Monday Finds Utah Open for Business!

 

by Pa Rock

Busy Tourist 

It has ben a very active day for this weary traveler as he relearns how to get around in Salt Lake City.  A few observations:  

• People here are very nice, almost to a fault, and when an obvious tourist needs needs directions or help, someone is always quick to step forward and help.  That is especially true at the Family Search Library where the "staff" seems to be mostly Mormon volunteers.  This morning I was having some tremor issues with my hands - and old malady - and a very nice volunteer sat down next to me and started helping with typing and showing me the library's resources and how to access them.  Lola was wonderful!
• There is some obvious poverty and mental health issues in the community, but it is not nearly as apparent as the poor and mentally impaired that I encountered on the streets of New York and Chicago earlier this year.  I stood inside of a store at lunch time while waiting on a tram, and used my time there watching a young man on the sidewalk stop and visit with a woman in a wheelchair who had a small dog resting on her lap and a cardboard begging sign in her free hand.  He squatted down to her level, something new teachers are trained to do, and spoke to her at eye level.  It was obvious they were both engaged in the friendly conversation.  Finally he pulled out his phone and took a selfie that included her and her dog - and then he slipped her a donation.  The interaction came across as cordial and heartfelt.
• I did encounter one young lady with obvious mental health issues.  She was wearing a knee-length fuzzy winter coat with a hood, but she seemed intent on keeping the coat open and revealing her halter-type top and a long portion of bare stomach - on a very chilly day.  I stepped around her and into a "Johnny Rocket's" for lunch, and a few minutes later she entered and sat at the counter.  It was warm in the cafe, but there was no chair back at the counter to hang her coat on, and she eventually decided that her best option was to lay the coat out on the floor - which she did.  The busy waitresses were careful to step around the garment, and no one questioned her or requested that she move it.  Keep the customer satisfied, I suppose.
• There are some large American cities where the public is concerned about running homeless and mentally impaired people off of the streets and out of sight, but Salt Lake City seems to be intentionally showing a great deal of humanity.  The city is basically very clean and neat, and I felt completely safe walking around by myself last night even though, as I hobble along, I am an obviously easy target.
• Salt Lake City. was laid out by Brigham Young who insisted on very wide streets.  I can't get across during a light change, even though I really step it off in a hurry.  Jaywalking is a rarity, whereas in the Big Apple it is a way of life.  There are some rental scooters about, but again it is nothing like the ones infesting Chicago and New York.
• Salt Lake City is clean and neat, even with a great deal of construction occurring.   It is safe and inviting, a good fit for those of us who are past our fighting prime!

Tomorrow, back to the library.  Thursday night I will be attending a rehearsal of the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir in the Tabernacle.  I did that on my last visit and it was a highlight of the trip.