Salt Lake City, although not as interesting a shopping destination as places like Park City, does offer plenty of opportunities. Many Salt Lake City stores are closed on Sundays (the influence of the LDS Church); typical store hours are Monday through Saturday from 9am to 6pm. Shopping malls are often open Sunday afternoons from noon to 5 or 6pm, and also stay open a few hours later on weeknights.
While the former ZCMI Center and Crossroads Plaza undergo redevelopment, the most popular shopping destination in the city is The Gateway, 90 S. 400 West (tel. 801/456-0000; www.shopthegateway.com), a large open-air shopping mall, as well as entertainment and dining center. It covers 2 city blocks near EnergySolutions Arena and features 90 shops (anchored by Barnes & Noble and Dick's Sporting Goods), plus movie theaters, museums and other attractions, and restaurants. The historic Union Pacific Railroad Depot serves as the main entrance.
Also downtown, Sam Weller's, 254 S. Main St. (tel. 801/595-0051; www.samwellers.com) is Utah's largest bookstore, selling both new and used titles as well as coffee.
Mormon Handicraft, in Deseret Book at 1110 E. Fort Union Blvd. (tel. 800/843-1480 or 801/561-8777; www.mormonhandicraft.com), was born during the Depression to encourage home industry and preserve pioneer arts. It carries a large inventory of quilting fabrics and supplies, as well as handmade quilts. It also stocks a wide variety of other crafts, plus religious books and videos.
A major expansion -- including luxury condos -- is underway at Historic Trolley Square, 600 South at 700 East (tel. 801/521-9877), with modern shops, galleries, and restaurants in an old-fashioned setting. You'll also see two of the city's original trolley cars, a historic water tower, and two of the city's first street lamps.
Before Gateway debuted, the Temple Square area had long been the city's top shopping destination, with the twin Downtown Malls (www.thedowntownmalls.com) offering 130 shops right across the street from the square. The former Crossroads Plaza and ZCMI Center Mall are in the midst of a $1-billion redevelopment into City Creek Center that will include shops and 900 residential units when finished in 2011.
Although you couldn't yet call Salt Lake City an arts center, it does have a growing arts community, along with a dozen or so galleries. One of the oldest galleries in Salt Lake City, the Phillips Gallery, 444 E. 200 South (tel. 801/364-8284; www.phillips-gallery.com), represents over 100 artists, most of whom are Utahns, displaying everything from traditional to contemporary paintings, sculptures, and ceramics. Tivoli Gallery, 255 S. State St. (tel. 801/521-6288; www.tivoligallery.com), carries works by 19th- and 20th-century American and European artists, including Utah artists. The "A" Gallery, 1321 S. 2100 East (tel. 801/583-4800; www.agalleryonline.com), is a large, longstanding contemporary art gallery featuring a sculpture garden.
