Utah got its first woman governor in late 2003 when Lieutenant Governor Olene Walker was sworn in, replacing Mike Leavitt, who resigned to head the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Incidentally, in taking the federal job, Leavitt became the first governor in Utah's history to leave office before the end of his term.
Recent changes in Utah's liquor laws have made it a bit easier and cheaper to get a drink, and as a result, the state's nightlife is booming. Utah's "private clubs" (a fancy name for "bars") can now serve larger drinks than in the past, and the temporary memberships required to enter the "clubs" now cost only $4 for three weeks and allow "members" to take up to seven other people in with them. Utah's drinking laws are still odd, but at least they're becoming a bit easier to deal with.
Salt Lake City
In late 2003 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that it would be investing hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade two shopping malls it owns, both adjacent to Temple Square. The plans call for major upgrades at ZCMI Center and Crossroads Plaza, including the addition of pedestrian walkways to link new retail businesses with offices and other facilities. Meanwhile, Salt Lake City's newest open-air shopping center, The Gateway, 90 S. 400 West (tel. 801/456-0000), continues to grow, with new stores and eateries being added almost weekly.
As a result of the loosening of Utah's liquor lawsand the economic shot in the arm that Salt Lake City received from hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics, more than a dozen new nightspots dot the city. Check the Salt Lake City Convention and Visitors Bureau's website, www.visitsaltlake.com, for more information.
Ogden Valley & The Northern Wasatch Front
The Snowberry Inn Bed & Breakfast, 1315 N. Utah 158, Eden (tel. 888/334-3466 or 801/745-2634; www.snowberryinn.com), one of our favorite places to stay in the Ogden area, is now inviting the general public to quarterly wine tastings, art shows, chili cooking contests, and other special events. Ogden has just gotten a bit closer to the ocean. At least it seems that way, due to the new Shrimp Boat Café, 266 Historic 25th St. (tel. 801/392-2206; www.shrimpboatcafe.net), which offers a variety of seafood specialties, from oyster fritters to grilled, blackened, or deep fried halibut. Prices are reasonable and the cafe is open Monday through Thursday from 11:30am to 9pm, until 10pm Friday and Saturday.
Snowbasin Resort, Huntsville (tel. 801/620-1000; www.snowbasin.com) has opened a new terrain park, with rails, table tops, and jumps of various sizes; there are separate areas for beginner, intermediate, and advanced skiers and boarders.
The Cottonwood Canyon Resorts
Solitude Mountain Resort, 12000 Big Cottonwood Canyon, Solitude (tel. 800/748-4754 or 801/534-1400; www.skisolitude.com) has a new family-friendly terrain park that's geared to providing a fun time for families with skiers and/or boarders of varying abilities. Also, after eight years of work, Solitude has completed its Village at Solitude Mountain Resort, a pedestrian-only European-style dining and entertainment center.
Alta Ski Area, Alta (tel. 801/359-1078; www.alta.com) has begun work on a new top-to-bottom quad chair to replace two of its existing lifts, and has added an elevator to its ticket building. The ski area also has a new reason to brag: in late 2003 it was named "the best resort in North America for terrain and conditions" by readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, Snowbird (tel. 800/453-3000 or 801/742-2222; www.snowbird.com" target) has also been busy with improvements, including expansion of the resort's terrain parks and snowmaking ability.
Park City
Deer Valley Resort, Park City (tel. 800/424-3337 or 435/649-1000; www.deervalley.com), without a doubt Utah's most elegant and sophisticated resort, is getting even more luxurious with a $6 million improvement project for the resort's Snow Park Lodge that includes a larger children's center and additional retail space. Deer Valley has also added more glade skiing and improved its snowmaking capacity.
The top-rated Glitretind Restaurant, located in Stein Eriksen Lodge, Deer Valley (tel. 435/649-3700; www.steinlodge.com), has undergone an extensive remodeling. The restaurant, decked out in sophisticated Scandinavian decor, has built a new wine cellar, with complete temperature and humidity control, to house its stock of some 8,000 bottles.
Utah's Dixie & the Colorful Southwest Corner
Rococo Inn and Sullivan's Rococo Steakhouse, 511 S. Airport Rd.(tel. 888/628-3671 or 435/628-3671) have finally joined the modern world with a new website: www.rococo.net, where you can see the rooms and check out the menu.
Bryce Canyon National Park
Visitors to Bryce Canyon National Park can expect some delays in getting around the park throughout 2004, as a major reconstruction project on the first 10 miles of the park road continues. The last eight miles of the road were rebuilt in the mid-1990s. The park road was constructed in 1923.
Campground reservations are now being accepted at Bryce Canyon National Park's North Campground from May 15 through September 30 each year. The campground has 107 sites, which can be reserved through the National Recreation Reservation Service (tel. 877/444-6777 or 518/885-3639; www.reserveusa.com). Sites that are not reserved are availableon a first-come first-served basis, as are all 101 sites in the park's Sunset Campground.
Lake Powell & Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Good news for those who want to lead a luxurious life on the high seas (or the low lake, as the case happens to be); Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas (tel. 800/528-6154; www.lakepowell.com) has added a new line of super-luxurious houseboats to its fleet. These 75-foot long boats have everything you could possibly want, including hot tubs, gas fireplaces, and six state rooms with queen beds. Previously, the largest houseboat available was a mere 59 feet long.
Moab
More airlines and another rental car company at Walker Field in Grand Junction, Colorado, make getting to the Moab area a little easier. Walker Field, about 125 miles to the east, is the closest major airport to Moab. In addition to America West Express/Mesa Airlines and SkyWest-The Delta Connection, Walker Field now has daily flights to and from Denver on Frontier Airlines, (www.frontierairlines.com); Great Lakes Airlines, (www.greatlakesav.com) and SkyWest/United Express (www.skywest.com). Alamo car rentals (www.alamo.com) are also now available at the airport.
Motorists should expect delays getting to Moab via U.S. 191 from the north through most of 2004 because road crewsare building two new traffic lanes adjacent to the existing roadway to create a four-lane highway which will run from Moab north to Utah 313 (the entrance road to the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands National Park).
Arches National Park
Construction at Arches National Park during 2004 will be a bit of a pain for visitors, but will make future visits much more enjoyable. Work includes construction of a new visitor center. A new entrance road into the park was completed in late 2003, which should greatly speed up entry during busy times.
The great race to claim a site in Arches National Park's Devils Garden Campground is over, at least for those inclined to use the new reservation system. In the past, campers have had to register as early as 7am for one of the 52 very popular campsites, but beginning in 2004, up to 30 of the sites can be reserved through the National Recreation Reservation Service (tel. 877/444-6777 or 518/885-3639; www.reserveusa.com). Sites that are not reserved, as well as the remaining 22 sites, are available on a first-come first-served basis.
Did You Know?
Utah has done away with its firing squads. In early 2004, the state legislature and governor eliminated firing squad executions for convicted murderers condemned to death. Until then, Utah had been the only state in the nation that gave death-row inmates the choice of lethal injection or firing squad. Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, only two convicted murderers have been put to death by firing squad in the United States, and both of those were in Utah.
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