Showing posts with label Salt Lake City. Show all posts

SLC meets Midcentury Modern

In a futile attempt to clean out my blog post drafts—a little over two years ago, at my previous Provo-City-job, I was doing some spring cleaning at our office... which is much like any other government office in which I have worked (okay, the one other) in that there are corners and cubicles in which random files, supplies, and other mysterious objects have accumulated, undisturbed, for 20+ years. One gem I happened upon was the Downtown Salt Lake City Second Century Plan. I scanned some high resolution images of the file and included several here with some overlap, in the event of any cropping or coloration issues. I love seeing this glimpse of a long-ago vision for Salt Lake, which hinges on so much amazing midcentury design. It's such an interesting snapshot of what-could-have-been and what-might-have-been, in stark contrast to what-is.

One of my favorite details of the reverse side is the Farmer's Market. I love the pedestaled canopies; they remind me so much of Frank Lloyd Wright's lily-pad-inspired interior at the Johnson Wax Headquarters (two links to cover info and photos).

I also love this visual for an art museum and gallery. In the center, this building is almost identical to the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center (info and photos), which is one of my favorites in its  neoclassical simplicity and elegance.

It's interesting to see these plans and to compare notes to what currently stands in Salt Lake. It's a reminder that cities are living, breathing (well, cities are not literally breathing, but are populated by those who are) entities, and that they grow and change much like anything else in this world. It's absolutely fascinating.

Downtown SLC Farmers Market = a must.

Food is one of my favorite things and farmers markets fall under that category (my Garden-state upbringing may have something to do with it as well). Last summer when my family was in town, we stopped by the SLC farmers market in between Salt Lake goings-on, which is when I originally tasted/discovered Ruby Snap (if you haven't been, go). I have been dying to go back, though, and it has taken me far too long as Saturday mornings always fill up quickly with to-dos and more proximal social engagements (and trips to the closer, local farmers market). Last weekend made it up to SLC and I had forgotten what a delight the downtown Salt Lake farmers market is.

I have a fierce loyalty for my Provo farmers market, as its beginnings were small and it improves every year. I love seeing it thronged with people, as a consistently great turnout is key to providing the demand for a bigger and better farmers market. It is small and I love it, but it just doesn't compete with the markets in a place like Portland or San Francisco or New York (I'm lookin' at you, Union Square Greenmarket).

What was most exciting on this recent trip to the SLC market was its resemblance to these other iconic, well-established farmers markets! Sure, Salt Lake didn't have local salami, but Tony Caputo's is across the street filling that gap, and basically every other type of cottage food production was present and accounted for—jerky, cheese, dairy, levain and sourdough bread, sweets and savory baked goods, produce of every variety.

Shopping in a farmers market is such a viscerally satisfying experience as well; you can select your produce by hand, smell it, often taste it, and talk with the growers themselves about what pairs well with what, their favorite varieties, and personal recommendations. Alice Waters writes in The Art of Simple Food, that one's desire to cook is linked to one's appetite and desire to eat—how true, yes?

Also I can't get over how pretty these tomatoes are! I just realized while writing this that they resemble watermelon rind patterns. And their description was awesome:
"Green Zebra ~ Organic
This tomato demands attention. Its high acid enhances the tomato flavor and will overpower weaker flavors. Its flavors will smack you across the face and call you Sally. Born to party on a BLT."

I bought a mortar & pestle last weekend at Ikea and it has already proved a good decision. It's been on my kitchen list for a while, and I discovered that Ikea has beautiful black marble ones for $15! It is a beautiful piece and also marble resists oils so it is the ideal material for such a kitchen instrument (in addition to making some great guacamole to start).

If you've made it this far in reading, it's either because you're allied with me in raptures over good food and the places you buy it, or because you're still reading out of incredulity over how much someone could possibly write about a bunch of tents selling vegetables. This shouldn't shock you, however, as Jess once told me that when she thinks of me, she thinks of vegetables. I didn't know what to make of that comment and I still don't but there you have it. Long live summer and the good food that comes with it.

Salt Lake & Siena

Something about this morning took me back to Italy. I was simply walking from a parking garage to the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City, yet I was distinctly reminded of days and routines from my time in Siena.

Walking through the cool, quiet streets of a city not yet awake, with a purpose in my step and my eyes taking in the details around me, I remembered mornings in Siena of walking through Piazza Gramsci and down la Via di Città, past the Piazza del Campo and piazza del Duomo. Tall buildings lined the streets and alleyways and the urban landscape was punctuated with fountains and gardens. I even noticed della Robbia-esque adornments on the Salt Lake Tribune & Deseret News building (unfortunately the photo I took is a little blurry, but I was amazed—you wouldn't see these in Siena, but this was such an uncanny Italian detail to appear, given the circumstances). Deserted tables and chairs sat outside eateries not yet open for business and the other people around me went towards their destinations with a similar sense of purpose. Even these similarities are so dissimilar in their specifics, Salt Lake versus Siena, yet the feelings that accompanied this moment were an important reminder: this tender mercy moment reminded me of a time that has long since passed (it has been two years), but reminded me that Italy was more than a beautiful dream; it was real.

girls' night.

Perhaps the best part of this girls' night was when a couple walked past us and the guy called out "Girls' night!!!" Yes, it was. And it was delightful. I loved this evening with a group of girls I love dearly (such a good group). And the waffles were so very delicious. We hope to make this the first of many.

The Civil Wars

I was casually looking up The Civil Wars' website a few months ago, when underneath the result on Google I noticed the date for their show in Salt Lake!! Layne and I bought tickets then and a friend of hers joined us at the last minute for the concert.

... a concert which was incredible and unreal. The instrumentation on their recorded CD is beautiful, but it did not even compare to the raw talent we witnessed on stage: just the duo and a guitar (and for one song, a piano). Joy's and John Paul's voices are so pure and resonant and seeing them live exceeded all of our expectations. Not to mention they were so personable and funny with each other and the audience. Love that.

Salt Lake exploring

City-exploring adventures always leave me feeling so inspired. I love getting the feel for a city, not only geographically, but the personality of a city and the people who live and work there. Layne and I spent an evening in Salt Lake, where she showed me some of her favorite spots. And we ate a lot of delicious food.

If you have never been to Les Madeleines, you must go! There's nothing like a good bakery, and oh my. The kouing aman (top) (a layered pastry with a caramelized outside) was heavenly.

Here's to a summer full of exploring and day trips to the city (and may your summer hold similar adventures, wherever they may be)!

[la città del lago di sale] as Alexa calls it.

Although I don't live far from Salt Lake City, the only time I've really spent there has been when I've gone to General Conference. Margaret thought we should go up and explore for an afternoon followed by pizza napoletana from Settebello. And this is precisely what we did.

Sometime I'd like to go back up and spend a little more time at the public library there. Working in a library has helped me become attuned to design features that matter in a library beyond the essentials, and in this respect, the Salt Lake public library was phenomenal. I loved the task lighting, seating in the rows of reference books, and lots of natural lighting, but my favorite detail by far were these fireplaces with large chairs for reading. (Buon'idea Margherita!)
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