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Salt Lake City
by Elizabeth Sommer Spratt
The home-brew kit you got for Christmas is collecting dust in the closet, because you aren't the Braumeister you fancied yourself to be. Ski conditions locally are less than stellar, so your skis are parked next to the home-brew kit. The winter doldrums have you in their stranglehold. The remedy is, of course, to board the next airplane that is Salt Lake City bound.
Utah's pristine snow, the kind that falls from above and is not shot out of a huge slope-side nozzle, draws avid skiers from around the world. There are eleven alpine ski areas within fifty- five miles of Salt Lake, and theiraverage annual snowfall ranges from 300 to 500 inches. Beginner to expert terrain is available, and some areas even offer child care while you ski. If you have always wanted to hop a ride on the ski patrol's snowmobile, for fun not injury, check into a guided snowmobile tour. Some tours provide meals and snowmobile clothing.
Warm up off the slopes at the Red Rock Brewing Company, or the Salt Lake Brewing Company/Squatters Pub Brewery. Both establishments offer a variety of beers brewed on the premises. The Red Rock's Honey Wheat beer is exceptional. Other great brews include Pale Ale, Raspberry Wheat,Hefe-Weizen and Oatmeal Stout. You can pick one, or try as many as you like for eighty-five cents per sample. Squatters also boasts fresh ales and lagers with a livelier atmosphere and a more extensive menu. You can't go wrong at either.
For a more "local" experience, sneak down the back alley to The Dead Goat Saloon, where their slogan, "Tourists treated same as home folks", holds true. This "Rockin' li'l Roadhouse" was established in 1965. The mixed clientele is drawn here by the atmosphere, two pool tables and dart boards, a dance floor and live entertainment every night. The Dead Goat is located at165 South West Temple. It's easy to miss this little hole in the wall bar, but the atmosphere is worth a special trip.
Other local spots featuring live entertainment include the Zephyr, Port O'Call and Shenanigan's. Salt Lake's unique liquor laws require clubs serving liquor to admit members only. Memberships start around fifteen dollars. However, there is a loophole, if you are sponsored by a club member you can enter, and some bouncers/hostesses will happily sign your sponsor card. So don't let the "membership" requirement daunt your night out.
Salt Lake City, and the area resorts are a winter playground for adults. Dust off your skis and lock the doldrums in the closet with the home-brewkit. Grab a Honey Wheat beer, and laugh at the ugly winter you left behind. Experience winter the way it should be, all powder snow and crisp air.
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