| CITY OVERVIEW
Stay in Salt Lake City
|
The Mormon capital of the world made a major sporting mark in 2002 by hosting the Winter Olympics. By default, it has became the capital of all things skiing – at least for the time being. In its
early days, Mormons constituted about 100% of the city's population, but
now ‘only’ constitute up to 40%. The City itself is a relatively quiet
and relaxed city that is located below some great skiing mountains. As
well as being a great place for Mormons to live, the other 60% of the
population are made up of skiers, hikers, mountain bikers and those that
love other ‘outdoor’ religions. The huge block surrounded by white walls in downtown is Temple Square - the physical and spiritual center of Salt Lake City. Within it are the Temple itself, the Tabernacle and the Assembly Hall. It's worth visiting Temple Square just to appreciate the scale of the space and the buildings for yourself – at least from the outside. Only Mormons can enter the Temple. Beyond the City are a few must-sees. The Lake that the City was named after - Great Salt Lake - has been declared a World Heritage bird sanctuary. This huge lake is about 16km northwest of downtown and is swimable – or at least floatable - due to the heavy salt content. Park City is the region’s most important ski town and the headquarters of the United States ski team during the 2002 Winter Olympics. It's located at the foot of Utah's largest ski resort, and there are seven other resorts with world-class skiing within an hour's drive. The town is located 2070m above sea level and is 40km south-east of Salt Lake City and accessible year round by bus. |
| GETTING THERE
Fly to Salt Lake City Within USA
|
Salt Lake City International Airport is 10km west of downtown. Frustratingly, the UTA only provides a bus service on Sunday’s (of all days). It is therefore best to use one of the downtown shuttles. Amtrak services are located at the Rio Grande Depot on the western edge of downtown (340 S 600 W Street). Greyhound buses are located just one block west of Temple Square at 160 W South Temple St. Salt Lake
City’s public transit system is a combination of UTA buses and an above
ground light rail. The UTA Light Rail (Trax) has two downtown lines that
connect the Delta Center and the University to Main
Street. Bus and Trax trips within downtown are free. During the ski
season, a bus operates between Salt Lake City and nearby ski areas. |
| NBA
UTAH JAZZ |
Could the NBA’s Utah Jazz be the greatest team never to win a Championship? The Jazz began life in New Orleans in 1974 (hence the groovy name) and moved to Salt Lake City in Utah in 1980. The Jazz continued to struggle at the bottom before emerging as perennial contenders in the late 1980s and every year since. The original Jazz line-up featured high-scoring Hall of Famer ‘Pistol Pete’ Maravich, one of the most entertaining players in NBA history. In its later incarnation as the Utah Jazz, the team's main drawing cards were guard John Stockton, whom many observers consider the best assist player in league history; and Karl (the ‘Mailman’) Malone, a forward who has combined power and grace to become one of the dominant stars of his era and has won several MVP awards. Even though the Jazz have had a winning season every year since 1983-84, they have not been able to win a title, and many feel that they have missed the boat and will need to rebuild for the coming years. |
| DELTA CENTER |
The
Delta
Center hosts
the Jazz and is located at 301 West South Temple, Salt Lake
City. The Delta Center is located just west of downtown Salt Lake City. It
is two blocks from the Salt Palace Convention Center and Temple Square. Opened
in 1991, the Center has a capacity of 20,000. Because of the strong
influence of the Mormon religion here, you are less likely to find
alcohol-induced rowdiness or obnoxious fan behaviour. By public transit, you can take the UTA Trax from Main Street to the Delta Centre Station or take the No 19 (Fairground), 43 (Bluffdale), or 50 (Airport) bus from Main Street directly to the Delta Center. You can also take the UTA Bus No 20 (N.6th West) on West Taylor to the Stadium. |
| NCAA
SPORTS - DIVISION 1
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH |
The
University of Utah provided the accommodation and many of the sporting
facilities for the 2002 Winter Olympics. The Utah Utes are located between
University Street and Wasatch Drive, about 4km east of downtown. The Utes
have teams in many sports, including football, men’s and women’s
basketball and skiing. The football team plays out of Rice-Eccles Stadium,
which has a capacity of about 45,000. The basketball teams play out of the
Jon M Huntsman Centre, which has a capacity of 15,000. To get to the University from downtown (Temple Square or Delta Center), take the University TRAX Light Rail Line to Stadium Station, which is adjacent to Rice Eccles Stadium. |
| NCAA
SPORTS - DIVISION 1
WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY OGDEN |
The Weber Wildcats are located in the town of Ogden on Iowa Av, some 45km’s north of downtown Salt Lake City. The Wildcats have teams in most sports, including football and men’s and women’s basketball. The football team plays out of Elizabeth Dee Shaw Stewart Stadium, which has a capacity of about 17,000 and is located on campus. The basketball teams play out of the impressive looking Dee Events Center. The domed type stadium sits around 12,000 people and is also located on campus. From downtown Salt Lake City, you can take Route 55, which is a direct Weber State University Bus. Note there are no weekend services on this route. Route 70 gets you there on weekends, which goes to Ogden from downtown Salt Lake City. It gets you to the Newgate Mall, which is about a 1.5km walk (or taxi ride) to the campus along 36th Street. |
