Passing Through Salt Lake City

I know a retired California PLS who is finishing his work at a violin making school there. That's as close as I can get. Safe travels.

Check out the "Initial Point" of the Salt Lake Base & Meridian, at the Northwest corner of Main Street & South Temple Street.

Loyal

And right behind the initial point, inside the LDS Temple Grounds there is an astronomic marker that is also worth a visit (since you will be 120' away.) It is under the tree, near the base. Red sandstone. You can walk to it off the path from the North. If anyone stops you, tell them you are on official Beer Leg Survey business.

"An astronomical station, its stone base still standing 100 ft. N. and 50 ft. W. of this corner was established by George W. Dean, U.S.C.&G. survey, September 30, 1869, to determine the true latitude and longitude; it was used to obtain correct time at this point until December 30, 1897."

See [ https://heritage.utah.gov/apps/history/markers/detailed_results.php?markerid=2499&apos ;">link ]

Depending on what time and day you end up here, I will just be 20 blocks away. We can meet for lunch? And a beer too. Our office is just north of Sugarhouse, the Hipster Capital of Utah. Lots of good eats and lots of great beer.

There are some solstice tunnels out in the west desert, and the Spiral Jetty is dang cool also. Neither are convenient.

If you like old stuff, the DUP (Daughters of the Utah Pioneers) Museum at 300 N Main Street (about 4 blocks North) is worth the free price of admission. Be sure to check out the horse drawn fire carriage in the back.

Do not fill out any visitor books with your address, no matter how cute the young women who meet you. It might be a trap. Call me if you get in trouble. I know how to deal with the Mormon Mafia.

And please don't give the panhandlers downtown any money. It is like a 4th world country down there.

I'll definitely check out the initial point and the astronomic marker. I will only have a a couple of hours in the mid-afternoon otherwise meetings. Thanks for the responses!!

Check out how wide the streets were originally platted, Inspiration for sure from the Prophets.

erwsdot, post: 397843, member: 6038 wrote: Check out how wide the streets were originally platted, Inspiration for sure from the Prophets.

Yes! Very easy to make illegal u-turns. I discovered that driving around SLC on a Sunday once.
Divine inspiration.

A decade ago, perhaps two, the U-Turn law was modified in Utah. Prior to change, it was a patchwork of laws. You had to know where the town boundaries were. SLC banned them except where specifically allowed.

Today U-Turns are specifically allowed anywhere in the state unless prohibited by a sign or:

http://www.le.utah.gov/UtahCode/getCodeSection?code=41-6a-802&apos ;">41-6a-802. Turning around ‰ÛÓ Where prohibited ‰ÛÓ Visibility.
The operator of a vehicle may not make a U-turn or turn the vehicle to proceed in the opposite direction:
(1) unless the movement can be made safely and without interfering with other traffic; or
(2) on any curve, or upon the approach to, or near the crest of a grade, if the vehicle is not visible at a distance of 500 feet by the operator of any other vehicle approaching from either direction.

I too got a ticket at a reasonable place years ago (but I am sure it was because I was poor and had long hair.) The real problem downtown is the light-rail makes left turns difficult many places.

Actually a few feet from the initial point there is another interesting feature. A walk-street. Without any question the transition of this street from public-thoroughfare to a private (Church owned) parcel was the most litigious transfer ever attempted in the great State of Utah. I personally know two lawyers who spent entire careers fighting for and against it. It was front page on the Tribune for a full decade. The delineation of Private Public on that street, around Temple Square, has some nifty brass markers set in the sidewalk. I think the markers are in the wrong place and have though it would be fun to take a robot down and check out the block. Just showing up with an instrument on that block would activate a total 's__tstrom' within seconds.

If you will be driving here, best to take a look at the street numbering/naming before you arrive. Once you figure it out, you will be able to drive ANYWHERE in town without a map. You will even know which side of the street an odd or even numbered house is on. I have derived great pleasure in watching out-of-towners struggle as they try to figure out how to get someplace in the simplest addressing schema ever implemented. 95% of Utah towns have the same schema.

It even works on 'named' streets. For example, I live on 'Bryan Avenue' but I always include "1560 South" in directions for any driver. (As does everyone else.) So you immediately know that the street I live on is 15.60 blocks south of the Temple and runs Due East-West. With only a street address like "2222 E" you can arrive straightaway. (Odd = North side; Even = South side.)

erwsdot, post: 397843, member: 6038 wrote: Check out how wide the streets were originally platted, Inspiration for sure from the Prophets.

Also the layout. Going north/south, east/west and the numbering. Very organized.

Mark Silver, post: 397852, member: 1087 wrote: (Odd = North side; Even = South side.)

Actually, the Odd/Even rule is that, when your back is to the temple; even on the right, odd on the left. State Street is the dividing line for the change in sides for the odd/even addresses when traveling east-west (East of State, even is on south side; West of State, even is on the north side). South Temple Street separates the change from odd/even traveling north-south.

Aside from that, you'll likely find everywhere a bit odd.

Mark Silver, post: 397852, member: 1087 wrote: Today U-Turns are specifically allowed anywhere in the state unless prohibited by a sign or:

Wise rule...the U-Turn is vastly undervalued in the modern world.

I was downtown looking at the Christmas lights last night and snapped a picture of astro and base:

If you go looking for the astro, this picture might make it easier to find:

I suppose that is iconic as one can get in this fair city.

I read once the lowest note on the bass pedals of the pipe organ at the Tabernacle was only 16 cps. I don't know how many octaves that is below middle c, but I'd like to hear it in person someday. I'm pretty sure it is a grand instrument.

The organ is a masterpiece. I have actually played a hymn on it.

There are a few other noteworthy things in the neighborhood:

1. The actual Tabernacle building was built without fasteners. My great grandfather later opened the first foundry (Silver Brothers Iron Works) to make metal things as a result of the shortage. Most of the old light poles, manhole lids, coal chutes, bullet presses and all other metal things found in this state were made by Great Grandpa Joseph Askie Silver and his brothers.

2. Across the street to the North (from the Temple) there is a big building called the 'Conference Center' It fills an entire block, but was purposely snuggled into the hillside as to not look as big as it is. It holds 22,000+ people. But the interesting thing is that the seating balcony is cantilevered and there are no supports to the floor or the ceiling. It is the largest cantilevered architectural feature (perhaps balcony) in existence. And it is basically built on a fault line, so it has some big structural components. If you go to the door where they originate tours, and tell them that you want to see the balcony and look through the binder of construction photos they will oblige and you can get out without taking the rest of the tour. Most tourists could care less (like the astro), but I can look at it for hours (and I suspect that if you are on this board you can too.)

If you are into this kind of stuff, there is a detailed description of the trusswork and steel treatments here: https://www.aisc.org/globalassets/modern-steel/archives/2000/10/2000v10_building_to_last.pdf

3. The next interesting thing is on Fridays at noon the state historical society leads back 'room' tours of the City and County building. At one point you actually end up on the roof walkway where you can walk over and see the statues (I am afraid of heights so I have not ventured far down the roof crest). You get to go to the very top of the clock tower (yes my great-grandfather built the clock).

4. And of course if you make it this far you should walk 1 block to the East and take a walk-through tour of our Public Library. There is a roof garden that actually would be a good starting or ending place for city tours because you can see the entire town. Here is a picture I took a few weeks ago from the gang-plank on the fourth floor:

I believe that it is a positive reflection on any city that can build a Public Library as fine as this. Really. (BTW, there is a first rate coffee shop in the library!)

Sorry to turn this into a travel channel. I am pretty sure that the things that I find interesting about Salt Lake City would only appeal to other engineers. So perhaps this has a place here on BeerLeg. The last time I took some engineers into the Conference Center I asked them how many people show up wanting to only look at the Balcony. Evidently it is just me.

erwsdot, post: 397843, member: 6038 wrote: Check out how wide the streets were originally platted, Inspiration for sure from the Prophets.

I'm not familiar with streets in Utah, but in California the streets in the early towns were wide to prevent the spread of fire. Nowadays wide streets here are looked upon less favorably because of the heat island effect and stormwater runoff.

Jim Frame, post: 404008, member: 10 wrote: I'm not familiar with streets in Utah, but in California the streets in the early towns were wide to prevent the spread of fire. Nowadays wide streets here are looked upon less favorably because of the heat island effect and stormwater runoff.

At a surveyors meeting last night, heard that the original plat of Salt Lake City from 1847, done on a sheepskin, sold at an auction for $600,000.

Here is a news story http://www.sltrib.com/home/3748626-155/early-map-of-mormon-leader-brigham

Here is the Auction write up for the plat

http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/books-manuscripts/sherwood-henry-garlic-orson-pratt-6052774-details.aspx?from=salesummary&intObjectID=6052774&lid=1