But what about that first big date? And those grueling, pre-caffeine and post-booze study sessions? Weekend ragers with friends? Late-night pizza cravings? Leaving campus and heading off into the wilds of Salt Lake City, Ogden and Provo can be a daunting experience without sound guidance.
Let City Weekly’s own summer interns—Dan Fletcher (University of Utah), Jennie Nicholls (Utah Valley University) and Esther Pomeroy (University of Southern California)—be your guides. We’ve come up with a student’s night out complete with dining, drinks, desserts and activities in Utah’s premier college towns, designed to be both fun and easy on the wallet.
Salt Lake City
Dining Out
Este Pizzeria
160 E. 200 South, 363-2366 EstePizzaCompany.com
Salt Lake City’s premier New York-style pie joint, Este Pizzeria of Sugar House, will take up its second residence in the old Guthrie Bicycle building on Sept. 1—just in time for those first-week-of-class, stress-relieving binge sessions. Open late and always serving slices, you can treat yourself to a cheap meal without venturing far from nearby attractions like the Broadway Centre Cinemas and Guthrie building neighbors, the FICE art gallery & clothing boutique. Atop that, veg-heads can delight in an expanded vegan menu to complement Este’s already excellent vegan cheese pizzas and cruelty-free garlic knots.
One World Everybody Eats
41 S. 300 East, 519-2002, OneWorldEverybodyEats.com
Tuition and books got your pocketbook hurting? Head down to One World Everybody Eats Cafe where you can trade an hour of labor for a nice, warm meal or pay what you can until those financial aid checks come through (all meals are donation only). Not to mention you can make Mom proud by getting all your necessary vitamins and nutrients from the cafe’s entirely organic, unprocessed cuisine. One World’s rotating buffet ensures that whether you’re a carnivore, omnivore or herbivore, you’ll always find something affordable and nutritious to sink your chompers into.
Carlucci’s Bakery
314 W. 300 South, 366-4484, CarluccisBakery.com
Located next to Tony Caputo’s Market & Deli across from the south end of Pioneer Park, Carlucci’s Bakery can easily be overlooked. Doing this is nothing short of a crime against Salt Lake dining! Carlucci’s whips up the best soups and sandwiches in town along with mesmerizing cases of freshly baked pastries, cakes and breads and locally roasted, Caffe Ibis coffee. Do not sleep on the baked Italian tofu with balsamic vinaigrette and fresh veggies. Carlucci’s closes at 7 p.m. but an early dinner will allow for a full night of activity.
Dessert/Drinks
Spoon Me
532 E. 400 South, 532-8300, SpoonMe.com
Worried about the impact of an extravagant night out on your carbon footprint? Well, follow up your meal with a TRAX ride over to one of Salt Lake City’s few eco-conscious dessert eateries for the world’s greenest, fro-yo experience. Enjoy plain or green tea yogurt mixed with your favorite toppings, from fresh fruit to Fruity Pebbles, with biodegradable dishes and spoons made of compressed vegetable starch. With your public transportation discount and just 80 calories per serving, Spoon Me is as good for your wallet and your health as it is for your conscience.
The Urban Lounge
500 E. 241 South, 801-355-4949, MySpace.com/TheUrbanLounge
For those who need a little more than a fro-yo kick before a night on the town, head to The Urban Lounge where you can get your booze on to the sounds of the finest hip-hop and rock artists the world has to offer. Wanna get sauced with punk legends The Circle Jerks? Be there Aug. 21. Tipsy with Wu-Tang Clan mastermind, the GZA on Aug. 29. Inebriated with indie rockers Shearwater and local alt-country stars Band of Annuals on Aug. 30. You see where this is going. Urban Lounge is the prime spot for strong drinks and solid tunes.
Two Creek Coffee House
502 Third Avenue, 363-3238
The Avenues’ best-kept coffee secret is a quaint, study-friendly retreat to caffeinate before an evening of economics homework or a moonlit adventure. A full espresso and coffee menu is complemented by fresh pastries stocked daily and Salt Lake City’s finest late-night belly-filler, the Rico burrito. The best thing about Two Creek is its intentional ignorance about Starbucks’ 32 ounce-quadruple-shot-caramel-whipped-cream-smothered-whatever-”puccino” culture. For fully legit coffee, snacks, peace and quiet, this is the place.
Activities
Salt Lake City summer nights are the perfect time to be outside. So instead of going through the same old bowling/movie/club routine, learn to use those legs for something new: exploring your city!
Start with the city’s most quixotic landmark, Gilgal Garden. Created by Thomas Battersby Child Jr. in the mid-20th century, only rumors and legends survive to explain its creation. Hidden in the middle of the block northeast of Trolley Square (at 749 E. 500 South), Gilgal’s varied, hand-engraved sculptures and intricate carvings are a must-see.
From there, head over to Lindsay Gardens in the Avenues (Seventh Avenue & O Street). Here you’ll find numerous activities that’ll make you feel like a kid again, and probably make you want to vomit (in a good way). Roll down hills, spin yourself dizzy on the merry-go-round and ride trash cans down the Avenues’ inclines. If you want to scare yourself, you can hunt ghosts and wake the dead at City Cemetery next door.
Call it a night with a short hike up Ensign Peak, located in the foothills above Capitol Hill at 1098 Ensign Vista. Twenty minutes uphill you’ll find a view of the entire Salt Lake Valley (just watch out for fellow merrymakers having a bit too much fun in the bushes, unless, you know, that’s what you’re looking for)
—DF