It’s come to my attention that there are three kinds of “day tripping.” There was “Daytripper,” the 1965 Beatles psychedelic song. Second, there are places to take the kids for an “Are We There Yet?” day. And then there’s the Pandemic Picket Fence. That’s where you test the tensile strength of your mask and your bladder to discreetly experience normal life elsewhere and still get home before the bored-silly dogs eat the furniture.
There are plenty of “day-trippy things” to experience in southwest Utah. But like most folks we’re eager to bust out and explore the state where we’ve lived for just two years.
They call St. George a major economic engine for Utah, thanks to tourism and retirees like me. But what do I call the state’s 300-plus other cities and towns– besides strangers to me?
Thus, I’ve got questions. Now, Google or Siri may give me answers. But that’s like bathing in oatmeal. It accomplishes something, I guess, but it’s totally unsatisfying.
So, I’m asking for help from you, the UPR listeners. Write down this email: upraccess@gmail.com
Here are eight questions – food, fun and fact finding:
1. Do the scads of towns growing up around Salt Lake City have any distinctive personalities? Sandy, Riverton, Taylorsville to name a few.
2. If bigwigs from St. George are meeting with bigwigs from Salt Lake is there a good place in the middle to meet? Or would Salt Lakers say, come our way or the heck with you?
3. What communities make newcomers feel most welcomed?
4. Pizza! Where’s Utah’s best New York City-style pizza?
5. Big-time jailbreak— I’ve got three days in Logan, what do I do? Same thing for Provo.
6. What kind of sports essentials do I need to be considered a true Utahn?
7. Where is there an active interfaith community and what do they work on?
8. Small-town publications—print or digital—what’s worth reading that tells me about life’s idiosyncrasies in Utah?
Remember to email your responses to upraccess@gmail.com.
