Salt Lake City

I'm actually in Moab, Utah right now, and I spent yesterday afternoon driving around Arches National Park where I'll be hiking today. But this posting will be about Salt Lake City where I was two days ago, and then my quick trip to Provo. I'll deal with Arches in a separate posting.

Monday was my day to explore Mormon sites, and to tell you the truth, it wasn't my cup of tea. I found Temple Square very interesting, but my issue were the swarms of missionaries in the Square trying to engage with you. I found it all a little creepy. I mean, when you go to the Vatican, priests and nuns don't talk to you; they figure you're going to hell anyway, so why bother. But these Mormons actually think they can intervene!

In any event, it was an interesting tour around the area. The Temple looks vaguely gothic while simultaneously high Anglican; tallness seems to be the watchword. The Tabernacle, on the other hand, is seriously ugly from the outside (it looks like a giant pill), and incredibly beautiful inside. It's a weird contrast. The grounds are also immaculate, but to me they seemed untouched by reality. The first picture is a view of the Square from the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. You can see the weird contrast of the impressive Temple, and the ugly Tabernacle. I also have a closer view of the Tabernacle, and then a picture of the inside of it, which is really quite beautiful.

I, then, went to the Beehive House, which was Brigham Young's house when he was governor of the territory. They had a pretty good tour, actually, but I scared the crap out of the two missionary girls leading the tour when I started asking them questions. For example, "What does 'first plural wife' mean?" The look of panic on their faces when I asked them that (I mean, they were the ones that brought it up) was hilarious, and they stumbled over themselves trying to explain. Yes, dears, I know that polygamy isn't part of the church anymore, I'm just asking you what that term means. It means, by the way, Young's actual third wife, but the first he married when he was married to someone else.

Another interesting thing were the homeless people begging right outside the Church offices in Temple Square. I thought that was interesting because you'd think that either Church officials would try to shoo them away (I mean, it's not a great image), or at least try to help them. Actually, while I was waiting for Renee, I saw a woman with a Church namebadge talking with a homeless woman, about what I don't know, which I thought was appropriate. I mean, if you're going to try to save people, how about the homeless, probably addicted, people outside your doors.

Salt Lake City is an interesting city. There's this center with all things Mormon that made me pretty uncomfortable, I have to admit, but then literally a block away it is a perfectly normal, American city, a city, by the way, that I rather liked. The people were really nice, with the appropriate amount of cynicism which I enjoy. I went to this great organic restaurant for lunch, went to a totally cool bookstore two block from Temple Square, and chatted up -- I'm completely serious -- the Miss Utah contestants who were having an event in a downtown square. Then that night, Renee and I met a friend of hers from DC, who was there on business, at a bar, which was actually a "private club" at least for the next 3 weeks before the law changes. Utah, as I'm sure you know, has this really strange law that doesn't allow public bars, so you have to join their "club" for $4. The current governor, and our new Ambassador to China, changed that law, which the guy at the bar looked like he couldn't wait for. So Renee's friend Paul, a fellow Jew, and I drank yummy wine, while Renee, poor dear, had diet coke.

Props to my friend Renee who was a great host. I got my two best nights' sleeps at her house.

I left the next morning and decided to stop in Provo to go to Brigham Young University's Museum of Art. My Moon Handbook had recommended it highly, and they were not wrong. It was a really impressive museum, with an excellent show on Southwestern art from one private collector's collection. It was incredible, actually. And they also had a really well-curated exhibition of American art from their own collection. I recommend it if you're ever in SLC.

And Renee, if you're reading this, I totally got lost on BYU's campus.