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Jacob Dryer

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Oxnard, CA
Anyone from around there? Been there regularly?



We're headed there in 2 weeks and have never been there before.. looking for family friendly things to do, want to kind of get an idea of what the city is about.. It's on the future permanent settling place list once my wife gets out of the Navy. So we are going on a scouting mission since she has some leave and it's road trip time.



 
Flew into Salt Lake City once changing planes, The lake looked pretty gross from the airplane...but I've heard the area is very nice.
 
My wife and I live just south of salt lake. We really love it here. If you enjoy the outdoors it is a great place to live. We have great mountain biking, skiing, camping and lakes. As bud said in the winter the air stays down in the valley so the air quality greatly diminishes.
 
I have been in and out of Salt Lake City about 6-8 times by plane and have had several incidents with the plane.



One was an engine failure on a 2 engine, Air Force C47 (same as a DC-6) and the other was just a few years ago when the pilot had to abort our landing just seconds before touchdown when there was other traffic on the runway???



So now I avoid flying into Salt Lake City if I can help it.:banghead:



...Rich
 
One was an engine failure on a 2 engine, Air Force C47 (same as a DC-6)...



Don't you mean a DC-3? I thought a DC-6 was a four engined plane. One of the last prop engined airliners. And I also seem to recall the C47 was the military version of the DC-3.







 
I guess it all depends on what your looking to do. We have the zoo, a theme park and couple of other attractions. If your looking for a fun place to eat there is "The Mayan" which has cliff divers while you eat. Where exactly are you staying so I find things to do around your hotel.
 
Uncle Bob,

Yes, you are correct, it was a military version of the DC-3 not a DC-6. It was 1965 and I was returning home from a tour of duty on Okinawa. I had caught a hop out of Travis AFB in California going to the Denver area. The left engine exploded in flight over the mountains and we had to make an emergency landing at Hill AFB in Ogden, Utah. Later the flight was cancelled and I had to catch a cab ride to Salt Lake City airport to continue my travel home.



...Rich
 
We will be camping outside SLC and driving in so location doesn't really matter. We are always on the hunt for local amazing food. Our kids are almost 2 so they aren't really into anything, but they will be with us.. We aren't looking for anything in particular just an idea of what is in the area.



Is there an "old town" area?

I've read that the LDS Temple is a sight to be seen.



 
Been there three or four times, each for a bout a week. Yes, the LDS Temple is a must-see, especially if you get to see the Mormon Tab Choir. And it's the wrong time of year, but the skiing (quantity, quality, and access distance) can't be beat.



But I must say, as someone who was once in your situation (considering moving there), based on my experiences there, unless you're LDS and consider that location a home base already, be ready to feel like an outcast if you move there. The proselytizing is practically non-stop, and many will treat you as a pariah if you are reluctant to give in to the proselytizing. And even when the proselytizing isn't direct, you'll still have to live under rules that are clearly direct extensions of the LDS influence. Be it strange business hours, alcohol purchase/consumption laws, or many others, the LDS influence is everywhere.



A couple of the more extreme examples from my brief visits--



--On one trip, I was needing to meet with a group of three or four people outside of work hours sometime during my visit. While trying to set it up, I happened to mention that Monday night worked well in my schedule, and asked if that could work for the others. Not only did they refuse, but for even suggesting it, they refused to meet with me at any time during the trip. I later learned that apparently Mondays are the night that all LDSers spend the evening at home with their families teaching religious lessons, and for even opening the possibility that they miss that (even though I had no knowledge of it), I was being shunned.



--During the one trip, there was a news report on TV about a local public high school which has a Russian language and culture class. There was soon going to be a large collection of Russian art touring the States, including a stop in Las Vegas, and the kids had been raising money much of the school year for a trip to see this exhibit. However, shortly before the trip was to occur, the school board vetoed it, saying that the ratio of students-per-chaperon was too high. So the trip organizers got several more parents and other adults to agree to travel with the class. Then the board vetoed it again, because the group was scheduled to travel back on a Sunday, and that would mean the driver and chaperons would be working on Sunday. So they adjusted the trip to a different week, when school was already out on Friday for other reasons, so they could start and end the trip a weekday earlier and thus avoid Sunday without affecting the amount of school being missed, even though the cost of the trip went up as a result. Then the board vetoed it again, because the exhibit was going to be hosted by a casino which required guests to pass through the casino to reach the exhibit hall. So they contacted the casino, and worked out special arrangements for the class to be brought in through a back entrance to completely avoid any direct casino exposure. But then the board vetoed the trip one last final time, in a way which killed the trip from happening--the reason given for the last veto was that "Las Vegas is a sinful, evil place".



That, on its own, I did find concerning when I first heard the report--but, I thought, at least this ridiculous decision was seen as unusual enough to make the TV news on multiple stations. However, it raised far more alarms for me the next day, when everyone in the area was talking about it, and nearly everyone was agreeing with the school board! Come on--it's fine to say that you don't care for Vegas. It's not for everyone. But to declare the entire city to be "evil" and to deny a cultural learning opportunity like this that the class had worked all year to achieve, solely for that reason, and to have the general population be in agreement??



It was the last nail completing my decision to not accept the job offer I had available there.



Anyway, if that sounds like it'll fit into your style, or if you can at least tolerate it, great--more power to you. But if you have even slightly differing beliefs, make sure you go into any decision to move there with both eyes open...
 
When was all this Bill? I keep reading stories on both sides about the whole LDS thing. I don't foresee it as a huge issue for me personally, if you can't get over the fact that I'm not your religion I don't need to hang out with you sort of thing. And if Utah is 60% LDS that means that 40% aren't and thats still a lot of potential friends :rofl:
 
I am a member of the LDS church and have never let my religion get in the way of making some really great friends. There are the extremes that avoid nonmembers but they definitely are the exception and not the rule.

As for good places to eat, almost everyone loves the sweet pork burritos at Cafe Rio, it is a restaurant that you order your food and sit down so it would be good for lunch one day. If you like sushi there is an all you can eat place called Simply Sushi which is $15 for lunch and $20 for dinner. Those are the two places my wife and I like to go to on a regular basis. What type of food do you guys enjoy? Also, where exactly are you camping? Are you staying in a campground or are you just heading up one of the canyons?
 
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We are more than likely going to move be I'm sure we will stay at the Antelope Island State Park and maybe the Terrance Campground in the National Forest.



We eat just about anything, I love sushi, but my wife not so much. Other than that we'll try anything.. when we were just in Vegas we hit a local small Chinese place and tried cold jellyfish for the first time. We're open to pretty much whatever.

 
I moved here in 2003 (West Jordan, southwest of downtown). Heard all the LDS stereotypical comments when moving here, but can honestly say I have yet to find anything that is of worry. From my understanding, the city was very controlled by the church and it had it's fingers in everything (still does to an extent) up through about 2000. Since then, more and more people have moved into the city and surrounding areas that are Non-LDS, thus bringing the ratio down. Last numbers I saw on the state website were it is around 50/50 today. I've been here 7 years and have only been asked about my religion on one occasion. There are cities or even neighborhoods that are predominant LDS, but most seem to be split. Most people I have met that seemed to be bothered by it are people that want to be bothered by it. I believe in the 'two each is own' theory, so maybe that's the reason it doesn't bother me.



When I first moved here, I was just looking to get out of Atlanta. Hearing the stories of the church, etc, I thought I might be here 2-3 years - then move on to another job - basically use it as a stepping stone. Since then, I've turned down 3-5 jobs just because I have actually grown to really like this city and have not liked where I would have had to move to.



There are some good restaurants in town. I travel a lot for work and eat out all the time; so by the time I get home, I normally just grille out and eat at home. A couple of places I would recommend - Red Iquana just west of downtown. Great mexican food. Cafe Rio is a good lunch place as Chase said. Q4U in Taylorsville and Pat's BBQ in SLC are probably the premier BBQ places in town (besides my house :haveabeer: ). Not big on Sushi, so I'll have to defer to someone else on the better places for that. Johanna's Kitchen by South Towne Expo Center has probably some of the best 'home cooked style' food around. There is a great place in Ogden for breakfast - huge portions - but I can never remember the name of it. I only know how to get there. :smack: I'll try to get the name.



As far as places... Mostly the normal things... Downtown has a lot of nice places. I would go up to Park City and see the downtown area. Maybe ride out to Sundance and go through the Sundance Film Festival area. There are some neat and interesting things there. The kids might be too young, but the dinosaur fossil exhibits at Thanksgiving Point are cool for an afternoon trip through. Of course Cabelas. Everyone seems to get excited about going there - I guess because they do not have one in their town. Its a 'been there, done that' for me, but I still ike to go down every now and then to take my 3 year old to look at the fish tank and all the animals. Its a good place to walk through, even if you don't shop there.



 
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I believe in the 'two each is own' theory,...

I realize that's almost definitely just a typo--but if it isn't, then it does sound like you're really living the Mormon stereotype... :bwahaha:
 
I realize that's almost definitely just a typo--but if it isn't, then it does sound like you're really living the Mormon stereotype... :bwahaha:





LOL!!!! Yep... that's a typo!!! :rofl:



My wife said the only way I can have another is if the new wife has enough money to let her and I quit and the new wife work... :banana:

 
So I think we're going to find a camping spot along 92. There is apparently a number of dispersed camping areas (free) without RV's and other loud people around. No amenities, but thats how we prefer it anyways. That should put in a good spot to hit SLC, Park City and Sundance.
 
Old story... I took my parents and grandma on an Amtrak tour of the west in 1984. One of the stop-offs was SLC. We were on a tour of the LDS sites and the guide was really nice to us. That is, until mom mentioned she was Catholic. Whoa. I've never seen someone (the tour guide) turn nasty so fast. She gave us the cold shoulder and then some for the rest of the tour.
 
From my understanding, the city was very controlled by the church and it had it's fingers in everything (still does to an extent) up through about 2000. Since then, more and more people have moved into the city and surrounding areas that are Non-LDS, thus bringing the ratio down.

Just curious--Do you think that any of it has to do with their hosting of the Olympics? I could see how an event like that, and all the preparations involved, could cause some of the changes you mention. All my visits were well before then.
 
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