Deer
Valley Real Estate
Journeys: 36 Hours - Park City
By KARL CATES
Published June 21, 2002
BACK in the late 1800's, the predominantly
Mormon community of Salt Lake City largely turned a blind eye to
the decadent goings-on in neighboring Park City, if only because
that mountain town's hard-drinking, brothel-hopping miners produced
such a vast quantity of silver (Then, as now, a rising tide lifted
all boats).
Today, Park City's reputation is more genteel, with affluent skiers
and Salt Lake house-hunting celebrities crowding the town's restaurants
and bars, but it remains a world apart from most of Utah, which
is staunchly conservative and comparatively low key. Skiing put
Park City Utahon the map a generation ago, and the Winter Olympics
in February widened its fame. But this city of 7,000 people remains
mostly overlooked by tourists in the off-season, when its few streets
are quiet and the night air is crisp. Winters here at 7,000 feet
are fine, to be sure. But the summers are sublime.
Friday
7 p.m.
1) Alfresco on Main
The balcony at Wahso (577 Main Street; 435-615-0300) has a bird's-eye,
mountain-air view of Main Street and its Wild West-looking storefronts
and gingerbread Victorians. The Asian ambience is underscored with
an art collection that includes a menacing Ming dynasty tiger at
the front door. Typical entrees are Balinese stir-fry ($27.95),
jasmine-tea-leaf-smoked duck ($29.95) and Korean barbecued salmon
($28.95). Wahso's sake martini is promoted as the largest legal
martini you can get in Utah. Reservations are recommended year-round,
and you can make them online (www.wahso.com).
Saturday
9 a.m.
2) Bracing for the Day
The Morning Ray Cafe and Bagel Shop (the Evening Star Cafe by night;
268 Main Street; 435-649-5686) is not to be mistaken for a Starbucks,
which is to say you need to take a seat and settle in for a wait.
But the food carries a high-altitude heartiness you're going to
need. Popular items include the huevos rancheros ($8.75) and the
sourdough or buckwheat hot cakes ($7.50 for a tall stack). The place
bends over backward for New Yorkers, offering 14 varieties of fresh-baked
H & H Bagels ($2 with cream cheese).
10 a.m.
3) Ride to Glory
At Deer Valley Resort (2250 Deer Valley Drive South; 800-424-3337;
www.deervalley .com),
the absence of snow doesn't mean the end of downhilling. Patrons
have simply traded their skis for mountain bikes, which are rented
at the base of Bald Mountain and which attendants load onto racks
attached to chairs on the Sterling Lift. Though the sport can at
first intimidate flatlanders, it is geared here toward every level
of bicyclist. The resort deploys a first-aid bike patrol across
the mountain, and beginners can take lessons. Novices should stick
to the gentle route down; more advanced riders can ricochet through
switchbacks. Everybody will find one trail or another through an
aspen forest or a meadow of mountain flowers. There is rarely a
lift line, and part of the thrill is simply getting on the lift
and soaring, ethereally, into the sky. One ride is $9; an all-day
ticket is $16. Bike rentals are $35 for three hours. Mountain biking
is a great equalizer, so sign the waiver and wear the helmet.
2 p.m.
4) One With Nature
After grabbing lunch on Main Street, head for the Norwegian Outdoor
Exploration Center (333 Main Street; 800-649-5322; www.outdoorcenter.org),
where the motto is simple: ''We take people outdoors and have fun.''
Guided hikes focus on wildflowers or animal tracking. A minimum
of three hours is suggested, and rates for two are $25 per person
per hour, $20 per person for larger groups. This season, the tours
have been crossing a meadow where a moose calf is being raised by
its doting mother.
5 p.m.
5) The Watering Hole
Back in Park City, the locals start converging late in the afternoon
at the No Name Saloon (447 Main Street; 435-649-6667), a run-down
club that received a much-needed renovation a couple of years ago.
You can get around the state's odd liquor laws by getting someone
to ''sponsor'' you with a nod and a wink, or pay $5 for a ''private
club'' membership. While the No Name's upgrade killed some of the
bar's crusty charm, it remains blessedly devoid of ski town pretension.
7 p.m.
6) Down the Street
Zoom restaurant (660 Main Street; 435-649-9108), toward the downhill
end of town across the street from the Kimball Art Center, is a
Robert Redford enterprise, replete with sepia-toned pictures of
the actor in some of his best-known movies. Zoom has a patio, but
on nippy summer nights, the fire inside is welcoming. The chef,
Brian Prusse, presents a menu that covers most tastes. Try the pan-blackened
halibut with avocado-lemon vinaigrette, melon salsa and whipped
yams ($26) or the Thai-barbecued shrimp and sesame-ginger salad
with fried rice noodles and mango confetti ($12).
Sunday
8:30 a.m
7) Beat the Rush
The Eating Establishment (317 Main Street; 435-649-8284) is the
oldest continuously operated restaurant in Park City, and is almost
always packed at breakfast. It has big portions and faces east,
catching the early sun. A bagel and lox are $9.75; biscuits and
gravy, $5.95. Best to beat the crowd, and then spend a little time
poking into what the town calls its pocket parks, wedged here and
there along Main Street.
11 a.m.
8) Olympic Spirit
Four miles north of Park City, on the way back to the airport, the
389-acre Utah Olympic Park at Bear Hollow (435-658-4200; the Web
site, www.utaholympicpark.org,
should be up soon) commemorates the Winter Games of 2002, as well
as the broader history of winter sports. The $7 admission fee includes
a park tour and entry to the brand-new Alf Engen Ski Museum (www.engen
museum.org), with interactive displays that let visitors simulate
skiing and snowboarding. From a deck outside, you can watch future
Olympians practice their ski jumping from towering slides before
landing in a 750,000-gallon splash pool.
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