One thing I was aware of but didn't fully appreciate—prior to my running every street in several cities across the Salt Lake Valley—is that the vast majority of roads are residential. If you think of your average daily travel pattern, it probably consists of interstates, off-ramps, major thoroughfares and maybe just a few residential streets before pulling into your driveway. We know there are other residential streets like ours but they tend to be largely theoretical to us. Because our viewpoints of the city are so limited, we tend to perceive certain attributes—either of our own home or that of our neighbors—as unique, when in actuality, we can find similar instances all over the place. A sleek modern house popping up in your neighborhood might be intriguing, but after seeing the same style a thousand times around the city, it becomes a bit more mundane.
That's what I find so fascinating about personalized mailboxes, as they seem to be one of the few exceptions to this rule. I've seen hundreds of them by now and I've yet to see the same decked-out design twice. And although SLC is the focal point of the valley's art scene, it unfortunately does not extend to mailbox creativity, as we pale in comparison to our suburban counterparts.
One of my personal favorites is up in the Mount Olympus neighborhood of Millcreek. That mailbox is squeezed between two giant boulders (above photo), reminding me of the Kjeragbolten, a unique rock formation in the fjords of western Norway.
But of all the cities I've run, West Valley City takes pole position when it comes to sheer numbers of quirky mailboxes. I'd say my top two are both the bomb (below left), near 3200 West and Lancer Way, and udderly fantastic (below right) near Chippewa Road and Pavant Street.
If you have your own favorites, I'd love to hear about them—drop me a message in my own virtual "mailbox" on Instagram, @SLsees!
More by Bryant Heath
-
A street by any other name would still lead to the Utah State Capitol
Small Lake City
- Mar 13, 2024
-
It may not seem like it, but most of Salt Lake City sits west of the freeway—waaaaay west.
Small Lake City
- Dec 6, 2023
-
Salt Lake's City and County building is a time capsule from the past with a view to the future
Small Lake City
- Nov 1, 2023
- More »
Latest in News
Readers also liked…
-
Raise a glass for E.L.T Harrison, architect of the Beerhive building on Main
Small Lake City
- Oct 11, 2023
