I apologize for the randomness of the pictures. I can't get them to line up correctly with the text. Please bear with us....
For our first adventure, we decided to take the recommendation of a mutual friend and check out the Gilgal Gardens in Downtown Salt Lake City. The Gardens were created by a man named Thomas Battersby Child, Jr. (1888-1963) who decided to create a monument to everything that he believed strongly in. Child held the position of Bishop in the LDS faith for nine years, and his belief in the Mormon church holds a strong influence within the garden. The park contains 12 original sculptures and over 70 stones engraved with scriptures, poems and literary texts. Gilgal Sculpture Garden is the only designated "visionary art environment" in the state of Utah. It is located at 749 East 500 South in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.
Lucia and I found the park less of a declaration of faith, and more of a great location for a "zompocalypse" film. The park has a very eerie feel, and this was echoed by many visitors that we later spoke with. It is a place that everyone should visit at some point, because it is so unique. I have never seen anything quite like it. The scriptural interpretations were frequently bizarre, and frankly, quite frightening. There were maps explaining the meanings of all of the stone works, and I would suggest to all visitors that you should pick one up. I would have been a bit lost on the symbolism without one.
The one thing that amazed both Lucia and me, was the beautiful landscaping of the gardens. The flowers seemed to be more tropical in nature rather than the usual desert flora that we see in the state.
Our next stop of the evening was Squatters Pub Brewery. Lucia and I ate out on the patio which was strung with lights in blue and white. I was very surprised to see that the restaurant had a family type atmosphere, while the bar section maintained the fun and carefree atmosphere that a bar should have. The food was much better than I anticipated. I expected the typical bar type food, and instead was very pleasantly surprised to be eating a more upscale kind of cuisine. I ordered a salad and some asiago and artichoke dip, while Lucia had a Mediterranean type flatbread pizza. The most adorable little toddler girl was at the table next to us, and we had a lovely time getting her to smile at us while we ate.
The last stop on this adventure was the "Keys On Main" dueling piano bar. There had been a sporting event during the evening, and the bar was mostly filled with people who had just come from the game. The bar was a really enjoyable place filled with rowdy fans, and two pianists who were happy to keep the ruckus alive. For a dollar tip, they played requests, and for two, they would stop playing the request if it was particularly terrible, (for example, "Bad Romance", by Lady Gaga). Although my requests were never played, (BOOOOO!!) we had a lovely time. (Please tell me that "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" is a well-known enough song that it should have been played!!).
All places were those that we would recommend for a fun evening!
