GameDay

Reposted with permission from Shasta:
I would share a few suggestions for your time here in what we fondly refer to as the "Behave" state.

If you want to rent a car there are all of the major chains available at the airport. Alternatively Utah Transit Authority's Trax light rail is an efficient way to get around. The Green Line runs from the airport to downtown and $5.50 (IIRC) gives you all day access to all three light rail lines. Salt Lake City has a pretty efficient rail system for its size with the Red, Blue and Green lines plus the FrontRunner heavy rail. You can get full maps and schedules at www.rideuta.com.

If you're renting a car you can consider an airport hotel but if you do, keep in mind that you're about 10 miles out of downtown and will have to park, etc., plus the mileage every time you run into and out of downtown. To my mind you're much better off staying downtown. My favorite downtown hotel is the Monaco. Grand America is a bonafide five star hotel and if you're into older railroad style hotels, try the Peery.

Salt Lake City has a surprising to some selection for food. Here's how I would plan out meals were I a visitor. Friday night, Mexican at the Red Iguana as featured on Triple-D. The original on North Temple is small, it's always crowded and they don't take reservations so plan accordingly. Personally I hit Red Iguana 2 which is an identical menu but has more room than the original plus there's a bit of romance to eating outside with an occasional frieght train crawling by. Take the Green Line toward the Airport and get off at Jackson/Euclid station. Either RI or RI2 is about a block and a half walk. For drinks downtown my favorites are Gracie's, The Green Pig and Lumpy's Downtown. If you're in the mood to hit a little dive beer bar, Cheers To You is your place. All are walkable. Lumpy's is the flagship Utah bar and if you're in visitor gear you'll likely get at least one drink bought for you.

Saturday breakfast, Lambs Grill. It's the oldest restaurant in SLC, probably around 100 years or so. <editorial note: now closed. Honestly, I didn't care for it>. If you want to stay downtown for lunch, either Tony Caputo's deli or Siegfried's. You can't go wrong with either. Alternately grab a cab or bus to Moochie's on 3rd East and 8th South, grab a sandwich and wander a couple of blocks east to Liberty Park. If you're driving, head up Emigration Canyon to Ruth's Diner, another DDD favorite. Go a little early and take Emigration to East Canyon to the 80 and back down Parley's. It should be spectacular. For food after the game hit any of the bars downtown, Squatters and Red Rock are brewpubs with good bar food. The aforementioned bars from Friday also have good bar food. Christopher's on Pierpont is a nice steakhouse and Bambara in the Monaco is one of Salt Lake City's finest. Sunday breakfast at The Royal Eatery on 4th South and Main. An old-school, no frills, Greek diner that's just a kick. Basic menu, lots of fun. If you're up for brunch, Grand America's is the high end but our personal favorite is back to Gracie's. Pretty much everything is under $10 and mimosas and bloody mary's are $3.

As for transportation on gameday, even if you rent a car, don't think of driving to the game. Basically all but two or three very small lots are reserved for designated parking or tailgating. Trust me when I say that you'll be looking at at least a mile walk. The upside is that your game ticket is also your fare on any UTA train or bus all day Saturday. The Red Line runs right to the stadium and it is seriously the only way to get to the game if you don't have reserved parking. It's also an easy way to see the valley free if you're in the mood to do some sightseeing. If you're up early enough on Saturday morning and want a bit of an adventure, take the Blue Line light rail to SL Central and take FrontRunner to Ogden. There are some fun restaurants on 25th Street. Have lunch and cruise FrontRunner back to SLC. It's about an hour ride either way and skirts some of the wetlands of the Great Salt Lake.

While there are many tailgate venues, the Guardsman Way (directly south across the street from the stadium) is the main lot for Utah tailgating. Our tailgate always has extra beer on ice or dogs ready for visitors.

NOTE:

I'd reiterate that Trax is the way to go on gameday. Here is the stadium stop and a stop adjacent to the basketball/gymnastics arena.


photo courtesy VXLA FLICKR Creative Commons