Salt Lake City
Went to Salt Lake City for a conference on United Airlines. Did layovers at SFO to SLC both ways as the direct options were not ideal.
Checked into the Hampton Inn Salt Lake City Downtown. The hotel recently underwent a renovation and I liked it. It is very modern which sometimes conflicts with the locality and/or Hampton Inn theme. Since not all Hamptons are like this particular one (at least in my memory), it is interesting to see them move forward with the scheme.
The room was a double bed. I found the inside similar to the Four Points hotel chain and European influenced style. No real drawers but open space and ledges. I thought it was nice and avoided people forgetting stuff in the rooms. No actual closet but a space for you to discreetly hang your clothes. The breakfast was typical with a waffle iron to make fresh waffles.
On the first day, I grabbed a late lunch from R&R BBQ. I wasn't sure if I would like the BBQ but it was within walking distance. I ordered the 2 meat special of brisket and ribs with fries and a dozen wings. I was very impressed with the chopped brisket. It rivals some of the BBQ places I have eaten in Texas. I spent the evening snacking at the Grand America hotel for the conference for dinner. I was that full from lunch.
On the second day, I went back to R&R BBQ and grabbed another 2 meat special and the bread pudding for dinner the next day. My per diem doesn't always cover my meals and I have to be strategic in making sure I can eat every day. With food in fridge, I went to The Leonardo Museum for an offsite evening reception. The museum was nice and the catering folks were pretty good. They have a ravioli station that was good. I also enjoyed the shortcake offered. The museum likely requires event organizers to go through their own catering vendors and it was a good crew.
On the third day, I ate BBQ for breakfast. I took the wings and made a waffle to make my own version of chicken and waffles. For dinner, I went to Pallet. I ordered the truffle yukons and boar entrée. Both were delicious and I took the yukons back to the room for my leftover BBQ. I opted to have dessert at Bruges Waffles & Frites and ordered a Bruges Favorite which is strawberries and creme fraiche to go. I walked back to the Hampton and enjoyed it with a cup of tea.
On the fourth day, it was a half day at the conference and my flight was leaving around lunchtime. I jumped into an Uber and was in and through security within 30 minutes. SLC dining options are limited in Terminal 1 and Concourse B. On the website, there is listed a Popeye's but I don't know where. After being informed of a 2 hour delay, I grabbed a late lunch at Pei Wei which was tolerable. At SFO, I also had another delay and ended up getting some mini pies in the international terminal. Had I known that the flight would be delayed, I would have grabbed something in terminal 2 rather than the gourmet market which appears to be the only food venue in the entire international terminal. Luckily, I'm a United Club member and was able to get some soup and crackers before boarding.
In the aftermath of the passenger boarding public relations debacle with United, I did find that people were trying to be more communicative regarding the delays. At SLC, the gate agent offered me a direct flight home on American Airlines but I was gambling that my original itinerary would not be as late as the direct flight. I lost the gamble but we shall see how United responds to my complaint.
Checked into the Hampton Inn Salt Lake City Downtown. The hotel recently underwent a renovation and I liked it. It is very modern which sometimes conflicts with the locality and/or Hampton Inn theme. Since not all Hamptons are like this particular one (at least in my memory), it is interesting to see them move forward with the scheme.
The room was a double bed. I found the inside similar to the Four Points hotel chain and European influenced style. No real drawers but open space and ledges. I thought it was nice and avoided people forgetting stuff in the rooms. No actual closet but a space for you to discreetly hang your clothes. The breakfast was typical with a waffle iron to make fresh waffles.
On the first day, I grabbed a late lunch from R&R BBQ. I wasn't sure if I would like the BBQ but it was within walking distance. I ordered the 2 meat special of brisket and ribs with fries and a dozen wings. I was very impressed with the chopped brisket. It rivals some of the BBQ places I have eaten in Texas. I spent the evening snacking at the Grand America hotel for the conference for dinner. I was that full from lunch.
On the second day, I went back to R&R BBQ and grabbed another 2 meat special and the bread pudding for dinner the next day. My per diem doesn't always cover my meals and I have to be strategic in making sure I can eat every day. With food in fridge, I went to The Leonardo Museum for an offsite evening reception. The museum was nice and the catering folks were pretty good. They have a ravioli station that was good. I also enjoyed the shortcake offered. The museum likely requires event organizers to go through their own catering vendors and it was a good crew.
On the third day, I ate BBQ for breakfast. I took the wings and made a waffle to make my own version of chicken and waffles. For dinner, I went to Pallet. I ordered the truffle yukons and boar entrée. Both were delicious and I took the yukons back to the room for my leftover BBQ. I opted to have dessert at Bruges Waffles & Frites and ordered a Bruges Favorite which is strawberries and creme fraiche to go. I walked back to the Hampton and enjoyed it with a cup of tea.
On the fourth day, it was a half day at the conference and my flight was leaving around lunchtime. I jumped into an Uber and was in and through security within 30 minutes. SLC dining options are limited in Terminal 1 and Concourse B. On the website, there is listed a Popeye's but I don't know where. After being informed of a 2 hour delay, I grabbed a late lunch at Pei Wei which was tolerable. At SFO, I also had another delay and ended up getting some mini pies in the international terminal. Had I known that the flight would be delayed, I would have grabbed something in terminal 2 rather than the gourmet market which appears to be the only food venue in the entire international terminal. Luckily, I'm a United Club member and was able to get some soup and crackers before boarding.
In the aftermath of the passenger boarding public relations debacle with United, I did find that people were trying to be more communicative regarding the delays. At SLC, the gate agent offered me a direct flight home on American Airlines but I was gambling that my original itinerary would not be as late as the direct flight. I lost the gamble but we shall see how United responds to my complaint.
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