented a rooftop garden is the downtown library- I hope to see the idea catch on more!

New York - Slover

Okay, so fall break was a long time ago now, but I remember my last post promised a vivid account of my time in New York. The recollection's a bit blurry now, but I'll try my best. Sooooo, the accommodations. We--my family, of which there are four of us--stayed at my aunt and uncle's super super uptown apartment. 215st. Way up there. It was a little crowded, to say the least. Two medium sized families. One apartment. But it was blast, too. I don't see these cousins too often, so the squishedness was really pretty welcome, if you ask me. I can't speak for my parents; they need their space. So we did lots of the touristy things, of course--went up to the top of the Empire State--crazy view. Checked out Grand Central Station, one massive room. I don't know how they get away with that in New York: it's really compact, even the outer burrows. Unfortunately I didn't go to Central Park, which was where I really wanted to go. I passed it plenty, though, on the bus. Speaking of which, the public transportation was really exciting for me, maybe one of my favorite things, especially when I went out on my own and had to get the hang of the system. All the trains and busses are named with numbers or letters--get on the 1 train, switch to the m4 bus--I think real names would've been easier. Like the Piccadilly line, or something. Stayed a night with a friend who goes to Barnard, Columbia's all women sister college, around 116th street. Super fun. Out late. I didn't bring a camera for any of this, so no pictures. Sorry. Went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art the next day. I'm a walking zombie staring at The Death of Socrates around now. All the same, I guess it's just one of the things got to do. And it was worth it. Also saw The Cloisters, where the Met chucks all its medieval art. I liked that stuff a whole lot. Those were the only pictures I took, but I took them on my phone, and they certainly don't look very New Yorky. More like, I don't know, Venice or something. Went to some improv on the last night. One of my cousins arranged it. That was probably one of the more local things we did. Real citizens come forth and laugh merrily. We did. Then flew home. Left grandmother in the care of cousins for a few days extra.

Tomorrow (Bryn)

I have really been looking forward to going to the Gateway Mall and Walmart! I have so many things to get, but I haven't found any time to put aside. Tomorrow I am finally going to go! At Walmart, I'm going to get some groceries, and little things, like sports bras, and yarn to crochet scarves! At Gateway, I'm going to get some undershirts, a really cute brown shirt to match this new wool wrap my aunt sent me, and possibly some jeans. I have to write out a list of things tonight so I am sure of what to get.
I have begun to feel like Salt Lake is becoming more of a home to me than it was when I first arrived. I am starting to pinpoint streets and their names, navigate, and remember landmarks more easily. It's interesting to me how I have begun to go to Smith's like it's the local grocery store in my hometown. It no longer has a new, unfamiliar feel. Gateway and Walmart are the same things. Gateway is the mall I shop at now, not the Boise Towne Square. I'm realizing how familiar I am getting with the city. There is so much more to learn, but I feel completely normal going to Smith's or Walmart or Gateway. When I first moved here, everything still appeared foreign, but I'm happy things are no longer feeling that way for me. I know where all my favorite stores are in Gateway: Express is on the lower level, while Pac Sun is on the upper, etc.
I am amazed that each place I have lived has felt like home after some time, yet never the same as the other. For instance, Pennsylvania doesn't at feel like Idaho, but I recognize different parts of each as my home. Now, Salt Lake is beginning to mold into a home to me, too. I know that eventually I will probably end up somewhere else, and that place, too, will become home to me in some other way. In each I have and will change, and I will have memories unique to each location. In one place, I remember my childhood. In another, I remember my adolescence. In another, I will now remember my undergraduate college years. The cycle is endless.

Date (Bryn)

Every year my boyfriend plans extravagant dates for me, and this year I want to do something extra special and extraordinary for him. Don't worry, we have been dating for almost 3 and a half years, so it's not like I'm super head over heels for someone I don't know. I have started by making a list of ideas, and eliminating those that are too ordinary or that we have already experienced together. I don't have an unlimited supply of money, either. I have a few ideas so far, and am looking to continue to build my list until I find that one perfect idea! He's super romantic, too, so he won't think anything is corny. I'm looking for an activity/date that I can plan in Salt Lake or the immediate surrounding area--he goes to Weber, so I wouldn't mind doing something in Ogden. Him and I dream of going skydiving, but I'm nervous this might be too expensive. Snowboarding would be fun, but I want to make it super special, so I'm trying to think of a way to really make it amazing! It would be awesome to integrate things like our song or names to personalize it. A scavenger hunt might be fun, but it's been done before..so it might not be as original as I would like. If I plan a dinner somewhere overlooking the city (like the "U" or a tall building), I could possibly make it really awesome, too! It might be neat to use X-mas lights to spell something sweet on the hill? I thought of driving to the outdoor hot springs.. but again, maybe too ordinary. We have been wanting to go rock climbing at a facility, but is that special enough? I'm so confused. If anyone has any amazing, do-able, cute ideas, do tell! In the mean time, I will keep thinking, so my date can be absolutely wonderful!

Going Home... (Marie)

I went home this last weekend for a friends farewell. Its weird because the more time I spend up here the sharper the contrast between my hometown and my collegetown becomes. I'm starting to think of Monroe as more of a podunk town than I ever have. Which I know that it is, but deep down I've never really seen it as such.

Another interesting thing I thought about was how much the enviroment we live in affects our memories. Driving around in Sevier county this last time I was there, I couldn't help but notice all the changes. New buildings going up everywhere, they put a new street sign in the boonies along Brooklyn road. Stuff like that. I guess I was surprised at how annoyed I was about it too. I don't like coming back to somewhere and having it be different.

Walkabout #4 (Media)

It was a quiet afternoon when we all gathered to go on our fourth walkabout. Our destination: 15th and 15th, a place several of us hadn't yet been. It was a Sunday, so naturally, since this IS Utah there were a lot less poeple out and about. The overall feeling of the neighborhood was pretty peaceful, but maybe that's because Sunday always seems like a peaceful day to me. My first impression of the area was that, while it wasn't as nice as the Avenues, it still was a middle-class place. The shops were definitely prosperous, tucked away, with their signs and exotic wares for sale beckoned to us and we decided to look into the neighborhood a little more and discover the media at hand...
Albert Chloe and 15th Street Gallery represent the modern style among the eclectic shops and restaurants along 15th and 15th. The gallery has a very stark exterior, entirely grays and whites. that color theme is found withing the gallery as well, on the walls and floor and even in the pieces on display. the gallery feels colder than many of the other stores along the street; the modern style seems to clash a bit with the neighborhood-y, niche-y feeling of the area. Albert
Chloe is a modern, older women's clothing store ("A mom store, as Bryn put it)--the clothing was conservatively stylish and elegant. The facade was plain, with large, unadorned letters. This store didn't scream "neighborhood" either, but given that many of the restaurants and shops cater to a well-to-do crowd, the theme of the store does fit with the area.
There were some pretty fancy resturants around the 15th and 15th area. Many countries were represented. There was Mazza, a Middle Eartern place, and Italian Cafe called Fresco, and a place called The Paris Bistro. Mazza had their sign written in a sort of exotic and desertesque font that seemed to say, "Eating our hummus is as close to Saudi Arabia as your getting, my friend." Fair enough. Anyway, it worked on me. This is Tim, by the way. I wanted that Arabian hummus. Fresco was next door to Mazza. Hole-in-the-wall wouldn't be an accurate desription. More like a path-in-the-wall-that-you-take-to-the-hole-in-the-wall kind of placce. Although, it was still pretty pricey. We walked back there, hoping for Bruschetta, but it was closed. It was Sunday. What're you gonna do? Apparently Fresco was confident enough that is didn't feel the need to spice things up with special fonts. All the menus and things were typed out pretty plainly. Confident but not pretentious. We met a waiter, who surprised us when we pushed openn the wrong door, thinging it was empty. What was pretentious? The Paris Bistro, that's what. Decked out in curly-cues and cursive, it begged for our attention and turned us away with its price tag. The waiters laughed if asked for tap water;bottled water was abou twelve dollars a pop. Good riddance. Who needs 'em? I hope the locals aren't fooled. They probably know some secret lunch deal, though.
Peculiarly enough, all of these "hole-in-the-wall" shops and restaurants are home to this quaint neighborhood. The only two, almost over-bearing buildings, are the ever popular Einstein's Bagels and Starbuck's Coffee. Their presence at 15th and 15th dominates the entire street. It's obvious, like any other Starbuck's or Einstein's, that these two locations are hangouts for residents of the surrounding area. Their signs are as classic as the cafe-style food they sell. In addition, it is interesting how they are the only two middle-class style restaurants in that area. As mentioned earlier, although the neighborhood is made of fairly commonplace houses, most of the other stores, restaurants, and shops are tucked away along the street, yet still very ritzy and expensive. Starbuck's and Einstein's defy the unity of the other places found on 15th and 15th.
At the end of the block was a short,decently-sized blus building. At first glance, Alessandro thought it was a pub; it had a postsign that said, "King's English." When we were closer, we cuold see underneath the sign the words "bookstore." We went inside, hopeing for some inspiration for what a "signage of 15th and 15th" was. The store is your typical small-sized bookstore: bookcases are close together, everything has a wooden and brown feel, books are everywhere, on the shelves, on top of the bookcases, in piles. Looking around for signs, we ended up in the heart of the classic fiction section; we did not find signs, but we had found a magnificent niche. Each of us was at ease, remembering books we had to read in high school, pointing out books that moved us. Here, in this small bookstore, we could bond. When we had to leave, we had a solemn silence while our eyes re-adjusted to the sun.
Our experience was unique, as have all our walkabout adventures so far. We have been able to enjoy so much of this city we live in, and each time we discover something new.

Stegner Reading- Maddy Oritt

I've been reading Recapitulation and I'm a little over a third of the way through. I am enjoying reading Stegner a lot, having never read his work before. As corny and trite as this sounds, one of the best things, so far, about the Honors College is our exposure to so much literature, spanning cultures and time periods. It's been a (labor-intensive) pleasure to read such a variety of great work, Stegner included. I love reading about the city in a different time period, and it makes me wish for a time machine so I could experience the city as Bruce Mason did in his youth. Having such an intuitive connection to the book because I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, I feel a more visceral connection to Bruce's character and I'm more drawn in to the book because my mental images of the scenery are exceptionally vivid. I'm excited to read more and, at some point in my free time, I think I'll do some poking around to see what pictures I can find of 1920s-era SLC.

Westminster (New vs. Old) & Comments on Wednesday's Presentation (Bryn)

My group went on a walkabout to the Westminster neighborhood--that is, the area surrounding Westminster College and the college itself. Currently, Westminster is under construction. They are in the process of expanding their campus. Interestingly enough, Westminster's original buildings look, from the outside, very "old school," unlike that of the crisp, modern architecture so popular in today's day and age.
At the U, our buildings consist of a diversity of styles. We have modern looking buildings, such as the new math building or library, and buildings with likeness to old southern plantation homes, such as the vast Kingsbury Hall. Personally, I enjoy this contrast. I find it both appealing and pleasing to the eye. It combines a nice variety of history and present. Future generations will be able to picture the past architectural forms and appreciate the U as a university that emphasizes the need to remember the past and embrace the present and future. I believe this is a unique part of our University.
Westminster, on the other hand, has made the decision to stick with the tradition. Although they are undergoing construction now, the buildings they are developing appear to have a very similar style to that of the old. Many of the new buildings are red brick or stone, and they have even begun to inlay traditional designs in the stone accents located along the exterior walls. All these details are found in the old buildings that have stood for so many years. Westminster's idea of preserving the historical and liberal arts atmosphere on campus is, in a peculiar kind of way, considerate of the students and staff that have fallen so in love with the beauty of the traditional buildings. From what I have seen, their attempts are successful.

In addition to speaking of Westminster's attempts to preserve their campus aesthetics, I want to comment a bit on Wednesday's presentations. I feel that my group has done well so far and also did well on this last pin-up. I also always thoroughly enjoy listening to all the other groups' adventures. I am able to get a more in depth picture of Salt Lake and hear about places that interest me. I love visiting the niches, intersections, etc. that the other groups talk about, and comparing their feelings and thoughts about the location to my own. So far, I have learned quite a bit about SLC and am excited to continue with the remainder of the semester.

Snow College vs University of Utah--Marie Tuft

Monday and Tuesday of fall break seemed like a day that everyone was gone. So therefore I decided to leave also. I went to visit the ¾ of my graduating class that went to Snow College.
Snow College varies from the U in…well pretty much everything. The first is where it is. The U is located in the biggest city in Utah, Snow can be found in Ephriam. A question commonly asked is, “What exactly is there to do in Ephriam?” The answer I found, was nothing much. The town has one stoplight, a couple places to eat, a theatre, a McDonalds, and that’s about it. Well, other than Snow of course.
The second difference is in the structure of the campus. I know from sad experience just how long it takes to walk from the dorms down to the furthermost reaches of Presidents Circle. However, at Snow I could probably jog circles around their whole campus without getting too winded. They have about four main buildings for classes, a library, and a performing arts center. The longest it would take to walk anywhere would be ten minutes. I had to laugh when I saw that people rode bikes around. Honestly, why risk getting your bike stolen when you could easily walk the fifteen steps it takes to get to class? It seems like the Utah campus definintely has a much greater presense than the Snow one. When you get onto Utah property, you definitely can see a difference. With Snow its really not very obvious at all. If they didn’t have the sign for Snow I probably wouldn’t even be able to tell that there was a college there at all.
The third difference was in the feel of the campus. It seems like the Utah campus definintely has a much greater presense than the Snow one. When you get onto Utah property, you definitely can see a difference. With Snow its really not very obvious at all. If they didn’t have the sign for Snow I probably wouldn’t even be able to tell that there was a college there at all. However, I felt much safer at Snow than I do here. People there don’t really even lock their cars. I felt like if I wanted to go jogging at night I wouldn’t get mugged. Whereas with the Utah campus leaving my car unlocked would be stupid, and jogging at night might possibly be suicidal.
Overall, I’m really glad that I chose to come to this school over Snow even though I’m the only person from South Sevier to come up here.

A Small Boy In A Big City--Slover

I don't think there's any reason why this class should only be about Salt Lake. If anything, the experiences I have in other cities create more context in which to understand SLC. Anyway, I'm heading out to New York (the city part) over fall break to visit some friends and extended family. I was trying to think of some differences between New York and Salt Lake, but didn't come up with much. Oh! They're both totally grid-type cities. There we go.
I have a bad habit which forces me to try to blend in where ever I go. The thought of some well-seasoned local New Yorker spotting me for an obvious tourist scares the hell out of me. I guess that means I should wear black. After all, I'm going to New York. Or is that a myth? Maybe New Yorkers favor more earthy tones.
To tell the truth, though, there are some touristy things that I want to do--I want to go Greenwich Village and Central Park and a museum or two. Otherwise, I'm pretty content to wander around. Perhaps I'll see a node or an edge or something.
This post is mostly about my anticipation. I don't have much to say about New York yet. My family put me on camera duty (baseball caps and Hawaiian shirts anyone?), though, so I'll be sure to post a few Polaroids when I come back.

A sampling of our walkabout photos- Westminster College and surrounding area

Walkabout #3 (Districts)

The neighborhood surrounding Westminster is a charming, vibrant area. We got off our bus at 1700 South and 1100 East, right in front of Mini’s Cupcakes. The hungry college students that we are, we crossed over and entered the cute, slightly shabby shop with a stunning display of beautiful (and tasty) cupcakes of every flavor imaginable. The boy behind the counter offered samples, and we left contented. We crossed back over the street and went into the Chabad Lubavitch Jewish Center, which was set back in a strip mall-looking area. The upper level, which looked like it would be used for receptions and ceremonies, was empty and we didn’t venture into the offices below, although we did pick up some handy Jewish literature about the rules of kosher, among other things. In that area, there was also an LDS ward, a delightful breakfast/lunch restaurant (Finn’s), a cat boutique, and a second-hand store. Then we traipsed up two blocks to Westminster. Along the way, we noticed that the houses of the area somewhat resemble those of the Avenues. They are all unique and quaint in their own ways; it was fun to see the character of each house we passed. The houses did seem smaller than many of those in the Avenues, however. After a short walk, we came upon the Westminster campus.

Our bus dropped us off at 17th S and 11th E, so we were at the edge of the neighborhood. The buildings were made of industrial brick and the streets were cracked. The area was not decrepit, as in Central City; the houses were well-maintained and it has the same feel as the Avenues. As we walked up Blair Avenue, Alessandro noticed that the houses were very close together; they had no driveway. The street ends at the edge of Westminster College. The architecture of the buildings changed immediately. While the university was also made of brick, it was not the small red brick, that is stereotypically associated with the 18th century, but large red brick. This gave the campus a more modern feel than the surrounding area. Another drastic difference was the vegetation; the campus was very green. The buildings were still very compact, but the gaps were filled in by paths with a serene covering of trees. It was easy to see that Westminster is a liberal arts college.

The most profound athletic complex on the Westminster campus is the soccer stadium. Unlike, the U, Westminster's most popular sports are soccer and lacrosse. They don't even have a football team! The soccer stadium is located at a very central location on campus, making it easily accessible with ample parking available. Next to the soccer stadium is the sports/fitness complex. When walking in, the first immediate difference from that of the U is most obviously the much smaller scale by which it was built. Everything is very compact; all of their fitness oriented equipment and athletic facilities are located mainly in this building. There is a double-sized gym, an indoor track, a lap pool and hot tub, cardio equipment, a weight room, and possibly the greatest addition, a rock wall! Interestingly enough, there was a small rock wall outdoors, on the outside wall of one of the buildings.
We continued to explore the campus, deciding to tour the residence halls. The freshman residence halls were much older and more run-down than the residence halls we currently live in at the U. They had a quirkier feel to them. The wild vegetation so prominent on Westminster's campus could be seen out the windows of the dorms, creating a nice naturistic atmosphere. The rooms themselves are much smaller than ours.

All of Westminster campus was beautiful, but its most striking feature was this amazing bridge over a river. It seemed to contradict most of what you’d expect from the average college landscaping, especially when you take the Utah campus into consideration. The closest thing we have here is the pedestrian bridge over a river of cars, but that doesn’t even compare.
The bridge was a quaint confection of wood and nails and kind of gave off the air of being from a slightly different time period. Once we stepped onto the bridge it was like we were transported into a beautiful fairyland. The foliage was thick enough that the buildings completely disappeared from view. The only sound that could be heard was the bubbling music of the river beneath. For Marie, it was akin to a religious experience. She didn’t expect to find a place where she could feel one with nature on a college campus.
From above we spotted a dirt path that led down to the banks of the river and felt compelled to investigate. Hiking down to the river had the same effect as stepping onto the bridge. We left the crazy busy world of a college campus behind and entered this realm where cares seemed to melt away and there was only us, the trees, and the water beneath.

Tim felt very at home on the Westminster campus—the U of U kind of gives him the wiggins’. It’s so massive; you feel like you could all too easily fall through the academic cracks, and never be heard from again. At Westminster, though, everything seemed so communal. Like if you didn’t show up to class, someone might actually track you down and ask what the matter was. Not that the U doesn’t have caring administrators and professors (hey, honors college). It’s just that here students must be actively trying to get the most out their educations. They really have to track down opportunities and grab them when they can. At Westminster that might be easier.
There were more eclectic students on the Westminster campus, too. The percentage of flat-brimmed baseball caps was definitely down compared to the U, replaced by Doc Martens and earthy ponchos and American Spirits. Though, the art students at Westminster like sketching their library just as much as ours do (our library’s way better, by the way)—we practically tripped over them when we walked by.
The U has a few redeeming qualities. As much as Tim wants to go to a small liberal arts school, he has to admit that the U is a school ‘for the people,’ and he likes being a part of that, too.

Niches

I love how cities big or small have their own little microcosms, mini-communities inside the greater city. One can be found at the Jewish Community Center in Fort Douglas. My family has been members there as long as I can remember- my brother and I went to summer camp when it was in its older location further south. Now my parents and I use it primarily for its exercise facilities and classes, which are amazing! What I love about the J, though, is the sense of community there. Most of the people staffing the front and fitness desks have worked at the J for a while, so everyone knows them and can chat personally with them on their way in or out. There are several college students who work there, so we always exchange a "How's school?" or "Looking forward to fall break?" Jose, the facilities manager, sometimes acts as a doorman in the mornings, and many people greet him with a "¿Cómo estás?" Then there are all the regulars that work out in the gym or come to the exercise classes. From asking for a spot to discussing a basketball game on TV to commiserating about a particular exercise, there's always common ground. Then there are the gym characters, like one particular woman who always does a burlesque-type workout on the stairstepper, or the elderly, hunched Russian man who always says "Hello, sir" and "Have a happy day" to everyone he meets. There is a great diversity of patrons of the J as well, spanning ages, ethnic backgrounds, and religions. It's great to have such a place where I can go, knowing I'll always see a friendly, if sweaty, face.

Walkabout 2--Some Fairly Awesome Pictures of the Avenues

A freakin sweet house, one of many

Yet another house, this time with a brass dome on the top.

One of John Cahoon's parrots, yes we did indeed feed it that peanut

The view of the scary tower of doom and ultimate destruction

Bryn was the first to check out the scary tower of doom and ultimate destruction

A stained glass window with a scripture in some crazy language on the bottom.

And here we have yet another house...

A street! Where our adventure began.

Walkabout #2 (Districts-Avenues)

Bryn, Marie, Maddy, Tim, and Alessandro went on their walkabout to the Avenues, where they uncovered the quaint mysteries of one district in Salt Lake City.
The overall layout of the Avenues is a stark contrast to the layout of the rest of Salt Lake City. The blocks are smaller, about a fourth of the size and the landscaping is very different. In most of SLC (especially downtown) the plant "growthage" is kept very under control; the foliage in the Avenues almost had a jungle-like feel to it. As we walked down the sidewalk overhanging branches of trees reached out to grab our hair, and bushes growing to the side tried their best to trip us. Another structural difference in the Avenues is the street names. Instead of your average names like Oak or Washington the north-south streets are letters going from A to U. The streets running in the east-west direction are numbered 1-11 progressively. This layout made it very easy to navigate. The Avenues felt like a segregated community all to itself where the people could live and thrive.
The houses are one of the most definitive characteristics of the Avenues. The Avenues was the first neighborhood of Salt Lake City, and the houses represent this beautifully. The progression of history can be seen in the architecture of the houses; the designs ran the gamut from Victorian-style to modern-looking homes. Those built in a modern style, though, obviously stuck out. The eclecticism of the Avenues is not limited to the houses. The Avenues does attract a wide variety of people, although there is a general characteristic that can be applied to Avenues-dwellers. Many residents of the Aves are young-to-middle-age, relatively well-to-do people, including many families. The Avenues are also considered a hotspot for liberalism in the city. Amid these stereotypical Avenues-dwellers is a healthy population of college students. A good amount of apartment buildings, duplexes, and houses for rent, plus the prime location in proximity to both downtown and the University, make the Aves an attraction for college students. Many doctors live in the Aves as well, partially because of the Avenues' relatively high expense of living, but mostly because of LDS Hospital's location in the heart of the Aves.
You can almost think of The Avenues as a small town in and of itself--sort of like Sugarhouse to the south. In a neighborhood where you've got your own hospital, grocery store, elementary school, and plenty of cafes and restaurants, you've got a place you never want to leave. Of particular interest are Jack Mormon Coffee and The Indian Market and Grill. We encountered Jack Mormon pretty early during the walkabout, and Tim insisted that we go inside. He loves iced coffee for some reason that he can't explain, even to himself. We indulged him. Inside we met the proprieter, who explained the history of the cafe to us: Jack Mormon's been owned by the same family ever since it opened. While making Tim's coffee he told us how his brewing methods differ from other cafes in Salt Lake. Whatever those methods were--an expensive imported machine was mentioned--they work. Tim wouldn't shut up about how great his coffee was. We wandered into the Indian grill near the end of our travels. Maybe we should've avoided it altogether, though. The food smelled and looked great, but none of us had any money to spare. Luckily, the owner was nice, and didn't mind us ogling his samosas. He sent us smiling on our way with to-go menus. We finished the walkabout by visiting a church. The church was built right up to the curb; the trees and shurbs hid it from plain view. We entered the bottom floor and they told us that they were offices. We were surprised. They redirected us upstairs where the owner has his office. He was on the phone when we came in, and he welcomed us to look around. The altar was taken down and the wall was faded. The pane window had Romans 4:25 written and depicted. The technical details were interesting, but the most interesting part about his office was the fact that he had two parrots. He let us feed them and told us of about his wife and the history of the church. He uses the large space of the church to hold a long track with a motorized cart; he is a programmer specialized in positioning software. Three of us also went up to the tower; two stayed down because the ladder was very unstable. Up in the tower, so much of the Avenues was visible. The tower was completely open to the outside air, with no form of guardrails to keep from falling. The ground looked so far away, and there was a feeling of pure adrenaline, a feeling of anxiety and delight, while sitting along the edge of the tower. The tree branches were alongside us, and we were above the windows of surrounding houses. The wind was so much stronger up high. Although exhilirating, after taking a few pictures, we climbed back down. The tower was one of the highlights of the class so far, the freedom to explore something unique to the city and the avenues in particular.

Paper or Plastic or Mug? - Tim

I've discovered my new favorite thing about Salt Lake.
Earlier today I went into SLC Roasting Company and ordered an iced coffee. While I stood in line I prepared to ask the barista to serve my coffee in a real glass. No paper or plastic, please. This is how we do it in the rest of Utah--at least those of us mildly interested in conservation of some sort. We gather the mental courage to ask for a mug or glass or a bowl or whatever--always risking an exasperated stare--because most cafes in Utah, especially Starbuck's, assume you'd rather sip from a paper cup.
Not so in many of the cafes around Salt Lake: I was about to make my request when the barista cut me off. "Are you leaving or staying?" Slightly surprised, I replied that I'd be staying, whereupon the barista crouched below the bar and resurfaced with a tall, heavy glass mug. "We only have one size," she said. That's perfectly fine with me. I'd rather walk out seizing with caffeine from any cafe than have to throw away another stupid paper cup, complete with seemingly-wise, simplistic quote about life's foibles.

The Quest for the Red Belt (Gateway Mall-Marie)

Sometimes I curse the X chromosome I inherited from my father that made me female. Last Thursday was definitely one of those days. Why? I needed a red belt! Why did I need a red belt? To match the new red shoes I had bought the week before that, of course. (If I were a guy, this wouldn’t have been so much of a problem. Most guys I know aren’t in the habit of wearing red heels.) So, figuring that two hours between classes was plenty of time to Trax down to the Gateway mall, run into Forever 21, and buy the first red belt I saw, I set off on my quest.

The Trax ride there was pretty average. As usual, I brought a book in order to avoid having weird random people talk to me. Once I got off Trax at Arena, I crossed the street and went into Urban Outfitters. This place always has a nice air about it, even though the clothes are too expensive for my cheapness. I casually looked at their belts to see if they had a red belt, but no, they didn’t. And that seemed to be the theme for the next hour and a half. Every clothing store I went in had either brown, black, or even blue belts but the red seemed to have become an endangered species.

However, as I went from store to store I seemed to notice a few common things. First off, in every store I went to someone greeted me. Which was nice, but it kind of made me feel a little guilty since my average time spent there was a minute and a half. Secondly, they always mentioned any sort of sales they were having. For obvious reasons. Third, you could really tell the genre of people that the type of store attracted. For instance, I felt wildly out of place in hot topic wearing semi-nice collared shirt and dress pants. And Aeropostale was full of clones wearing the generic Aeropostale t-shirt. Fifth, everyone seemed to be in groups of either two or three. It was rare to see a group of more that five people. And the sixth thing all the stores had in common was that none of them had a red belt for sale. Go figure.

So after walking up and down the mall and through stores I usually wouldn’t be caught dead in (cough, Aeropostale, cough cough), I also got more of a feel for how the mall was laid out. I hadn’t realized before how big it was, but believe me, after traveling on what seemed miles of sidewalk in shoes that massacre my feet on a daily basis, I better understood the scale of the Gateway mall.

I’d say that the mall is a fairly important destination for many people. I know that’s where I usually go if I want to buy clothes or see a movie. It’s very conveniently located since there are, not just one, but two Trax stations right next to it. I guess I’ve never seen it super busy before. But that could just be because I have tendency to go there at odd hours of the day.

All in all, I’d say that the mall is a very cool place even if it has an extreme shortage of red belts.

Riding Trax- Maddy Oritt

After our first walkabout and our subsequent presentation day, I find myself being more observant when I walk around the city. This could also be partly because, as a student at the U, the vast majority of my time is spent on campus, as opposed to when I was in high school and had a car and more reason to be out and about in the city. Because I'm on campus so much, being off campus and in downtown SLC feels more foreign than it did just a couple of months ago. I feel in some ways that I'm seeing old things with new eyes.

Today, I Traxed to and from Gateway with a couple friends to see a movie. Trax is one of the few places/things that encompasses and welcomes all manner of people from all over the city and beyond. There are so many characters, so it is impossible to get bored. The people we saw on our two rides today included a studious young Asian man, two grungy men dressed too young for their (perceived) age, a middle-aged Asian woman helping a severely disabled older Caucasian man, a handful of Dew tour spectators, an American Indian-looking man with a long, dark ponytail and a lovely complexion, and an older gentleman sitting on a seat next to me. He asked me whether we were students at the University, to which I responded yes, and then asked if we were from Utah, to which I answered yes again. He then commented that we were really special to be able to attend school here. He seemed incredulous that we could attend school in our home state, which was a bit perplexing... Even though some of the people on the trains can be somewhat off-putting or even scary at times, I can also appreciate the small slice of diversity we can observe on public transportation. And it makes me smile to remind myself that if I think our public transportation system attracts interesting and diverse people, it is nothing compared to the people I might find on public transportation in a much larger urban area, such as New York or Chicago!

City Attractions(Bryn)

The weekend before the first walkabout, my boyfriend and I went on a whirlwind tour of the city. I chose places in the city that I had heard were unique and easily accessible from the Trax. Our first stop was the library. We didn't enter the library at the time, because we were trying to get to the Farmer's Market before it closed for the day. I didn't know the exact location of the Farmer's Market, so I figured it was in that general area, possibly in Washington Square. Of course, upon arrival, we realized the Farmer's Market was nowhere in sight, so we explored Washington Square for a half-hour before asking a pedestrian where the Market was located.

Washington Square was interesting to us because of the uniqueness of the City & County building, built of stone and profound in structure. The peaks and arches, and the intricate carving on the stone added to the structure's beauty. The contrast between the modern library and this old-world building provided the surrounding blocks with the best of both architectural worlds.

Although Washington Square was peaceful, with its fountains, flowers, and open grassy areas, the Farmer's Market was exciting and upbeat. I wished we would have been able to spend more time there, but we were only able to briefly browse and eat before the Market closed for the day. The first thing I noticed, when waiting in line to purchase food, are the many ethnicities in this one central location. There was much more divesity present at the Farmer's Market than is typical when walking down the streets of Salt Lake City. Not only were many cultures gathered at the Market, but people of different backgrounds and social classes. Many homeless people lay scattered around the trees for a shady place to sleep while children played on the jungle gym immediately beside them. Singles, couples, and families alike came to enjoy all the Market had to offer. Along with the lively, safe, and upbeat atmosphere, there was a feeling of community. The Market is most definitely a place people return to time and time again. Not only was the food incredible, but the booths of clothing, jewelry, art, and other whimisical pieces were items not found anywhere else. The Farmer's Market stressing the advantages of buying local products and helps to keep the city's economy healthy.

After the Farmer's Market we spent some time at the Gateway Mall window-shopping and eating yummy ice-cream! I loved the mall and the outdoor location. It's a nice place for families, teens, and adults to relax and shop.

Quaid chose the next stop: The Planetarium! We explored all the great hands-on activities and took lots of pictures with the astronaut picture on the wall! Finally, we decided on a show to see in the dome theater. After the show, we were able to explore the planetarium's store where they sold many interesting objects having to do with science and astronomy.

There were various other places we vistited including the intersection at 9th and 9th, Temple Square, and the Urban Room and Library, which was the assigned location of my group's first walkabout. I have begun to get more familiar with Salt Lake City and aspects of the city that make it unique. As I continue to go on walkabouts with my City as Text group, I'm confident I will have more experiences in the city that will prove significant to my overall understanding of it.

Urban Room - Alessandro Gondolo

The library has always been an important part of my family; we have a strong passion in reading. The Urban Room was no new sight to me yet now I have the senses of an analytic observer. Normally, the Urban Room was simply a pathway to the library, a path connecting the world of bookcases and the outside world. We would pass through it with no care for the shops or the artwork. With the new intent of analyzing the room, I noticed many things I had never seen before, even though they have always been there.

When I first entered the Urban Room on the walkabout, I noticed the sheer size of the glass and metalwork; the room was surrounded by modernity. The floor was made of exotic colored bricks and the sky was suspended by glass. The room is long but, relatively, narrow in width; facing parallel, the room seemed enormous. The gradual curvature of the walls gives the impression that there is more space beyond the end of your vision. The ceiling also fell while curving, and the sixth floor ceased to exist at the middle and the fifth was flush with the ceiling at the end of the room. The short ledges had chairs and couches spaced evenly between the pillars. The room was an enclosed, public space that felt private and protected.

One side had the main attraction, the library. A typical large city library. The opposite side had stores. Not so typical. Each section had an a glass door popping out of the wall and in modern typefont, had various words lasered into the glass. The main store was the library store: used books and writing materials. When we entered, we were confronted by a sales representative. After asking us who what we were looking for, she began talking about the library and the urban room. She was a volunteer who had been with the library for 25 years. She was there when they planned and built the library. Lucky for us, she was eager to tell us about the great room and told us many details and curious anecdotes. Most disappointing was how the stores were not doing as well as they had predicted and could be closing down soon. Hopefully it is simply the normal consequences of a recession than the unfavorableness of the location. The whole store was as organized as the room itself. Order was (humanly) perfect.

Walkabout #1-The Urban Room (dun dun dun)

The Urban Room…a place I never knew existed even though I’ve been to the Salt Lake Library quite a few times. Well, I guess I knew it existed, but sort of in the same way you know a side table exists. Its there, but you don’t consciously acknowledge it, except maybe to occasionally place a magazine on its wooden surface. So when I showed up a full half hour after everyone else due to a breakdown in communication, it was to explore a place I’d really never fully been to.

I was tired. The day had been an especially long one. Even though it was only the early afternoon on a not so busy day, I felt that lying down in front of the trax train and letting it run me over sounded especially nice. At least that way my to-do list would come to an abrupt, albeit gory end. But walking in from the outside heat into the Urban Room was a welcome relief. A walkabout sounded excellent compared to the Calculus homework that still lurked in my dorm room. I thanked the guy who held the door open for me, at least random strangers still do that type of thing. It was nice and I kind of wanted to use my customary “You’re a gentleman and a scholar” thank you, but I wasn’t sure how that would be taken. I didn’t want to get mugged on my first walkabout so I restrained myself.

The first thing I noticed about the UR was the feeling of an immense space. It was almost like relaxing in an outdoor public pool on a floaty bed with your eyes closed. Calm, to a point. Private, sort of. But mostly it just seemed peaceful in comparison to the hustle and bustle of public transportation. I mean, sure there was movement, but it was movement of a different kind. Movement in public transportation seems to have more of a feeling of urgent purpose, hundreds of people who just want to get from point A to point B in as little time as possible. Movement in the UR also seemed to have purpose (mostly from the front door to the library entrance) but it had more of a mall-like atmosphere to it. Sure, people still wanted to get from A to B, but meandering off course seemed like less of a deadly sin.

There were a few stores in the UR, but due to my tardiness the only one I explored was the library bookstore. But it was awesome! Maybe it just appealed to the notebook/pen/writing/random object loving freak I am inside, but I would totally go back just to look around. The inside assulted me with hundreds of different colors and really eccentric objects. They had an Edgar Allen Poe action figure, which I would have bought, except that I’m now a poor starving college student. The store itself seemed to contrast the large emptiness of the main portion of the UR, but it also mirrored just enough of its characteristics to keep continuity.

We also had the opportunity to talk to the shopkeeper lady. She gave off the vibe of being very eager to talk about the library, almost to the point where I started wondering if she didn’t have posters and scale replicas of it on her mantelpiece. (It seems that volunteers there are fairly overzealous, better than apathetic I suppose) I learned that the library was originally built off a design from a different library in a different state and that the shops didn’t get as much business as they had hoped for. That wasn’t surprising to me though. I’d been to the library quite a few times without even thinking about going in the shops. I couldn’t help but wonder why that was. Maybe making everything blend in to the over all schematic of the UR wasn’t such a good idea after all?

Because everything there did match, almost to the point of OCD-dom. The signs were the same and they went with the glass elevator and the stairs and the brick floors (imported from Israel or something) and the taupe color scheme…pretty much the whole nine yards of matchingness. Which did give it a feng shui type of vibe, but overall spending a lot of time there was almost unappealing to me for that very reason. I felt that it was the type of place where if I were to spill something I would be frowned upon by the Gods-of-All-Things-Book-Related. It almost seemed that because I wasn’t taupe, silver, and clear, I didn’t belong. Maybe that’s why I never explored the shops; I was intimidated by them.

To me, the name Urban Room conveys something much like a city, unmatching mostly, and chaotic, which is not how I’d describe the UR at all. It is pretty though, in all its color coordinated glory, I’ll give it that. And its different, I’ll give it that too. I just can’t help but wish it was more diverse on the inside I guess. Maybe I’m just intimidated by large, taupe spaces. And maybe it just wasn’t that great of day and I’m dissing on something really cool that I shouldn’t be. Who knows? I sure don’t.

First Impression-->Marie

If I could condense my first impression of Salt Lake in one phrase it’d be “terrified out of my freaking mind”. So many people. So much traffic. So many buildings. So much pollution. So much….everything. Trying to wrap my mind around living here was like trying to wrap a salami around a Hummer, and I’m not talking about those wimpy slightly smaller Hummers. (The H3 I think they’re called?) We’re talking full sized army vehicle here. Definitely not salami-wrapable.

In order to understand this, you’d have to realize what my background is. All my life I’ve lived in Monroe, UT: Population 1200. Every stereotype of a little town (aka Hickville) that has come into existence fits Monroe exactly, from the overly friendly people (my arm gets tired from all the waving I have to do while driving around) to the acres of farmland to the crazy guy on the corner who’s the only person I’ve ever met who can plow a field in a perfectly straight line while completely drunk. We had a standing joke that if you had to wait more than 30 seconds at a stop sign (there were no stop lights) it was rush minute in Monroe.

Contrast this to Salt Lake and you’ll see where I’m coming from.

I’ve gotten much more used to living here now that I’ve been here for four months. Now when homeless people accost me on the streets I don’t panic so much. I just keep walking. Freeway driving used to cause me to hyperventilate, but over time I’ve done away with the white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel and wide-eyed look of someone whos life is flashing before their eyes as they silently yell fervent prayers to God to please, please, please keep their Geo from smashing into one of the other fifty billion cars on the road. I’m getting used to, and maybe possibly liking, the fact that I rarely see anyone I know and that nobody here has memorized my life story and the life story of all my ancestors to three generations back.

But sometimes I wonder if this is a good thing. The main difference I’ve noticed between here and Monroe is the anonymity. Is it good for me to be able to causally live in the urban background, drifting to and fro through daily life, neither knowing nor caring about those around me? I guess only time will tell.

The Urban Room - Tim Slover

Early September. Between 1:45 and 2:00 in the afternoon--very hot. Unusual (see "Early September"). At the so-called Urban Room w/ Alessandro, Bryn, Madie, and Marie. None of us know each other yet, and this is the first time we've all gotten together. The first walkabout. We took the train down from campus to get there--to the Urban Room (hereafter the UR). I think that sets the scene well: just as public transportation represents a convergence of many socio-economic (there has to be a less pretentious way to say that. "Socio-economic".) backgrounds, so does the UR. Inside the space itself I felt peculiarly alien. That must have something to do with the fact that we were there to study, to probe the place.
There are students hidden behind laptops (I didn't find out if there was free internet), families with small children, older men and women talking over coffee, and scruffy teenagers with very billowy shirts who look oddly out of place. Most of these are on their way to the library (you literally have to pass through the UR to get to the books, which is convenient for the businesses in the UR [see below]) but some of them, a sturdy minority, stick around the UR. It's pretty hard not to. You don't--at least I don't--expect to find something like the UR surrounding the city library. The space is massive, a long, very wide hall, unifying five open levels along the outside edge filled with leather chairs and coffee tables, gently curving around the library's exterior. The place is filled with almost entirely natural light. Along the outer edge there are small businesses, all local. A cafe, a garden shop, a small art gallery, a comic book store, etc.
It occurs to me that the UR is not exactly the kind of place most people would plan on visiting--at least it wouldn't be their sole destination. It's more like a place you just end up at, pleasantly surprised to spend fifteen or twenty minutes out of the sun, or to peruse the shops, before moving on to the library, or wherever. In that way the UR is both a node and path. A node because it is a kooky place, one that the intrepid traveler could spend a bit of time in, and a path because the traveler could just as easily walk right through without much thought. The whole place--the UR--is a great little component of the city at large, something that adds to its identity, that helps to set Salt Lake apart from other cities.

Walkabout #1 (Bryn)

Upon entering the Urban Lounge for the second time as an observer with an intellectual agenda rather than a tourist, I felt I was seeing an entirely different room. Watching the way people interact with one another, noticing aspects about the Urban Room that make it appealing to the public, and understanding the Urban Room has taken on a role as both a path and a node in the city of Salt Lake were just a few of the points on which my City as Text group touched in discussion.

People didn't interact with strangers or even acknowledge their presence, a characteristic typical of most metropolitan areas. Individuals were completely engrossed in their own tasks, or possibly conversing with a friend that had accompanied them to the lounge. In general, however, the Urban Room itself--excluding the surrounding library--served as a place for temporary relief from the outside elements, with its air-conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. Because the Urban Room is a sort of path, a diverse group of people from outside the library walls are introduced, creating a somewhat high-traffic area. Many people passed through the Urban Room without a glance at the surrounding architectural beauty of it or the unique structure in which it is enclosed, leading me to believe this path is one traveled in their daily routines. Almost all passed the locally owned and operated stores in the Urban Room, a diverse compilation of shopping for visitors to enjoy. I felt these stores were a great factor in enhancing my experience in the Urban Room.

For the store owners and employees of these small shops, the Urban Room is an environment in which their entire, or partial, livelihoods exist. According to the volunteer at the "Library Store", the shops in the Urban Room don't get as much business as was originally expected; however, although incredibly interesting,I don't believe the stores would still be in business were it not for the traffic in the Urban Room and its location next to the library. Had these stores, however unique and wonderful, been located on a downtown block, they would be lost in the chaos of the city.

I was very pleased to discover some of the many interesting objects for sale in two stores in particular, the "English Garden" and the "Library Store", a non-profit shop whose proceeds go back to the library. My group took the opportunity to speak with a Library Store volunteer about the history of the library, the history of the Urban Room, and her feelings about both.

The library was constructed in 2004, and the idea of the Urban Room stemmed from a similar room found in the Vancouver, WA library. Initially after the library was built, and the Urban Room along with it, there was a "problem" with homeless inhabitants of the city sleeping in the Urban Room, because of the comfortable atmosphere and furniture. Eventually, to solve the problem, the furniture was removed directly in front of the Urban Room cafes and shops, leaving only a few not-so-comfortable tables and chairs. Although the library is open to the public, the general rule exists that there is no sleeping allowed inside the building, including the Urban Lounge. The library's purpose is for intellectual enhancement, empowerment, and enjoyment, the Urban Room, for small communal activity and unique shopping.

Not only were the shops pleasing, but the most profound aspect about the Urban Room, the thing that made me most want to return, is the beautifully crafted architecture. The surrounding library, the glass windows and natural light, the immense walls and ceilings, and the modern appeal are extremely aesthetically pleasing. The natural light makes for both an ideal study environment and a place of temporary relaxation. The stone floors create a continuation of outdoor to indoor space, an easy flow from one to the other. They appear almost as cobblestone streets, yet much more refined and elegant. The imageability of the Urban Room is apparent upon entering the rotating glass doors.

The overall experience of my group's travel to the Urban Room was a positive one, an activity in which we were allowed to appreciate the meaning of it. Spending time viewing parts of the city as legible, distinctive features certainly enhances the way in which I perceive the city as a whole.