Utah - Part 2

I realize that I may have been a little hasty in posting my last blog, about my trip to Utah this last weekend. I just received some new photos, and wanted to share ; )

To begin with, I arrived at the Salt Lake Airport around 5am, and my flight didn't leave until 2pm ; )  My wife left on a 6am flight with the kids, and I was going leaving for Seattle.  I didn't want anyone to drive to the airport twice.  I ended up spending several hours online, focused on work e-mails.  It was actually nice, as there weren't a lot of people there at that time of morning.  I had lost of Wi-Fi bandwidth to myself!

I noticed that Tuesdays at the Salt Lake airport are really cool.  This appears to be the day that a large number of LDS missionaries leave the Missionary Training Center for various locations around the globe.  I saw quite a few young men and women, prepared to make a difference in the world.  I was really proud of each of them.  Some local families came to the airport, to see their children off.  I don't think this is really allowed - as it creates quite a scene.

Later in the afternoon, it looks like a large number of missionaries arrive "home" from various locations around the globe.

Definitely not my picture...I have no idea who they are...

I witnessed several families that had gathered near baggage claim, to welcome home their son or daughter from an 18-month or two-year experience away from home.  I thought to myself - what an interesting microcosm for life, or the time that we spend here on Earth.  You have people leaving the familiar to go someplace they've never been.  They want to prove themselves, serve other people, and be good disciples of Jesus Christ.  On the other side, you have warm and welcoming embraces, as these family members complete their "test" - returning with honor and a knowledge that they had a positive impact on those around them.  They learned to be closer to their Heavenly Father and their Savior - and are reunited with loved ones.  It was a good day at the airport ; )

I tried to rent a car, but - if you can believe it - Hertz, Avis, Dollar and Enterprise were all SOLD OUT.  The only vehicles left were luxury models, and I wasn't prepared to pay for that.  However, my wife came up with a good idea.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints runs a free shuttle from the airport to Temple Square.  This is an area in the very center of Salt Lake City that houses the Church Headquarters, Visitor's Centers, the Family History Library and many other awesome buildings.  I hopped on the shuttle and spent time walking about Temple Square.  I only took a couple of photos, as I've written about Temple Square before.  This is the Assembly Hall:

It's a beautiful Gothic-style structure that is used for larger meetings.  The stained glass is gorgeous - it was build back in the 1870s.

The most-impressive structure is the Salt Lake Temple:

This building is well-known as an icon for Utah and Salt Lake City.  Considering the fact that it was built in the late 1800s - it took over 40 YEARS to complete - and was finished in 1893.  It's made of granite, and the rock was dragged from quarries that are miles and miles away. I could go on for hours about this historic building.

For those that have spent time in downtown Salt Lake, there used to be a couple of shopping malls and various buildings in decline, over the years.  There's a brand-new renewal project going on, called City Creek Center.  It will create a new walking area in the heart of the city, with shops, condos and business offices.  They will open in March 2012:

I held several conference calls, while walking through the area, trying not to bother anyone.  For lunch, I went to Crown Burgers.  I found out about this place on a Food Network show called "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives".  Their specialty is a the Crown Burger - a great cheeseburger with Pastrami on top.  It was delicious!

I'm still mad at my wife, who never told me about this place.  I depend on her to show me all the cool places in Utah to eat!!! ; )

I then took the shuttle back to the airport and left on the flight for Seattle.  Before I close this blog, I wanted to share some pictures from one of the fun activities from the previous day.  We spent the afternoon at Brigham Young University.  While there, we met with one of my wife's cousins, who is Director of Education for the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum.  This is a cool natural history museum, right on campus.  My wife's cousin took the kids downstairs, where they were able to interact with some live animals.

G-Man's not certain about the Bearded Dragon lizard...

Checking out a newt

Needless to say, we had a blast!  Both G-Man and his cousin loved interacting with the animals...after a little coaxing ; )

That's it for the latest Utah visit - I'm serious this time!!