34 AMERICANWAY
JULY 1 2009
Maybe you’re sitting
inan
airport inacity that isnotyour fina
destination.Orperhapsyou’ve landed
earlyandyourbusinessmeeting isn’t
set tostart foranother fewhours.Sure,
youcouldsit in the terminaland stare
atyourBlackBerry,channel surf inyour
hotel room,orbuyanotherpaperback
topass the time.Oryoucouldexplore.
¶
Ifyou’re inBostonorChicago,you
probably knowwhat todo; there’s
unlimitedentertainmentcloseathand
insuchmajormetropolises.Butwhen
you
fi
ndyourself inSaltLakeCity,do
youknowwhere togo?Whatabout
in Indianapolis?Or inSanAntonio?
We've foundattractions tosatisfy just
aboutevery interest—andeach is just
aquick jaunt from theairport— insix
midsizecities thatwarrantmore than
just a
fl
yover.
1.
salt lake City
if you had
the timeand transpor-
tation,we’d sendyou to theprehistoric
Great SaltLake itself— “America’sDead
Sea”— to tryand catchaglimpseof
theNorthShoreMonster,which is said
tohavea crocodile’sbodyandahorse’s
head. (Really.)Practicality, however,
suggests the tamerwilderness that's
only 10minutes awayby taxi:The tran-
quilwalkingpathsof
CityCreekCan-
yon
are set in the foothills to the city’s
northand east.Nature lovers canalso
visit
TracyAviary
, theoldest and largest
birdpark in the country,whichhas400
birdsoneight acres andenough infor-
mationabout theirmigrationpatterns
tohumbleJohnAudubonhimself.
If you feel theurge to shop, head to
the
Gatewaymall
,which is outdoors,
well designed, and conveniently located
ona free-fare stopon theUtahTransit
Authority’sTRAX light-rail. If youhave
the timeand the right equipment, take
TRAXup to
ParkCity
,where your
airlineboardingpass converts toa free
same-day ski-lift ticket.
If thealtitudehas you feelinggoofy,
takea ridearoundSaltLakeCity in the
Music Taxi
and singkaraoke.Or take
TRAX toTempleSquare to see the six-
spired
Salt Lake Temple
and the
Tab-
ernacle
,which inspired theMormon
TabernacleChoir. From there, you can
alsowalkover to the
BeehiveHouse
,
whereBrighamYoung livedwhenhe
waspresident of theChurchof Jesus
Christ ofLatter-daySaints andgover-
nor of theUtah territory. There’s a fairy
castle insideandagorgeous gardenout
back.
When your tummygrowls, try the
killerMexican foodat the
Red Iguana
,
which is an easy eight-minutedrive
from theairport.Reservations aren't
accepted, and there’susuallya lineout
thedoor, but thismouthwatering, fairly
priced joint attracts all types.
Salt LakeCity skyline
