Shopping Secrets of Park City, Utah
November 27th, 2007 Categories: Deer Valley®, Dining & Entertainment, Lifestyle & Activities, Local Services, Shopping
Not every visitor to Park City wants to spend all day every day skiing the world famous slopes or lounging in elegant spas. For those hearty souls that need to get their fix of shopping, Park City, Utah has a variety of options.
Slope-Side Park City & Deer Valley Specialty Shops Boast the Latest Designer Fashions and Top-of-the-Line Equipment.
Equipment can often be tested on the mountain before purchase and the rental fee will be applied towards the purchase price. They don’t let you test-drive the fur coats though!
Look for great deals as the season nears its end and the shops clear inventory in order to stock the coming season’s gear and clothes.
Main Street Park City has a plethora of shops ranging from tee shirts and souvenir shops to high-end boutiques and some of the best art galleries available in the mountain west.
Park City is a historic mining town with authentic architecture and fantastic people watching.
A shopping experience on Main Street could be elevated with a great lunch or dinner, or just pop in to one of the taverns for a warm libation while you traverse the street, looking for your purchases.
Main Street is a fairly steep hill, so start your shopping at the top of Main Street near the Wasatch Brew Pub and walk downhill. Traffic moves slowly on Main Street so crossing back and forth is fairly easy, and then when you reach the bottom you can take the free trolley back up-hill.
Redstone is a new pedestrian-friendly shopping area at Kimball Junction. A true mixed-use community, this neighborhood combines street-level retail, restaurant, and commercial businesses with residential living upstairs.
Coming soon, look for new stores and a bowling alley to open as soon as construction is completed. Restaurants and a movie theatre add to the options at this vibrant area. It can be a good stop on the way to or from the Tanger Outlets which is located nearby.
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Successfully Navigating Utah Liquor Laws
November 27th, 2007 Categories: Dining & Entertainment, Lifestyle & Activities, Utah Facts and Fiction
You can get a drink in Utah!
The liquor laws may seem foreign to most people not from Utah, but if you can navigate them with the help of the Park City Guru, you can enjoy yourself immensely in this picturesque ski town.
Your server in any establishment will try to make it easy on you to keep legal and happy, but there is a large difference in how you can drink depending on the license of the establishment, which is either a restaurant liquor licensee or a private club.
You cannot get served hard liquor until noon except at the airport, though domestic 3.2 beer can be served as early as 10am
Private clubs are the bars in Utah; to drink there you must join the club.
Usually this is accomplished by paying a nominal fee for a temporary membership, which should cover you for your stay.
You can sit at the bar in a club and can actually get a ‘double’ by asking for a ‘sidecar’ of the main liquor in your cocktail. This shot will be poured separately and has to be added into your drink by you.
Some bars and restaurants have the ability to serve their patrons alcohol when they are dining through the restaurant liquor license. If you are in this type of establishment, you must demonstrate your ‘intent to dine’.
The ‘intent to dine’ can be inferred by asking for a menu and is usually enough to allow you to buy one round at a restaurant, though your server may require you to order some food on your second round. Often they have a menu item that covers the legality for just a few dollars.
The servers will be fastidious in not serving you more than one drink at a time, though wine at a dinner table is a little more relaxed. You cannot get a ‘sidecar’ in these establishments.
Liquor stores are run by the state and are closed on Sundays. There is a small store on main street of Park City, and a very large one at the Snow Creek marketplace across from the supermarket.
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An Park City Insider’s Guide To Sundance Film Festival
November 27th, 2007 Categories: Dining & Entertainment
Sundance Film Festival rivals Cannes as the most important film festival in the world and Park City, Utah in the winter is an unlikely but wonderful host.
Sundance Film Festival turns Park City into the most important town in the movie world for ten days in January. Movie stars, musicians, and fans from around the world mingle at premiers and parties where the next bright stars of Hollywood are discovered.
To enjoy it the most a local Park City guide can be very helpful, let me shed a little light on the inner workings of the Sundance Film Festival.
I encourage friends to come to Park City during the festival, it’s the best time of year to ski the resorts because most of the visitors are watching movies, partying or sleeping, but the restaurants are tough to get into and the traffic can be challenging. Be sure to know if your restaurant of choice is serving ‘prix fixe’ meals and what their reservation policies are. Many restaurants and bars are closed for private parties on some evenings, though access is not always very restricted and the bold may enjoy a truly sublime Sundance experience.
Park City is inundated with ‘people in black’ (PIB’s) during this time and the ski town mentality and some of the over the top Hollywood stuff makes for truly entertaining situations.
Though the locals appreciate the economics of the festival and therefore like these visitors, it is hard not to smile seeing the PIB’s trying to navigate slushy winter streets in completely inappropriate footwear. Everyone prays extra hard for snow during Sundance!
A caveat, if you come to Park City or Deer Valley during the Sundance film festival you will definitely be entertained, but these ten days are not representative of the town the rest of the year. It is a tremendously fun atmosphere, but you have to take it all with a grain of salt.
If you want to see a screening of one of these important films and you do not have a Hollywood connection do what the informed locals do, go to the box office at the Gateway Center and see what tickets get are released or returned for that day. Hang around for a while you may have the opportunity to buy tickets from people who can’t use them. Another sure fire tactic is to go to the Eccles Theatre at Park City High school 45 minutes before one of the screenings and get in the stand by line. This almost guarantees you a seat. Try to get in on the first floor to get views of the actors and the players andenjoy the show!
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Après Ski Starts the Party Early in Park City, Utah
November 26th, 2007 Categories: Deer Valley®, Dining & Entertainment, Hotels & Lodging, Lifestyle & Activities, Skiing, The Canyons®
Despite Popular Misconceptions About Utah, Park City Has World-Class Restaurants, a Vibrant Nightlife, and a Great Music Scene.
Visit the hottest little ski town in the heart of the Wasatch Mountains and you may not want to return home! Traffic and crummy weather are highly over-rated, don’t you think?
Nightlife in Park City get started early and ends early by most standards. Bars stop serving at 1am , but the party starts early–while the lifts are still running.
Where is the best Apres Ski scene in Park City & Deer Valley?
After a great day on the slopes, you need a spot to kick back, relax, and re-group for the evening ahead. There’s a wide variety to weigh, so here are some options…
A taste of the award winning fondue in the bar at Stein Eriksen Lodge feels like a mini-European vacation.
One too many frothy Stigels at the Goldner Hirsh Inn, and you’ll be ready for a yodeling contest with the ski instructor sitting at the table sitting next to you.
At O’Shucks on Historic Main Street, you can order Schooners (huge vessels that require both hands to hoist the mighty drink) of beer, and patrons toss empty peanut shells on the floor.
At Talisker’s Tower Club in The Village at Empire Pass, club members lounge in oversized chairs in front of the massive stone fireplace, and sample delictable items off the après ski menu. Kids have their own clubhouse area downstairs for supervised arts, crafts, and games.
Most of Park City’s nightclubs are found on Historic Main Street. Harry O’s attracts top name performers year-round. The No Name Saloon, The Spur, and The Sidecar are other popular hangouts for locals and visitors alike.
Après Ski is More Than a Warm-up For Evening in Park City…
Après ski is under appreciated for the wealth of opportunities it presents.
“I have witnessed the birth (and sometimes the consummation and break up) of torrid affairs, reunions of long lost friends/lovers/enemies, business deals struck and abandoned, and ugly hands of credit card roulette.” says a longtime Park City bartender
Après Ski timing is critical. You don’t want to be uncomfortable in your ski boots and wet ski clothes, but going home to shower may keep you from getting the right spot at the right time.
Your best bet is to change your clothes (at least your shoes) and secure your skis in overnight ski storage facilities at hotels, resorts or in your vehicle. Otherwise, you may still be in your ski boots when you try to dance with that cute skier that has been flirting with you from the next table.
Find a place with good music, food and the right mix of people. Be sure to drink extra water at our high-elevation resorts and do not overindulge early.
One more thing…Get there before 5pm.
PS Be nice to your server as you may want to come back the next day–if you leave at all.
Happy Après!
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