Calling Salt Lake City Home

After two months on the road, 18 states, and countless nights slept in this tent (I could go back and count, but I’m not going to) Becca and I have finally landed in Salt Lake City, Utah with an apartment, a queen-size mattress or two, and a questionable heating/cooling system. Still, this is our new home for at least the 6-month lease period and week one has been great!

Although I’ve been here a lot in the past I’ve never lived here, and that makes all the difference. We even spent a week or two bumming around town before we moved in. I mean that in the most sincere sense– we spent our days in Starbucks, didn’t shower much, and ate most of our food out of a cooler with no ice in it. We camped at a great little spot on Utah Lake most nights. It wasn’t bad as temporary homes go, but we were ready for something more solid. So here we are!

This first week has been full of finding out what’s around us and what the city has to offer. So far we have not been disappointed. The vegan options around here are plentiful and amazing: Buds is the standout favorite for delicious sandwiches like the Buffalo or a cheesesteak while City Cakes Vegan Bakery has some dangerously delicious cookie dough and cheesecake. Honorable mentions are Frisch Compassionate Eatery, Vertical Diner, Vertical Pizza, and the vegan pull-apart cheesy bread from The Pie.

I should also mention Proper Brewing Company, where I already almost feel like a regular. They have daily specials on their delicious beer, trivia on Tuesdays, and a couple of fantastic vegan burgers to boot! My favorite thing has been finding places like Proper which I hadn’t heard of before moving here that turned out to be amazing hangouts with nice people. I can’t wait to find out what else is hiding right under my nose here.

SLC is great for its wide streets and bike lanes, and our apartment in The Avenues is close biking distance to basically everything we need as long as we don’t mind biking back up the large hill to our place on the way home. Speaking of proximity, we are close to so many National Parks that I just don’t know what to do or where to go first. The thought of being less than a day’s drive to all of these places fills me with excitement and the urge to plan trips for every bit of free time I have! Some would be a long day drive, (Olympic NP might take me two days of serious driving) but the sheer amount of options is enough to keep me busy for quite a long time to come. I can’t wait to see new places and old favorites and share it all!

Take me to all of these places! The 6 National Parks/National Monuments I listed in Utah don’t even scratch the surface of what this state has to offer. State Parks, BLM land, canyons, rivers, waterfalls, mountains, and forests are everywhere and packed with incredible trails and views. I’ve got a lot of work to do having fun here.

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