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.

Confession. I’d been itching to take this boat ride since last year, when my husband flatly refused. He’s a big guy and was worried about the seaworthiness of the vessel.

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.

For a girls’ night one Friday night, my roommates and I dressed up as superheroes—not specific ones, you understand, but ones we made up. That’s right. We went shopping for outfits at DI and Charlotte Russe, looking for gaudy gold jewelry, crazy tank tops and belts, short skirts and leggings, and yes, even capes.

Finally he asked if I wanted to go to a show; I said sure, and within minutes our decision was made. He checked out Muse Music, a small venue in downtown Provo, and found out when the next show started. It didn’t even matter what it was—we were going.

The Utah Arts Festival is one of my favorite events to attend. It has a cool, edgy vibe while still managing to be family-friendly. The 2008 festival will be held Thursday, June 26 through Sunday, June 29, from noon to 11 p.m. at Library Square in downtown Salt Lake City. The four-day event is one of the largest outdoor festivals in Utah, attracting 80,000 people. It features more than 130 visual artists, 100-plus performing artists, literary and culinary artists. It’s a total feast for the senses.

s a kid growing up in Brooklyn, I loved block parties and street fairs. The street would be roped off, everyone would be out socializing and laughing, kids would be playing, the smell of great food would fill the air, and there would always be some sort of entertainment. Party on the Boulevard is like a modern version of those childhood fêtes.

One of Provo’s greatest resources goes largely unappreciated: your lawn. Lie down! Roll! Enjoy! Remember how it feels to enjoy life like a child, if just for a moment.

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