italian moving to salt lake city for 3 months (apartments, house)

[veraeben]

I will move to SLC on end of September till end of December for work.
I would appreciate any advise/tip about climate, activities, neighbourhood, nightlife, laws and transportation.
My office will not give me a car, telling me that public transportation is very well organized. I'm a bit afraid about this. The apartment is 2,5 km from the office in city center, but I suppose that I would need one to get around in the rest of the area. What do you think?

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Where is the office and apartment? Just general location, not a specific address. We do have good transit service through much of the city itself, but it can take a long time from the outlying areas. There's also TRAX, which can get you downtown or to the university pretty quickly. So a car is not necessary although it might be useful for grocery shopping.

As a single person, I suspect you would be happier in one of the more downtown areas, because the suburbs are just family after family. SLC is not like many other cities you might be used to. We don't have miles and miles of buildings with stores on the ground level and offices or apartments above. There are some like that but not vast areas. It's a much more open city than most in Europe.

Downtown is also where most of the nightlife is, although it isn't a "big" scene. Sugar House is an older neighborhood with a shopping center that is not a mall. There's a Whole Foods type grocery, a discount store/grocery, a discount movie therater ($1 for second-run movies), several fast food places and some restaurants, and a Barnes and Nobles book store. among others.

Much of SLC is walkable and many people walk a lot. I think you will like the climate. We could get snow before the end of OCt. but usually it's more towards the end of November. December can see heavier snows, but look at the city section of C-D for more info on climate. Boots are good for those days when you have to walk through slush.

There's a Roman Catholic cathedral very close to downtown if you're catholic. It's a beautiful building and they have concerts in there from time to time. We have about 80 different faiths in SLC so if you want a church, I'm sure you can find one.

Welcome to SLC and I think you will enjoy your time here.

[irman]

Originally Posted by veraeben

I will move to SLC on end of September till end of December for work.
I would appreciate any advise/tip about climate, activities, neighbourhood, nightlife, laws and transportation.
My office will not give me a car, telling me that public transportation is very well organized. I'm a bit afraid about this. The apartment is 2,5 km from the office in city center, but I suppose that I would need one to get around in the rest of the area. What do you think?

Uhmm .... yeah, where there is a will, there is a way ... they say ...
But, for three months just work and then hunkering in your abode does not seem appetizing.

Public transportation?
I would say *organised*, but I would not go as far as *very well organised*.
Only as long as you start and stop along the established routes, yeah ... OK.
Any other locations, you're out of luck !
Compared to the system in comparable cities where you are from, there is no comparison.
2.5 km, can be a long way if you are not within 5 minutes of a bus stop.
Make it 10 minutes and you will hate your stay if it rains a couple of days .....
Very few bus stops have covered waiting areas.

Walk around a lot ?
The time of the year you will be here is not conducive for walking,
even if you ARE from Europe and used to walking. It could get nasty cold here.

No car for three months ? Sounds questionable, if they have the funds to send you here for three months ....
I would not accept that condition, especially when you work in a country where a car is a *necessity*,
and NOT a luxury. What does *your company* expects you to do on evenings and week ends ?

If cost is the main reason, and I assume it is, then how about staying at a lower rate location,
and using the rest of the budget for transportation.

Do you know anybody yet where you will work? Ask them for advice and then decide.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I saw a news clip about a new car share program starting up here. I think you reserve the car in advance. I don't know any more about it, but it might be an option.

[veraeben]

Thank you so much for your reply. The office is in exchange place and the apartment in about 200 east, 100 south; so I suppose it's downtown.
Unfortunately I do not know anybody in SLC office and from the center I just received the information that: SLC office does not think you'll need a car.
I'll try to talk to them again in way to try to find a solution.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Exchange Place is between 300 South and 400 South, just a bit west of State St. So 200 East 100 South, or 100 South 200 East would be just a few blocks away.TRAX runs along 400 South and you can get to many places along there. I think they are right.

Be aware that SLC addresses are a bit confusing at first. See the way I worded it above - those are not the same location. The city is laid out like an XY grid with the LDS Temple as the (0,0) point. Streets to the east are named 100 East, 200 East, 300 East, etc. Streets to the south are named 100 South, 200 South, etc. It's very easy to find almost anyplace in the city itself if you keep the numbers straigt. For example, 150 South 500 East is on the street named 500 East and is building number 150 South of the temple.

Use google maps to see how it looks.

Good luck!

[irman]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

TRAX runs along 400 South and you can get to many places along there. I think they are right.

Still, three months, is a long time, and week ends are nothing to write home about when you just hang around downtown .... ?????

Keep in touch and let us know if you can arrange for some private transportation, at least for a few week ends.
Utah is a wonderful state, and there is lots to *see*, besides *downtown* .... !!!!

Just for arguments sake, (@Southernbelle) what would you do for three weeks and holed up at that place with Trax as your only mode of transportation ?

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Well, depending on my interests: visit Temple Square and the museums, if it were close to Christmas see the lights in the Square. Ride TRAX up to the U and see the art and natural history museums, go to the Symphony (several performances during her time frame), go to the Capital Theater, go to the Gateway Mall to shop, eat, and see a movie (or several). Go to the Main branch of the Library to see the architecturally significant building as well as browse the little shops, see a movie or special event there, walk around City Square with the County/City building, go in it during the week (very pretty). Go to Utah Woolen Mills to browse and maybe buy a piece of clothing as a souvenir. Go to a rehearsal of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, see what else for free is going on downtown.

Not having a car is not really limiting downtown except for big grocery trips. And maybe she is used to smaller daily grocery trips?

The Whole Foods Market is on 400 South at 700 East. it has organic foodstuff, a deli, and hot food to eat on premise.

[irman]

@Southernbelle:
Ok that is maybe two weeks.
What else for the rest of the three months ??

This is what I was trying to get across.
Three months is a long time !!

I sure hope that car sharing idea catches on !

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

Yeah, but living here she is not going to spend every day of every week out sightseeing. She has to work, do laundry, maybe clean the apartment (not sure if it is a corporate rental), eat, and sleep. SHe could pick one thing per free day to do and see what she might like to go back to. The symphony has a number of performances in that time frame, not just one.