A little over a year ago I had the opportunity to teach my kids about chasing and living in the present moment instead of always following the well worn path.
Sounds pretty right?
Yeah, that’s all pretty much bullish*t. I asked them to skip school for a Foo Fighters concert 400 miles away.
I swear I’m not a proponent for kids skipping school, but taking a “personal” day or two every year is healthy for your mental and spiritual well being. My mother use to encourage me to take some time during each school year, a day of rest if you will, to reset and regroup. I’m sure there are parents who will disagree, but whatever, do you bay-bay.
If I’m going to be all the way honest, I have to admit this all came about by mistake.
I wanted to gift my son Foo Fighter tickets for Christmas, but the only concert near us around that time was in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since none of us had never been there, I figured it would be a great weekend trip.
Little did I realize that the tickets I purchased for the whole family were for a TUESDAY night instead of the weekend.
The kids had mid-terms coming up and the wife and I had work.
Complete oversight on my part.
I called the arena and tried to get a refund but no luck. I thought about posting them on StubHub but then I thought… well… screw it.
Believe it or not, it took some convincing on the kids part. They’re good eggs. Not like me at all. They excel in school and all things scholarly.
Buncha nerds.
Anyway, I booked us flights for Tuesday morning, for a quick turnaround Wednesday evening. Not much time in SLC, but then again, it was the middle of the week.
We booked a room at the Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel which is a great place to stay. The gigantic lobby has two levels with multiple shops, a salon and more. Really beautiful place with convention space and a recently updated look.
Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel 
Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel
A quick bite to eat and we made our way to Vivint Smart Home Arena, which is home to the NBA’s Utah Jazz, but for a night would turn into the Foo Fighters’ playground.
Without a doubt, this is probably one of the greatest concerts I’ve ever been two. The Foo Fighters played a 27-song set, mixed in some ACDC, Queen, Ramones, and celebrated Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers after the recent passing of Tom Petty. Dave Grohl even jumped on the drums. Crazy good time!
Nearly 3-hours of rock. That’s how you spend an evening!
We grabbed a late night bite at a Denny’s and called it an evening.
Let there be rock! The Foo Fighters in concert Dec. 2017 The Bear and the Blonde Bombshell at Vivint Smart Home Arena
The next day we didn’t have much time before our flight but we made our way to the Clark Planetarium, which I’m damn glad we did.
I always enjoyed planetary science growing up and this place is loads of fun. Who’s the nerd now?
The Universe is at least 91 billion light years across. Explore it with Clark Planetarium! We feature newly remodeled interactive exhibits, planetarium shows, and documentaries that explore both the Universe and life here on Earth. Visit Clark Planetarium and engage your passion for cosmic discovery.
Clark planetarium website
You can honestly spend an entire day here with the family. There’s movies and interactive science exhibits, games, and all kinds of fun stuff. I had two teenagers with me and they loved it almost more than I did.
Clark Planetarium Clark Planetarium
We had a bit of fun here and moved on to The Gateway. The Gateway is a Downtown SLC destination with shops, dining options, and office space.
Home to more than a million square feet of shopping and dining, modern living and office space, and the emerging arts and culture district, The Gateway also hosts a dynamic calendar of community-driven events—and the best entertainment destinations Salt Lake City has to offer.
the gateway website
More and more communities are building options like The Gateway and it’s a smart move. People tend to really enjoy places like this, where they can make a day of spending time with the whole family.
Downtown Salt Lake City is a place I want to visit again. There seems to be a certain life about the place that not many places can claim. I love the old exposed brick buildings that seem to have their own place in the city’s history. Each one was more than likely something else… an old back, a wood working shop, a shoe cobbler. Who knows? But it was really fantastic to walk among the old buildings and wonder about what the history might have been.
There seems to be a few years of revitalization and it shows. The place is clean and really nice.
We got to walk around for a short time but had to make our way back to the airport and back to Vegas.
Our trip was short but pretty damn sweet. I can’t wait to get back to Salt Lake City to explore more parts in and around this beautiful area.
The Gateway SLC Winter decorations at The Gateway in downtown SLC A view of Vivint Smart Home Arena Holy Trinity Cathedral Greek Orthodox Church Flying back to Vegas!
