by Pa Rock
Traveling Fool
Arrived safely at SLC - on time - and caught the shuttle to my hotel, The Plaza in the very heart of the city. My room is on the 12th floor (on the backside, with the riffraff) and overlooks the roof of the Mormon Library, the building where I will be furiously working all this week.
I got out and went for a walk-about early this afternoon, seeking sustenance. My first stop was at the hotel restaurant for lunch - a mistake that I won't be repeating except possibly in emergency circumstances. Then I strolled the main thoroughfares looking for a mini-mart or someplace to buy a few groceries and some iced tea to take back to the room. The only thing that I came upon in this ritzy part of town was an outdoor/indoor food court at a local outdoor/indoor mall. I stopped by a Sbarro and asked about iced tea, only to learn that they did not sell it "because, sir, we are Mormon."
Well, hell, thought I.
I finally found a McDonalds in the food court where they did sell iced tea. That must be where the Baptists work.
But still no mini-mart or grocery.
There were lots of panhandlers, particularly around the gates to Temple Square. There were also many people riding green electric scooters and bicycles that they seemed to access through their phones. I'm not always smart enough to even make a call on my phone, so don't look for me to putt by on a green scooter!
On the way back to the hotel I wandered into the famous library to get a feel for the place. It was overwhelming, but a young Mormon guide wearing a suit and tie showed me how to sign into their computer network. Tomorrow when my group officially gets started, we will have people dedicated to us who will help guide our research. I heard from someone who came with the same organization on an earlier tour that our research guides are very good.
Joseph Smith drew up the plans for this city a century-and-a-half ago, and when he did he designed it with very wide streets. That was amazing foresight on his part. The streets are, of course, still wide, and crossing them at the signals requires one to hurry. I step it off fairly quickly, or so I thought, but I can't quite make it across before the red hand starts flashing.
So, I noticed lots of people jaywalking. That is a bit on the risky side because not only is there car traffic, but there are also a pair of very busy light rail lines running down the center of the busier streets.
On the way back from the library I saw a commotion at the corner about thirty feet ahead of where I was walking. A hysterical lady was on her phone talking to a 911 operator and an older lady was lying in the street. I heard the lady on the phone sobbing that she had just turned the corner and hadn't seen the pedestrian step into the street. A crowd was gathering, and since I had not witnessed the accident, I got out of the way. I still haven't heard a report on the victim's condition, but when I left the hotel over an hour later, the driver was sitting in her car along the curb next to where the accident had occurred - with her hazard lights flashing. The poor lady was on the phone, undoubtedly telling her story for the umpteenth time.
The accident certainly made the point with me about how suddenly a person's life can change.
That's my day so far. I'm heading out now to a "meet and greet" with the other members of the group, and then we are walking to a pre-arranged dinner at the old Hotel Utah. I will definitely look both ways before crossing any streets, and I will hurry to get to the other side.
More tomorrow.
Traveling Fool
Arrived safely at SLC - on time - and caught the shuttle to my hotel, The Plaza in the very heart of the city. My room is on the 12th floor (on the backside, with the riffraff) and overlooks the roof of the Mormon Library, the building where I will be furiously working all this week.
I got out and went for a walk-about early this afternoon, seeking sustenance. My first stop was at the hotel restaurant for lunch - a mistake that I won't be repeating except possibly in emergency circumstances. Then I strolled the main thoroughfares looking for a mini-mart or someplace to buy a few groceries and some iced tea to take back to the room. The only thing that I came upon in this ritzy part of town was an outdoor/indoor food court at a local outdoor/indoor mall. I stopped by a Sbarro and asked about iced tea, only to learn that they did not sell it "because, sir, we are Mormon."
Well, hell, thought I.
I finally found a McDonalds in the food court where they did sell iced tea. That must be where the Baptists work.
But still no mini-mart or grocery.
There were lots of panhandlers, particularly around the gates to Temple Square. There were also many people riding green electric scooters and bicycles that they seemed to access through their phones. I'm not always smart enough to even make a call on my phone, so don't look for me to putt by on a green scooter!
On the way back to the hotel I wandered into the famous library to get a feel for the place. It was overwhelming, but a young Mormon guide wearing a suit and tie showed me how to sign into their computer network. Tomorrow when my group officially gets started, we will have people dedicated to us who will help guide our research. I heard from someone who came with the same organization on an earlier tour that our research guides are very good.
Joseph Smith drew up the plans for this city a century-and-a-half ago, and when he did he designed it with very wide streets. That was amazing foresight on his part. The streets are, of course, still wide, and crossing them at the signals requires one to hurry. I step it off fairly quickly, or so I thought, but I can't quite make it across before the red hand starts flashing.
So, I noticed lots of people jaywalking. That is a bit on the risky side because not only is there car traffic, but there are also a pair of very busy light rail lines running down the center of the busier streets.
On the way back from the library I saw a commotion at the corner about thirty feet ahead of where I was walking. A hysterical lady was on her phone talking to a 911 operator and an older lady was lying in the street. I heard the lady on the phone sobbing that she had just turned the corner and hadn't seen the pedestrian step into the street. A crowd was gathering, and since I had not witnessed the accident, I got out of the way. I still haven't heard a report on the victim's condition, but when I left the hotel over an hour later, the driver was sitting in her car along the curb next to where the accident had occurred - with her hazard lights flashing. The poor lady was on the phone, undoubtedly telling her story for the umpteenth time.
The accident certainly made the point with me about how suddenly a person's life can change.
That's my day so far. I'm heading out now to a "meet and greet" with the other members of the group, and then we are walking to a pre-arranged dinner at the old Hotel Utah. I will definitely look both ways before crossing any streets, and I will hurry to get to the other side.
More tomorrow.
1 comment:
Good post!
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