Whirlwind Trip
In the beginning of June, I attended the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. The sun set so late there in June relative to where I live in Orange County (when I was there the sun set around 9:30pm!). This allowed for a lot of early morning and evening exploration of the area. Since I only had partial days available for exploration, I planned our sightseeing very meticulously.
During one of the days of the conference, I had just a couple of hours of free time and Minhan and I took a quick trip around the city. We asked one of our good friends about places to see, since she grew up in Utah. The city has a bunch to offer and very little traffic made the experience much more enjoyable. To give you an idea, there was a sign during “rush hour” on one of the freeways that said “RUSH HOUR – EXPECT DELAYS UP TO 1MIN”. One minute? Really? It was great.
Ensign Peak
While we were in Salt Lake City, it was HOT. So hot that the screen protector on my phone partially melted in my pocket. However, the mountains still had plenty of snow, as you can see from the following image, and at the higher altitudes it was actually pretty cool.
To get a good view of the city we hiked up Ensign Peak, which is no easy hike in the summer heat. However, the trail treated us to beautiful views of the mountains and the city. Ignore the high ISO in the shot – I accidentally forgot to lower the settings from the night before.
Around the City
Salt Lake City is a beautiful city, with a rich history and a lot to see. The architecture is gorgeous, and the mountains are a wonderfully majestic feature. The problem that I had when we went was that I don’t really have a lot of experience with street photography. Or any other photography other than landscape really. But what better way to get into it than a drive to some of the iconic spots in the city?
We could see the Capitol Building from Ensign Peak and decided to get a closer look and really enjoyed the architecture and landscaping. As I’ve posted before, one of the best photography tips I’ve had is to turn around every so often. I did this from the steps of the Capitol Building and was treated to a great view of Council Hall with the snow-capped mountains in the background.
From the Capitol Building, Eagle Gate was a short drive away. It was constructed in 1859 at the entrance to Brigham Young’s property and has been reconstructed several times over the years to accommodate street cars and increased commuter traffic.
I found it pretty difficult to get a shot without any people and barely any cars. Our best chance came as we drove and Minhan turned at the intersection after everyone had crossed the street. Sometimes, you have to get creative to get the shot you want!
Temple Square
Temple Square was Salt Lake City’s center when it was first established on July 24th, 1847. From here, the city fanned out in 10-acre blocks using a grid system. The first image below is of the Salt Lake Temple, which took 40 years to construct and was finished in 1893. It took a long time to build because of the limited transportation of material and the desire to get the architecture perfect.
As I took a look at the temple, the sun was moving almost directly above, and I thought that it would make the shot a bit more impactful if I waited a bit and positioned myself to be off-center, shooting up, with the sun at the apex of the spire (or is it called a crossing tower? Something else? Feel free to correct me in the comments). I’m quite happy with the final image.
The next photograph is of the Assembly Hall, which was constructed by pioneers out of irregularly shaped blocks of granite sourced from the same quarry that was used for the Temple. The pioneers then filled the cracks with mortar to give the appearance of even stone.
As I approached the hall, I really liked the hedges in the foreground and wanted to keep them in as much as possible. The tree in the foreground and the building in the background give this image a bit of depth. I like this because it keeps the Hall as the center of focus.
Olympic Cauldron Park
I love watching the summer and winter Olympics. I remember watching the 2002 Olympic Games when I was in high school. It was the year after the September 11th attack, and I remember getting the feels seeing the flag that flew at Ground Zero.
When I watch the Olympics, I always feel connected with the rest of the world, as the best athletes compete together in a single location. In a world that can feel so divided, the Olympics are what, to me, symbolizes unity among diverse populations. Because of this, visiting the Olympic Mural and Cauldron was an absolute must during our stay. Especially since as time goes on, more and more of the Olympic buildings, arenas, and monuments are being removed from the city. I really hope that these two are here to stay.
The Rice-Eccles Stadium was the venue for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2002 Olympics. I was so excited that we actually got to visit! This next shot is another drive-by shot.
A Bit of History of Salt Lake City
A group of Morman pioneers led by Brigham Young founded Salt Lake City in 1847. They desired freedom to practice their religion. As mentioned above, Temple Square was the center of the city, and blocks were arranged in a 10-acre grid system. If you visit and hike to the top of Ensign Peak, this is very apparent! The roads at the time were wide enough for “four oxen and a covered wagon to turn around”.
The state bird is the seagull. This is because during 1848 there was a late frost, drought, and a plague of crickets that destroyed most of the crops. Seagulls swooped in and ate a significant population of crickets, thereby saving enough crops for the settlers to survive the winter. As a gratitude, the state declared the seagull the state bird.
Utah was originally a part of Mexico, but a treaty signed in 1848 ceded it to the United States. The California gold rush brought people through the city, and it was actually occupied by soldiers during the Civil War.
In the early 1900s, Salt Lake City began resembling the city we see today. Electric trolleys were built, which were eventually replaced by buses. City parks, streetlights, sewer systems, and paved roads followed. Although during the 1960s there were several commercial and service centers built that took business away from the city, the Morman Church battled back by constructing the ZCMI Center Mall. I find it awesome that they battled the centers to keep business local!
Of course, in 2002 the Olympic Winter Games were held in the city. At the time, Salt Lake City was the largest city to host the Olympic Winter Games!
As usual, comments, conversations, feedback, and messages are always welcome!
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