6 posts tagged “utah”

Sorry it's kinda late. Just some photos and a video from the opening of Oktoberfest at SnowBird ski resort this labor day weekend. The video is just of the official tapping of the (empty) keg. Horray Utah liquor laws that make it illegal to tap a keg in public. Go figure.

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Photo From Downtown Rising

Looks pretty doesn't it? I have to agree. Except for the small fact that the majority of the developed property you see in this vision is owned and controlled by the LDS Church. Since before the 2002 Olympics, our downtown property, centered on Main Street has been languishing. Suburban expansion, coupled with the absolute lack of residential property anywhere downtown has left this business district looking like an Iraqi market, boarded up and empty save for the few remaining bars and local bookshops.

Photo by: Theorris

Many locals remember Main Street from it's legal problems, because back in 2004/2005, the LDS Church decided to 'buy' a public street section that ran in between the Temple Square and the Church Office Plaza. Essentially what happened is that the LDS Church decided that it wanted the local street, and seized the property without public consideration or compensation. (See the news about it here). Sure, people argue that we got fair market value, but an acre downtown is far more valuable than an empty dirt lot somewhere nobody even knows about. The largest controversy about this is that the public street soon became private property, where the LDS Church as the owner could remove people for not acting to their standards. Protesters and people wearing TShirts were removed from the land, resulting in legal battles. Little did the public know that this was only the beginning of the LDS Church's ambitions for downtown.

Photo: Oakland Construction
In this photo, Main Street was everything that ran between the white building on the top and the green roofed building in the bottom.

In a series of real estate deals, the LDS Church gobbled up property measuring a 10 Block area, or about 20 acres of prime real estate. Now, the LDS Church is enacting its $1.5 Billion vision for downtown, resulting mainly in the City Creek development. This development, in addition to other things, promises to redevelop the 2 downtown malls into profitable ones, residential housing, educational and sports facilities. Sounds all fine and nice. But the only problem is that all of this comes with a helping of the LDS doctrine. The malls? No beer allowed, and stores close on Sundays. Residential housing? I fear to see what sort of housing regulations they impose. If they are at all similar to BYU housing regulations, then I won't be accepted. Education? Try an LDS Business college. And sports facilities, well theres not much religious doctrine enacted except in the locker rooms.

While downtown needs this redevelopment, it doesn't need to languish under the iron fist of the LDS Church. I've often advocated turning downtown SLC into East Berlin. Put a wall around it, and occasionally fly supplies of Wonder Bread and Rush Limbaugh tapes. Then us heathens can go build our own downtown in Sugarhouse (which too is dying because of outside corporate redevelopment). Downtown SLC has just become a Mormon outpost in the big bad city of Salt Lake. I know several (5+) people who refuse to live in Salt Lake City because they find it too morally degrading. Instead, they choose to commute the 40+ miles from Provo to be, and I quote, "closer to Zion".

Photo: Dan Gorder
The Future of Downtown?

A recent debate that has developed with our outgoing mayor Rocky Anderson was the inclusion of a "sky bridge." Many argue, that if the purpose of Downtown Rising was to replenish the dying local businesses still living on our Main Street, that a sky bridge would kill the pedestrian traffic that they were desperately in need of. Of course, the Church, and their loyal subjects on the Salt Lake City Council wouldn't hear of something. Now, with a sky bridge in tow, these businesses are certainly destined to die, with the City Creek development a sealed community to service only the suburbanites to drive in and out of it. Any hope of encouraging development and growth outside of this development because of shared benefits is lost, because all shoppers are sealed into a closed environment. Much like the ballyhooed development of the Gateway district, many dreamed of a regrowth and cleaning up of the 400 West area. What we got is a traffic congested area with a nice development inside of a frightening area of the city, with no pedestrian traffic filtering into the shopping area unless it's to panhandle.

I think that the biggest thing that really gets me about this entire debacle is that we, as citizens of Salt Lake City, are supposed to be grateful to the LDS Church for spending money on us. This is the sentiment repeated again and again by the dominant local media (which is entirely owned by subsidiaries of the LDS Church). But I don't see it that way. I see this as the LDS Church spending money on themselves, us be damned. From the Downtown Rising FAQ:

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is committed to the development of downtown Salt Lake City as the home of its international headquarters. The Church is in a unique position to act as a major contributor, along with many others, to a vibrant, high quality downtown area that will continue to be a regional destination."

I just hope this doesn't ruin our city. Salt Lake is great. We have services that rival cities with a gigantic population, and yet there are only around 250,000 people in the main valley. We have a world class library system, strong humanities, and people in control who genuinely care about making life great. We have abundant open and green space, free for all to enjoy. But when the LDS Church takes its focus off of building it's newest temple in some god forsaken place, or babying Provo, they can really ruin things. The Church has control of the state outside of the city, and it makes them so mad that they can really pressure the city into doing it's bidding. I foresee only long term problems for downtown, especially since it takes into account absolutely no long term considerations of emissions (not an LEED certified project) and relies greatly on cars to bring people to shop.

PS - A good editorial from the independent paper, the City Weekly, about Main Street, May 10, 2007 - Link

So I know I've been moderately absent as of the last few weeks, with the exception being my random photos that I send in from my mobile. So here's what I've been up to:

• Since discovering my near 10,000$ shortage in tuition funds for the upcoming year, I've been attempting to navigate the stunning array of loan options for students. Federal loans, private loans, parent loans, Stafford loans, subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, and it goes on and on. Why, oh why, must this pain me so? Even worse is my shitty credit and the fact that I am a traditional student. There are loan options that cater to every minority and niche major, except being a white male business major disqualifies me. Not that I'm saying those loans are a bad thing. Its just more for me to wade through. I'm probably going to end up using Prosper.com because it a) simplifies my life and b) supports a micro-finance community that I really enjoy.
  
• Saturday's Voyeur is tonight, and like all the SLAC plays I'm really looking forward to it. We had to change from our normal season ticket night because of some poorly timed oral surgeries on the part of both my mother and my boyfriend (that was a busy time for the local soup restaurant). So having been postponed for 14 days merely enhanced my anticipation. This play is a wonderful mockery of everything that has happened in Salt Lake for the past year. If you aren't aware (at which point I must ask what rock you've been under) Salt Lake's warped political situation created by the intertwining of the Mormon Church, the GOP, and the local politicians leaves the many of us who live outside of the church and inside the city with an often jaded view of the local goings on. SLAC, like any proper local venue, uses these often absurd happenings for material. This year focuses on our outgoing city mayor, Ross "Rocky" Anderson (of Hannity pseudo-debate fame) and all his doings. We'll miss Rocky for his continued antics of trying to enforce the law instead of the LDS Church's wishes. Look forward to an update tomorrow sometime.
• On a whim (how else?) I decided to redecorate my room. The new Ikea that opened hasn't helped with my uncontrollable urge to refurnish my rooms. So I broke down and bought a bunch of lamps and boxed up a bunch of crap that accumulated over the year. So now I'm back to having my magazine bedroom. I don't know why people think it's bad to have a living space that could be featured in an architectural/interior design magazine. It's nether cold nor is it impersonal in any way. In fact, I feel much better in it without feeling like the walls are going to fall in on me with stuff. I have some modern paintings up that I picked up around town, and that's all.
• Otherwise since the art's festival, all I've done is work. I paid off one more of my revolving credit cards on Monday, so I'm now down to two of the original four. I've taken a 13,000$ debt and turned it into a 6,500$ debt in just under 18 months, and that's even with taking 4 months off of work to do my internship in London. I'm fairly fulfilled with myself, and moderately upset that I have to incur more debt for uni. Alas, that's a permanent condition regardless of what I do it seems.

So that's about it. Nothing too amazing. Just life. I'll let you know how the play is tomorrow.

Fotos & Video

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Ok ... please bear with me whilst I complain ...

So while I was driving to a mall yesterday, I chose to take the freeway since it's on the opposite end of the valley I live in. We have this shitty little side freeway that feeds into the main one. It happens to be I-80 as it crosses the Salt Lake Valley, which connects with I-15. Anywho, I was driving down this road with the speed limit at 65, so naturally I'm going about 70. As we're driving we notice this little pile of hot asphalt in my lane, that I have to change lanes to avoid. Little rocks are scattered across the road and flip up everywhere. I just think, "No biggie. Have to do this all the time." Utah has a severe problem with industrial rubbish winding up on our thoroughfares.

As I'm cruising down I-80, I see this little truck with blinking lights parked in the left shoulder. I assume that it's there to come clean up the crap that's on the road. The nearest car in front of me is about 10 car lengths ahead. When this car in front of me passes the truck, two idiots (I'm sure there's a harsher word than that to describe them) grab a shovel load of asphalt, run into the MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY and dump a load of asphalt into a pothole in my lane. After they chuck the load into the hole, they run back to their truck grinning. During this time, I had to slam on my brakes and swerve around these workers who were running thru traffic to plant rocks in the freeway. I retorted with a nice long honking and a prominent middle finger.

My question is this: What f**king idiot's would do this? The only reason I can piece together in my head is that these people were told by their management to go fill potholes on I-80. Rather than closing the lanes to do it properly, they loaded up a truck with some hot asphalt, grabbed some shovels, and headed out. The biggest worry I also have is that, were I to have hit these idiots, I would have been at fault and sent to jail for vehicular manslaughter. Unintentional as it was, Utah has this asinine law that whenever a pedestrian is involved, the driver is at fault.

Because these twats chose to frolic thru traffic, some very innocent lives could have been ruined. Because they threw hot loads of asphalt into random potholes, some severe damages to vehicles will result. Because they didn't do this properly, their time and resources are a waste of tax payer money. Often enough our road workers don't get the credit they deserve. I appreciate having wonderful infrastructure that can sail me in my car miles in any direction in minutes. But when the service is represented by workers like these, I can't help but complain.

For those who are interested, this happened to me yesterday, June 7th, around 7pm.

Ok...< / Rant >

Some states have 'leafers.' Others have annual chili cookoffs.. We have the Sundance Film Festival. Yes it's that wonderful time of year when our poor little city is overrun by tourists flocking to come see the films. Don't get me wrong - I love the attention that it shines on our city and the benefits that having such events brings. It's more of the fact that for 2 weeks around the festival all of my prices go up at restaurants, the roads get congested, and Paris Hilton is in Utah that irritates me. Oh well.

I'll still be smashed in a small 'artsy' theater to watch what is most likely going to be a feminist coming of age movie where they smash pickle jars. I'm not making that up - that was one of the films I got to see last year. After that, an overpriced latte and another feature film about two gay politicians running against each other or a nice film about suicidal angst. As most people in the film industry know, there are only so many plots that can be explored.

If you're coming to Salt Lake, I welcome you with open hands. And if you think the Sundance Film Festival happens in Park City (or god forbid at Sundance Ski Resort where it started 25 years ago) you're only kind of right. While the festival offices are in Park City, there are all of 2 theaters in Park City that hold more than 25 people. Instead it spills over into Salt Lake where we have the venue capacity that such an event demands. So come one come all.

Sundance Film Festival, 2007
January 18th - 28th
http://festival.sundance.org/2007/