Utah - Where time stands still...

Salt lake city thru my lens

I haven't done a travelogue ever but the beauty, tranquility and breathtaking serenity of Utah has me compelled to write. I arrived here in Salt lake city yesterday for a conference and have been smitten ever since I stepped out of the airport and into my Uber.

Anyone that knows me, knows that my wanderlust is insatiable. I love travel, period. I love traveling with my family and God has been kind in finding me a partner who loves to travel as much as I do. We do some great family vacations and it was the only way I knew how to have a good time traveling...that is, until recently.

I have now been traveling for work, business trips about 2-3 times a year for the last few years and have learnt to enjoy the solitude, the freedom and the quiet reflection that flying solo provides. There is something to be said about being all on your own in a place where nobody knows you or even cares that you exist. It's daunting, yet liberating. I can be whoever I want to be... sometimes I can decide to be or not to be.

Anyways, long story short, ...I think I am falling in love with this place. Salt lake city is nestled in the foothills of the Rockies and is a valley filled with flowers and sprawling landscapes. Shortly after I arrived, I checked into my hotel room on the 8th floor, changed into my robe and opened the drapes of my window. The view was stunning with sky scrapers, museums and restaurants below me but behind them all stood the magnificent snow capped mountains. Tall and unyielding. The city was merely a shadow and yet it let the city thrive in its benevolence. It's like time had come to a stand still. Beauty as far as the eye could see.

Unwilling to stay confined to the hotel room, I decided to venture out and stroll around downtown and hopefully get a closer look at the mountains and the quaint little homes lining the valley. I walked for about 3-5 miles and passed many elegant churches, whimsical houses built with stellar imagination, flower lined sidewalks, tree filled pathways and open green lands. The best part ? the people. No one was in a hurry to be anywhere. Every one took their time to cross the road, wait for the traffic light, pick up someone else's trash, give directions to folks like me who needed it...just nice, kind people. Dallas cannot boast of being fast paced compared to New York or Chicago or even Boston but Dallas still is in a rush. Its booming, its growing and it has a long way to go...Compared to that, Salt lake city seemed to have blossomed, settled and found its peace.

I am yet to take a drive to the "Great Salt lake" and dip my toe in the remnants of the great ice age. But I am already blown away by the quiet stillness that surrounds me. Even with what little I've seen, I know I will take a piece of Utah with me wherever I go.

P.S: Candidly, the pic collage on this post that my cell phone camera captured is a futile attempt...it doesn't do any justice to the charm of this city.