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Conscientious Detector of Good Times
Rocky Anderson, High Road for Human Rights founder
Former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson’s perfect day would begin after a perfect night’s sleep—something that has eluded him for years. “I’ll start with what I’d do after I bound, energized, out of bed, shower and enjoy my morning dose of rock & roll (Led Zeppelin would be perfect).”

Perfection for Anderson would kick off reading an article in The New York Times about the war-crimes indictments of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Yoo and every member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, all of whom, he claims, knew about torture and did nothing about it.

Energized by the welcomed news, he meets up with several friends and his son (visiting from New York because he missed his dad) on the Silver Fork Lodge deck (11332 E. Big Cottonwood Canyon Road, Salt Lake City 435-649-9551, SilverForkLodge.com) for breakfast, partaking in delicious vegan sausage.

After finishing his fourth prostate-cancer-preventing cup of coffee and some sourdough pancakes (the starter is over 50 years old!), he spots an attractive woman approaching with a check to provide a large permanent endowment for High Road for Human Rights (HighRoadForHumanRights.org), the nonprofit Anderson leads to halt worldwide human-rights abuses such as human trafficking, sex slavery, genocides, kidnapping and torture.

His group then drives to the Brighton parking lot (12601 E. Big Cottonwood Canyon Road, Brighton) and—with backpacks loaded with a fine pinot grigio, cheese, apples, French bread, sardines and a great novel—hikes to Lake Mary. “During stimulating lakeside conversation,” Anderson fantasizes, “I learn that minimum mandatory sentencing laws have been repealed, the Supreme Court has recognized that corporations are not persons after all, and Christians, Jews and Muslims have agreed their religions really do forbid killing.” Then, after enjoying some quiet time reading, they hike back to the bottom of the Brighton chair lift and drive for lunch outdoors at Faustina (454 E. Broadway, Salt Lake City, 801-746-4441, FaustinaSLC.com) or Wild Grape (481 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City, 801-746-5565, WildGrapeBistro.com).

Back home, on his quiet backyard deck, “I read a magazine—and discover that burning coal is now illegal and the war on drugs has been supplanted by a war on climate change,” he imagines.

“After a little cloud cover cools down the valley,” Anderson continues, “I run up City Creek Canyon to the two-mile sign (my best time ever) and then enjoy a magnificent high as I run back down the winding road. I then stop by Matrix (533 S. 700 East, Salt Lake City, 801-799-4999) for my semi-annual (not nearly often enough!) deep-tissue massage by Julietta.”

He drives home; takes a long, hot shower; dresses; fixes salad and bakes salmon; and welcomes several friends for a quick dinner before walking two blocks to an encore of the U2 concert at Rice-Eccles Stadium. After the best concert ever, “Several of us gather again at my home for good conversation and the sharing of camaraderie so essential for anything close to a perfect day.” (Jerre Wroble)

Making the Scene
Utah Jazz’s Ronnie Price
When it comes to having a perfect summer day, Utah Jazz guard Ronnie Price follows the three Fs: family, food and fun.

“On a perfect summer day, I hang out with my family and my kids as much as I can,” Price says. “There’s so much to do in Utah.”

Price and his family always try to fit in a few short trips during the summer. “My brothers-in-law like to go boating … it’s always good to go with them. We go to East Canyon (5535 South Highway 66, Morgan, 801-829-6866) and Lake Powell (Kane County, 435-644-5033) every once in a while. Me and my wife travel down to St. George a lot and spend time there. I golf a lot.”

When he’s in town, Price spends time with his family—and there’s usually a meal involved. “I enjoy food. I’m not a picky eater; anything that’s around and available when I’m hungry I pretty much just take advantage of,” he says. “We have some family that lives in Cottonwood Heights, and we like to eat at Porcupine Pub & Grille (3698 E. Fort Union Blvd., Cottonwood Heights, 801-942-5555, PorcupinePub.com). We get takeout from there all the time. My wife is a big fan of Café Rio (Multiple locations, CafeRio.com). She loves it. I enjoy it, but she enjoys it a lot.”

Price’s wife, Jenni, also leads the way when it comes to shopping. “I don’t really shop for myself at all—I don’t like buying anything for myself,” Price says. “But my wife likes to shop, so she has fun with it. We go to the Tanger Outlet (6699 N. Landmark Drive, Park City, 435-645-7078, TangerOutlet.com). I like the Polo outlet. I live in North Salt Lake, so The Gateway (18 N. Rio Grande St., Salt Lake City, 801-456-2000, ShopTheGateway.com) is the closest mall to us. ... I’ve been finding myself in the Apple store a lot lately.”

Just because it’s the off-season doesn’t mean Price can take a break from staying in shape. “I’m always working out in the summertime. There are a few people I work out with, including Xtraordinary Sports Performance (3003 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, 801-953-1434, XtraordinarySportsPerformance.com) with Erick Land. It’s fun because it’s helping me get better.”

For Price, a perfect night on the town involves music. “When we have babysitters and just like to get out, we sometimes go to the piano bar Keys on Main (242 S. Main, Salt Lake City, 801-363-3638, KeysOnMain.com). We’ve been to The Red Door (57 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City, 801-363-6030, BehindTheRedDoor.com) a few times. I think the last concert we’ve been to together in Utah was probably Celine Dion. It was great. I’m all over the place with the type of music that I like to listen to, especially in concerts. I’m just a big fan of music. I love artists, and I love people who are good at what they do. (Rachel Piper)

Garden Goddess
Sharon Anne Leopardi, B.U.G. Farms
It’s 8 a.m. on Saturday, and Sharon Anne Leopardi jumps on her bike and heads down to the Shiva Center (2065 E. 2100 South, Salt Lake City, 801-485-5933, FlowYogaSLC.com) for a Kalari class—a powerful blend of yoga, martial arts and dance. She continues sweating it out with a morning hike dodging rattlesnakes along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail by the “H” rock (BonnevilleShorelineTrail.org). She then heads to Omar’s Rawtopia (2148 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, 801-486-0332, OmarsRawtopia.com) for a tabbouleh salad and a chocolate gogi smoothie—much-needed fuel for the rest of her busy day.

After lunch, she’ll spend some time chilling with her chickens and pulling weeds in one of her eight backyard urban-garden farm plots (B.U.G. Farms, 1136 First Ave., Salt Lake City, 801-718-7478, BackyardUrbanGardens.com).

She goes home for a quick shower and change of clothes, and then meets up with a few friends around 8 p.m. for a tasty dinner at Forage (370 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City, 801-708-7834, ForageRestaurant.com), where she might even dine on some of the veggies she grew since she sells to the restaurant. There are plenty of concerts this summer, but Sharon and her friends make their way to The Urban Lounge (241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City, 801-746-0557, TheUrbanLoungeSLC.com) to knock back a few Brainless Belgian-Style Golden Ales from Epic Brewery (825 S. State, Salt Lake City, 801-906-0123, EpicBrewing.com) and take in the live tunes of David Williams. (Shelly Guillory)

Pedal Power
Kyle Whittingham, University of Utah football head coach
Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham’s ultimate day involves fun in the sun, combining the outdoors with family time. “We’re a very active family,” he says. “We like to go on family bike rides and just exercise in general, whether we go down to the high-school track and go jogging or something of that nature.”

“It would start with getting on my road bike and going on a ride, maybe up to Little Cottonwood Canyon (9600 South Wasatch Blvd., Salt Lake City),” he says. “After that, going boating at one of our lakes or reservoirs that are close by, Jordanelle (State Route 319, Heber City, 435-649-9540) or East Canyon (5535 South Highway 66, Morgan, 801-829-6866).” While his wife and kids might want to stop on the way for snacks at a gas station, the former linebacker says, “I’d just as soon pack a lunch and take it with me than stop and get something. I’m old-fashioned.”

Besides providing opportunity for relaxation and recreation, boating is “a great way to bring the family together,” Whittingham says. “You’re all sitting out there on a boat and there’s nowhere to go; you’ve got to visit with each other. That’s an activity that’s made us closer as a family.”

He acknowledges that Salt Lake City is “filled with great restaurants,” but his ideal post-boating dining destination is his own patio, for a family barbecue. “I’m really low maintenance; it doesn’t take much to please me.” After the barbecue, Whittingham might go to a movie, or hit the road again on his motorcycle. “That, to me, would be a fantastic day.”

Though much of the Whittingham family’s summer activities involve experiencing Utah’s outdoors, there’s one area of the state that he hasn’t yet explored. “I haven’t utilized southern Utah like I should,” he says. “I really want to go to Moab. That’s intrigued me for years. Maybe this is the summer that I’ll be able to break away and do that. You hear all the great things about Zion National Park (State Route 9, Springdale, 435-772-3256) and all that, but for whatever reason, I haven’t taken advantage of that.” (Rachel Piper)

Next // River Ride: The Jordan River Parkway’s wild, wonderful biking adventure.