Earlier this spring, I got to visit Utah for the first time (!!!) for the TESOL Convention in Salt Lake City. I've been trying to strategize my conference attendance so I can try different ones. But TESOL is still super important to me, and once I saw they'd be in Utah, I knew I wanted to go. I didn't do anything outside of the city, but it was still a cool place to visit! Another time, I hope Mark and I will be able to go to some of the national parks in Utah and see more of the amazing scenery. Even flying into Salt Lake was impressive (though I was in a middle seat and had to look across the plane through someone else's window...even then, I could see mountains everywhere!).
At the conference, I was on my own--usually I'm travelling with a colleague or two. It was nice to have the hotel room to myself (helpful for an introvert during a conference, for sure!), but I also missed the easy company of meeting up with people for meals and sessions. Still, I ran into lots of people I know from TESOL (especially those in the ITA Interest Section) and CGC. Plus, I saw a professor from the University of Arizona, and the publisher I've kept in touch with over the years. It's a big event, but one of those places where you find yourself running into people. I didn't present this year (none of my proposals were accepted), so it was a pretty low-stress week aside from some issues with my online students that required attention. Catching up on grading once I got home...that's another story! (But, thankfully, water under the bridge now :-).
Outside of the conference, I found some great food, and I was able to walk over to Temple Square to see the Mormon temple and the rest of the area. I had no idea how many different buildings there are in the square, and the landscaping was really beautiful--lots of flowers and statues. Definitely something to see if you're ever nearby, and lots of helpful, kind folks around to answer questions. One of my favorite things was seeing the views from the rooftop garden of the LDS convention center (which I only knew about because one of the missionaries at the Tabernacle building suggested checking it out). All throughout the downtown/convention center area, there is so much public artwork (murals, etc.). The weather was warm and sunny most of the time, so it was lovely to just walk and look around.
Here are some highlights in photos:
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| dinosaur fossils in the SLC airport |
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| nice hotel room, just a short walk from the conference |
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| Olympics-themed statues |
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| landscaping at an outdoor mall |
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| pizza by the slice |
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breakfast at a German bakery near the hotel:
"croiliner" (croissant/Berliner) donut and German pretzel |
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| one of many murals downtown |
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| seating area in a Venezuelan restaurant |
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| sampler plate of arepas |
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signed photo of Guy Fieri
from Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives |
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| large art installation by the convention center |
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| selfie with the convention center entrance |
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| two of the many statues in Temple Square |
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| selfie with an old church in Temple Square |
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| the Temple (in the background) |
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| inside the Tabernacle building |
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| Temple, up close (behind construction walls) |
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| some of the landscaping in the square |
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| illuminated signs about Jesus |
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| another statue |
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| another view of landscaping, signs, and the Temple |
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| the large LDS convention center |
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| just inside the LDS convention center lobby |
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the main meeting area in
the LDS convention center |
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| ...it's huge--seating over 20,000! |
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| panoramic view from the rooftop garden |
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| view of the Temple and Tabernacle from the rooftop |
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| selfie with the Temple |
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| view to the west at sunset |
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| selfie at sunset |
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| treble clef sculptures |
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| balloons to celebrate TESOL's 60th |
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| TESOL banner at the convention center |
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back to the German bakery for a sandwich
(and another croiliner donut!) |
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| artwork in the convention center |
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| a mural with 3D hummingbirds |
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| another mural |
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| seating area in a taco restaurant |
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| two tacos, chips, and salsa |
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| another mural |
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| more of the mural |
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| the public library building |
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| inside the public library |
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| behind the public library |
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| statue by a government building |
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| closer look at the government building |
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| another government building (maybe the courthouse?) |
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| Utah Sports Hall of Fame Museum |
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BYU ice cream
(inside the Deseret bookstore) |
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| free donuts after the TESOL business meeting |
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| one of my favorite murals, but I couldn't get a good pic! |
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| mural honoring women |
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| Vietnamese noodles for dinner |
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| the flagship Cotopaxi store |
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the super convenient & affordable public train I took
from the airport to downtown & back |
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| Utah Jazz basketball arena (shared with the hockey team) |
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| basketball statue at the arena |
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