This day started exactly how every day should start, with chocolate cake. We grabbed cup after cup of Kimpton’s delicious coffee (Zak and me) and tea with homemade hazelnut syrup (Zoe and Ellie) and that cake Ellie is taking half credit for creating. Oh my goodness, it was so good. I’ve met a lot of chocolate cakes in my day, and this was right at the top.
With full and caffeinated bellies we began the adventure called “Exploring Salt Lake City.” We had hoped to find a walking tour of downtown, but the city’s visitors’ center turned out to be pretty unhelpful with that hope. Instead of following a guide we wandered up and down the blocks, finding quaint parks, fountains, and shopping. Even though it was a Tuesday morning in an urban business center, the streets were eerily quiet.
We made our way back to the Temple, and went through the visitor center, learning a lot about Mormon history and even the history of this area of land. There was Tabernacle organ recital at the Temple square which was so lovely. We arrived a few minutes early and were greeted with a nice introduction to the history of the organ itself and the building. The organist was extraordinarily talented and brought peace to our day.
Once the half hour show finished we booked it to the state capitol building to attend the 1:00 tour of the building. The building was only about 8 blocks away from the Temple, but it was all uphill through a very nice neighborhood. That calf burn returned! We made it was 7 minutes to spare, just enough time to use the marble facilities. We were led through the building by the kindest tour guide who had such vast knowledge of the history of the Utah government.
The tour ended about 2 and we were starving! Turns out that chocolate cake is a great start to the day, but not the only nutrition needed. We found an adorable cafe, Eva’s. Ellie immediately eyed ham and butter on a baguette. That combines three of her favorite foods: meat, bread, and butter. The rest of us chose three other sandwiches to share, Zak and I loved the apple, blue cheese, and arugula one and Zoe’s favorite was the turkey, avocado, dijon.
We walked back to the Hotel Monaco and were shocked to find someone from guest services outside our door with gift bags for the girls. I know we are obsessed with Kimptons, but where else can you find this kind of service?
After a short period of rest we made it down to wine hour. We were immediately informed that it is National Bourbon Day, so they were offering bourbon cherry ice cream with cream soda topped with a cherry compote for the girls, Knob’s Creek bourbon and lemonade for Zak, and a nice glass of pinot grigio for myself. We played Exploding Kittens until the girls decided to head up to the room to rest. Zak and I got to spend the first few moments alone together of the trip thus far.
We found ourselves at Lamb’s Grill for dinner, just a half block from the hotel. We had a lovely table outside, with remarkable street music providing the ambiance. We started with poutine, a dish we haven’t had since Canada, and this one was superb with short ribs and, of course, cheese curds, gravy, and fries. Ellie had a chicken stir fry dish and Zak, Zoe, and I split a cobb salad, a lamb burger, and a fancy grilled cheese.
We are enjoying our last night at Hotel Monaco SLC, but can’t wait to come back!
