Provo, UT

Saturday night I discovered The Salomon Center in Ogden. It’s a shopping center—parts of which are still under construction—at 2261 Kiesel Ave., and it has some really fun and unique things to do. I’m sure you’ve seen indoor rock climbing before, but what about indoor surfing and skydiving? I hadn’t either.

My favorite restaurant in Utah is Thaifoon at the Gateway in Salt Lake City. The food is always delish, the atmosphere manages to be relaxing, elegant, and hip all at the same time, and I knew without a doubt that the ambience and menu would impress any New Yorker.

It’s a bewitching time to visit Gardner Village! Every October the witches come out to play as pumpkins, corn stalks, and harvest decorations transform this charming little shopping village with the Halloween spirit. The shops and eateries are crammed with tourists, but the crowds don’t diminish the quaintness…instead you’ll wonder why you’ve waited so [...]

One of Mike’s and my favorite things to do is go to bookstores, namely Borders or Barnes and Noble, to hang out. Sometimes we’ll just walk around and look at books we want, check out the magazines and music, etc. Sometimes we’ll each grab a book or two to look through, and then we find [...]

At first, I was horrified. I could deal with the promotional facial from Mary Kay, the evening with my roommates, and the finishing touch of a late night movie . . . but as princesses?! During the week, however, the idea grew on me. So seldom do we get a chance to truly dress [...]

The Shops at Riverwoods is an outdoor mall right on the corner of University Avenue and 4800 N, which turns into Orem Center St. There are lots of stores and restaurants there–there are clothing stores, like Abercrombie & Fitch, the Buckle, Victoria’s Secret, and Kaleidoscope (none of which are cheap stores, for the record); there’s a yoga studio called It’s Yoga, an art store, Bath & Body Works, a children’s clothes store, and lots of other retailers; there’s Macaroni Grill, Happy Sumo (a fantastic Asian restaurant), Tucano’s Brazilian Grill, Bajio’s, Subway, and a few other restaurants, and a Hogi Yogi across the parking lot from the theater. Sometimes we’ll see a movie at the Wynnsong theater, too, which has been recently redecorated inside.

After attending the early morning balloon launch, we headed over to the Wolf Creek Resort, site of the 2008 Ogden Valley Balloon Festival. The festival didn’t start until 9 a.m. so to kill a little time between the launch (which ended by 8 a.m.) and the festival, we ate a picnic breakfast, then drove the short distance to Wolf Creek.

We watched as about 25 colorful envelopes (the uninflated balloons) covered the ground. Soon the propane tanks began hissing and the field exploded with beautiful colors as the balloons inflated. Before you knew it, they were upright, straining against the lead ropes with the same anticipation as the watching crowd. It was a breathtaking sight as the balloons lifted off one by one into the morning sun with the elegance and grace of whales dancing in the ocean. The sky filled with a kaleidoscope of magnificent colors, uplifting music filled the air, and my heart soared with the beauty filling the sky.

The Grand America’s Afternoon Tea is like a tea party for grownups in the most delightful and sophisticated way. From the moment we pulled up to The Grand America (Salt Lake City’s only five-diamond hotel) we received VIP treatment: valet parking, doormen, concierge. From our first steps through the front doors into the elegant lobby, we were greeted by Old World charm and grandeur. Spectacular chandeliers, fine French furnishings, and Italian marble–as well as a diverse, friendly, and largely European staff–awaited us at every turn.

While Madbrook isn’t technically a coffee shop (I had to talk them through how to make an iced coffee, although they make great lattes and iced fraps), it has a relaxed coffee house vibe. There are black leather couches, nice décor, bar-height tables and stools, free wi-fi, and three big plasma TVs strategically placed so you can see one from just about every seat in the