Utah Vagabond

If the many advantages to living in Salt Lake City were encapsulated in a restaurant, it would be Log Haven. Tucked amid lush stands of Ponderosa pine, Aspen and Gambel oak in Millcreek Canyon, this stately, rough hewn log retreat seems miles from anywhere but in fact is located just 20 minutes from downtown. The cozy interior—replete with leather club chairs, river rock fireplaces and crisp white linen-covered tables—make Log Haven an impressive choice for milestone celebrations, date nights and entertaining out-of-town friends and clients in the winter months. During the summer however, when seating opens on the Waterfall patio, the vibe here is definitively more laid back while the food and service remain five-star. I was lucky enough to get an invite to the inimitable restaurant’s annual spring menu tasting last week and, as in the past, Chef Dave Jones, General Manager Ian Campbell and Events Director Faith Sweeten did not disappoint.

We were greeted with this champagne cocktail when we arrived at Log Haven last week, which even my bubbly-adverse husband found tasty. I found it irresistible.

Red Butte Garden kicked off its summer concert season earlier this week with an amazing show by the alternative rock juggernaut Vampire Weekend. The crowd was on its feet before the band started playing and remained there until the end of the boy band’s (They all look like boy bands to me now.) signature show-ending song "Walcott.” I think an apt gauge of how a performer is connecting with an audience is how many people are in the bathroom during the show. I unfortunately didn’t plan ahead and had to make a quick trip to the head after about song three. The place was deserted. Enough said.

VW’s show was a resounding homerun, but even if they’d been just meh, I’d still have had a blast because of A, the company (Thanks, Sheller!) and B, the venue. Summer concerts at Red Butte Garden are—far and away—one of the biggest perks of living in Utah. Owned and maintained by the University of Utah, Red Butte is the largest botanical garden in the Intermountain West. Most of its 100 acres are dedicated to display and natural gardens, walking paths and natural areas with hiking trails save for a gently sloping, grassy hillside on the garden’s north end used to host concerts. 

Without fail, every performer I’ve seen at Red Butte comments about how stunning the venue is during their performance. How could they not? The venue itself is surrounding by lush perennial gardens and mature Gambel oak trees, and views from the stage span east up Red Butte Canyon and north along the Wasatch Front. Because of the venue’s foothill location, canyon breezes keep temps comfortable even on summer's hottest days. A sell out show—as was the case for Vampire Weekend—is only about 3,000 people, translating into the place never feeling crowded and post-show traffic jams non-existent.

Red Butte concerts in the early days definitely featured B-level artists. But what I am guessing is due to how stunningly beautiful the venue is, major acts representing a variety of genres now pack the annual schedule. Steely Dan, Dwight Yokum, Tony Bennett, Jackson Brown, She & Him, David Byrne, Michael Franti & Spearhead and The Black Crows are just a few of the acts scheduled to play there later this summer.

And unlike other concert venues where entry entails metal detectors, pat downs and outside food and beverage confiscation, the scene at a Red Butte concert is like having a picnic in the park on a Sunday afternoon. Low slung chairs and coolers are both allowed and encouraged. We usually eat potluck style when we’re there with a group, passing around good eats and bottles of wine.

Communal probably best describes the Red Butte Garden concert experience. The place illustrates perfectly Salt Lake City’s literal and figurative mountain-meets-metro personality. Click here for Red Butte Garden’s amazing 2013 summer concert lineup. My ticket cache includes Brandi Carlile, Michael Franti and Neko Case. Hope to see you there.      

Earlier this year I was asked to participate in a new magazine spearheaded by the Downtown Alliance promoting downtown Salt Lake City entitled, you guessed it, Downtown Magazine. My assignment was to write profiles about five people who’ve made their lives, either professionally or by virtue of where they live, in Salt Lake City’s urban core. The predetermined “hit” list included Amy Lukas with Infinite Scale Design Group, DJ and urban hipster Jesse Walker, Squatters owners Peter Cole and Jeff Polychronis, CUAC board member and gay rights advocate Diane Stewart and Liddy Huntsman, social media darling and daughter of former presidential candidate and Utah native son Jon Huntsman, Jr.

I'll admit I approached the job thinking I already had a pretty clear idea what I was going to write about each person. Well, this one took my by surprise. Smart, thoughtful, funny, creative and completely authentic are all adjectives that easily describe each person I profiled. Before meeting with Diane Stewart, for example, I assumed she was just another woman of privilege looking for something to do with those hours between getting her hair done and dinner parties. I found out however that she’s as real as they come: she says what she thinks and, yes, is loaded to the gills but uses her money and influence to help those who’d never get a return phone call much less a meeting. And if you’re looking for signs of intelligent life within the Republican Party, look no further than Liddy Huntsman, who uses social media to call a spade a spade on both sides of the aisle. Finally, I’m still aglow from my conversation with Peter Cole and Jeff Polychronis. Those two have a chemistry even the closest married couples would envy, and most endearingly, aren’t afraid to show it.

In addition to the piece I wrote, titled “My Downtown,” the magazine covers pretty much everything that makes Salt Lake City so cool—food, fashion, events, attractions and the arts—as well as debunking a few myths. Versus a stale guidebook format, Downtown Magazine is presented as a slick, appealing tome that, at the risk of sounding too self-promotional, you’ll actually want to read.

“If my brother were here I’d do it,” says the 20-year-old-looking mother from Pleasant Grove, her husband and three kids standing nearby. My husband Dave and I exchange looks. In other words, we say to each other wordlessly, if this guy I’m married to wasn’t such a wuss, I’d climb all the way to the top. 

After getting our groove on at the Moonflower Ladder, we head further up Kane Creek Road to the Hunter’s Canyon Trailhead, a trail (for those familiar with the Moab area) similar to Negro Bill Canyon sans the crowds.  A cottonwood-lined creek lines the shady, two-mile, out-and-back hike.  Several beaver dam pools are ideal for the few happily drenched dogs we encounter along the way.  And then, about half a mile up the trail on the right is a pleasant surprise: a large, very photogenic arch.  And best of all, mountain bikes are not allowed on the Hunter’s Canyon Trail making it easy for us to let our guard down and enjoy the day without having to worry about the possibility of collision around every corner.

After the hike we head into town to the Healing Arts Center, a massage therapist collective located behind the Moab Information Center.  While Moab’s bodywork options range from mobile therapists who’ll even come to a campsite to the high-end, Western-chic Sorrel River Ranch Resort & Spa, on the recommendation of a friend we’ve chosen what we find out to be a less opulent but very pleasant local’s-preferred option   Dave takes a spin on his road bike while Lisa Albert, LMT works out my kinks.  Moab’s monthly Art Walk is going on that evening, so after our massages and a shower, we make the quick tour of the town’s half-dozen or so galleries while sipping complimentary wine and taking a voyeuristic glimpse into Moab’s local social scene. We end the idyllic day with dinner and a movie.

The next morning, after a leisurely and enormous brunch at Red Cliffs, we decide to hit Thompson Springs on our way north to our awaiting responsibilities.  Thompson Springs was originally established as a railroad stop around the turn of the 20^th century.  Coal mining fueled the town’s growth through the early 1900s, but when the mine closed around 1950, almost everyone in town left looking for the next paycheck.  Besides being a bit of a creepy ghost town, Thompson Springs also boasts some of the best preserved early native-American petroglyphs in the state, dating as far back as 7,000 B.C.

We hang out at the petroglyphs for awhile, munching on crackers and hard salami, trying to wrap our heads around how the landscape probably hasn’t changed all that much in the 9,000 or so years since a young Fremont or Anasazi left their mark here.  Walking back to the car we lament about how quickly our Moab weekend has passed and how good it feels to reacquaint ourselves with how we got together in the first place.  And all without a hang over and red sand stuck between our toes.