In honor of the gals impending trip behind the Zion Curtain (as some of us who have lived there call it), I thought it might be a good idea to brush you up on some local info.
Most live music venues in Utah (the Zephyr included) are private clubs for members only. This is some weird stipulation that the state legislature imposed, for reasons I still do not comprehend. However, membership is apparently bestowed when you purchase the ticket for the gig in question, and I never recall the club management asking anyone if they were a member at the gigs I attended. This gets a little confusing as there are also private private clubs, which do restrict their membership...
Alcohol in Utah (except for beer) is sold by the State liqour store, not by private businesses. Also, the alcohol content is often lower than you may be accustomed to (especially in beer), which is a reason many young adults drive to Evanston Wyoming to buy real beer (and often get busted by the highway patrol on the way back for smuggling alcohol into the state). So don't be suprised if the drinks seem to have less of a kick...
The LDS Church would like you to think that 75%or more of the state consists of practicing Mormons, but in actuality the number of active Mormons is considerably lower. In particular, the Greek Orthodox community makes a pretty strong showing in Salt Lake (the Greek Festival is an annual event with great food). However, if anyone mentions The Church, you can assume that they mean the LDS Church, and if you hear someone refer to a comrade as brother so and so, this usually indicates a church member. And yes, while most are sent out of state on their missions, there are missionaries prowling the streets of Salt Lake as well.
Warning!!! If a local initiates a relationship with one of the Maidens crew, warn them that a request to join the church is a strong possibility in the near future (many of my relationships ended because I wouldn't agree to join the church...).
Continuing on this train of thought, caffiene is on the proscribed list of substances that LDS members are supposed to avoid. However, the church is rumored to have stock in Pepsi, which is interesting to say the least. Thankfully, 7-11 and other convenience stores do carry coffee and soft drinks, despite this fact...
The main LDS Temple is only a few city blocks from the club you are playing at, just to let you know.
As a sidenote, the first Kentucky Fried Chicken ever opened in Salt Lake, and is still open last time I checked (about 33rd South and State Street as I remember). If you thought the first KFC opened in Kentucky, well now you know that is not the case!
Police in Utah are generally more visible, and vigorously enforce local laws. Keep this in mind...
Despite rumors, Polygamy in Utah is ILLEGAL and has been since the time Utah became a state. The LDS Church does not condone polygamy, and those individuals you see in the news practicing polygamy are from splinter groups that have broken off from the main church (and mostly hang out in the rural areas of the state).
The Great Salt Lake is fairly close by (when you fly in to Salt Lake, you may get lucky and fly over the lake just before you land). While this sounds like a cool place to visit, locals usually avoid it due to the smell (salt marsh) and large number of mosquitos... Also, it may be better described as a massive pond, as it only gets about 35 feet deep. That 'mountain' in the middle of the Lake is Antelope Island btw...
BTW, Seagulls live around the Great Salt Lake, and are the state bird. This came about because the seagulls ate a swarm of crickets back when the Mormons first settled here, which saved some crops - this was obviously a sign from Him that the Mormons were loved! Back when I was helping my dad plant/harvest crops, seagulls regularly showed up to eat the bugs I plowed up... but I chalk this up to the local food chain and NOT divine intervention!
The largest open pit copper mine in the United States (at one time the world) is visible in the mountain range to the southwest of Salt Lake, depending on your vantage point (the edges of the pit jut out from the mountainside)...
Speaking of mountains, Salt Lake resides right next to the Wasatch Front (and fault), and is nestled between two mountain ranges. So if you love seeing mountains dominating the skyline, you are in for a treat!
The Bonneville Salt Flats are only about an hour to the west of Salt Lake, but that is about the only thing of interest out in that direction (unless the Tooele Army Depot interests you... they have Chemical/Nerve Gas stored out there).
Hill Air Force Base is less than an hour north of Salt Lake, and is the home of the 388th and 419th tactical fighter wings (F-16 squadrons) among other units. They also have a pretty cool Air Museum...
Back when Utah applied for Statehood (over 100 years ago), they originally wanted to name the place Zion, which the Federal Government disallowed. As I understand, the local Indian tribes (The Goshute and Piute), referred to the local region as Hatu (weatherman Mark Eubank mentioned the Hatu winds often when referring to lake effect precipitation). Note that Hatu is Utah spelled backwards...
Street names are actually not that common in Utah. While some streets are named, most are referred to simply by a number - for example: The Zephyr is on 3rd South and West Temple. As you might guess, West Temple passes by the west side of the LDS Temple. So, addresses such as 39th South and 7th East are very common... and this makes driving around the city very easy. Just remember that 'South' means South of the Temple, East is East of the Temple, and West is West of the Temple. Other cities use this system too, but center the grid on other landmarks...
I wish I had some more amusing things to share, but my memories of Utah are not particularly amusing... which is why I moved to Tennessee!
I'll get the Katagory V forum peeps in here so they can add their thoughts.
Mr Toast is experiencing disagreeable flashbacks at the moment... must find that happy place inside...
Most live music venues in Utah (the Zephyr included) are private clubs for members only. This is some weird stipulation that the state legislature imposed, for reasons I still do not comprehend. However, membership is apparently bestowed when you purchase the ticket for the gig in question, and I never recall the club management asking anyone if they were a member at the gigs I attended. This gets a little confusing as there are also private private clubs, which do restrict their membership...
Alcohol in Utah (except for beer) is sold by the State liqour store, not by private businesses. Also, the alcohol content is often lower than you may be accustomed to (especially in beer), which is a reason many young adults drive to Evanston Wyoming to buy real beer (and often get busted by the highway patrol on the way back for smuggling alcohol into the state). So don't be suprised if the drinks seem to have less of a kick...
The LDS Church would like you to think that 75%or more of the state consists of practicing Mormons, but in actuality the number of active Mormons is considerably lower. In particular, the Greek Orthodox community makes a pretty strong showing in Salt Lake (the Greek Festival is an annual event with great food). However, if anyone mentions The Church, you can assume that they mean the LDS Church, and if you hear someone refer to a comrade as brother so and so, this usually indicates a church member. And yes, while most are sent out of state on their missions, there are missionaries prowling the streets of Salt Lake as well.
Warning!!! If a local initiates a relationship with one of the Maidens crew, warn them that a request to join the church is a strong possibility in the near future (many of my relationships ended because I wouldn't agree to join the church...).
Continuing on this train of thought, caffiene is on the proscribed list of substances that LDS members are supposed to avoid. However, the church is rumored to have stock in Pepsi, which is interesting to say the least. Thankfully, 7-11 and other convenience stores do carry coffee and soft drinks, despite this fact...
The main LDS Temple is only a few city blocks from the club you are playing at, just to let you know.
As a sidenote, the first Kentucky Fried Chicken ever opened in Salt Lake, and is still open last time I checked (about 33rd South and State Street as I remember). If you thought the first KFC opened in Kentucky, well now you know that is not the case!
Police in Utah are generally more visible, and vigorously enforce local laws. Keep this in mind...
Despite rumors, Polygamy in Utah is ILLEGAL and has been since the time Utah became a state. The LDS Church does not condone polygamy, and those individuals you see in the news practicing polygamy are from splinter groups that have broken off from the main church (and mostly hang out in the rural areas of the state).
The Great Salt Lake is fairly close by (when you fly in to Salt Lake, you may get lucky and fly over the lake just before you land). While this sounds like a cool place to visit, locals usually avoid it due to the smell (salt marsh) and large number of mosquitos... Also, it may be better described as a massive pond, as it only gets about 35 feet deep. That 'mountain' in the middle of the Lake is Antelope Island btw...
BTW, Seagulls live around the Great Salt Lake, and are the state bird. This came about because the seagulls ate a swarm of crickets back when the Mormons first settled here, which saved some crops - this was obviously a sign from Him that the Mormons were loved! Back when I was helping my dad plant/harvest crops, seagulls regularly showed up to eat the bugs I plowed up... but I chalk this up to the local food chain and NOT divine intervention!
The largest open pit copper mine in the United States (at one time the world) is visible in the mountain range to the southwest of Salt Lake, depending on your vantage point (the edges of the pit jut out from the mountainside)...
Speaking of mountains, Salt Lake resides right next to the Wasatch Front (and fault), and is nestled between two mountain ranges. So if you love seeing mountains dominating the skyline, you are in for a treat!
The Bonneville Salt Flats are only about an hour to the west of Salt Lake, but that is about the only thing of interest out in that direction (unless the Tooele Army Depot interests you... they have Chemical/Nerve Gas stored out there).
Hill Air Force Base is less than an hour north of Salt Lake, and is the home of the 388th and 419th tactical fighter wings (F-16 squadrons) among other units. They also have a pretty cool Air Museum...
Back when Utah applied for Statehood (over 100 years ago), they originally wanted to name the place Zion, which the Federal Government disallowed. As I understand, the local Indian tribes (The Goshute and Piute), referred to the local region as Hatu (weatherman Mark Eubank mentioned the Hatu winds often when referring to lake effect precipitation). Note that Hatu is Utah spelled backwards...
Street names are actually not that common in Utah. While some streets are named, most are referred to simply by a number - for example: The Zephyr is on 3rd South and West Temple. As you might guess, West Temple passes by the west side of the LDS Temple. So, addresses such as 39th South and 7th East are very common... and this makes driving around the city very easy. Just remember that 'South' means South of the Temple, East is East of the Temple, and West is West of the Temple. Other cities use this system too, but center the grid on other landmarks...
I wish I had some more amusing things to share, but my memories of Utah are not particularly amusing... which is why I moved to Tennessee!
I'll get the Katagory V forum peeps in here so they can add their thoughts.
Mr Toast is experiencing disagreeable flashbacks at the moment... must find that happy place inside...
