Group Post Walkabout #4 (Alysa Masquelier)

For walkabout #4, our group visited the neighborhood between 12th East to 13th East and 1st South to 2nd South. It is located just off of the University of Utah campus, so a lot of the available living spaces are home to students. The residents are locals, belonging to the lower to upper-middle class. Some houses were very inexpensive, but we did also see a realty sign in front of one house that was being sold for $700,000.

The neighborhood is on a slanted hill. Towards the "top" of the hill, residents can easily access the university pharmacy, a used textbook store, a 7-Eleven and some restaurants within short walking distance. On the neighborhood's block, there is a Shell gas station that sells gas a bit cheaper than other stations, suggesting that they may be trying to cater specifically to the students in that neighborhood. Other than the gas station and university stores a short walk away, the block itself is mostly a residential area. Houses line the streets and one side of the neighborhood held a huge apartment building. It was interesting to see the juxtaposition of the quaint, unique, small houses with the towering, harsh, industrial-looking apartment building. As seen below, the apartment building stands out clearly because it appears more as an element of a downtown city, rather than a neighborhood.

The houses themselves were all quite different from one another. In my opinion, this neighborhood felt very much like that of a "college town." The houses weren't brand new, but also not extremely old. For the most part, they were two-story houses with chimneys, a lot of windows, and extensive front yards rather than large porches/decks. The houses were all different colors; some colors like yellow or purple were different from what I am used to observing in the suburbs. These bright houses had colored accents/trim as well. In the first picture below, the house was uniquely decorated with windmills in the front yard, as well as a statue and a fountain.

I have grown up living in the suburbs for the majority of my life, so I'm used to a Homeowner's Association that makes sure people keep their garbage cans off the road, cars in garages, houses painted a certain color, etc. I noticed, however, that this neighborhood may not be the same way. It seems that each resident has more freedom to express their taste in decoration here. 

The street is separated from the sidewalk by a median strip of grass, and then the houses each have large front yards. A small walkway leads up to the front door of the house. Garbage cans and cars rest on the street. 

Some houses were bungalow-style, and others were very simple two-story houses. We saw a few different building styles!

The houses were built fairly close together; the entire neighborhood had a very close-knit feeling to it. We went on our walkabout while there was fresh snow on the ground, so not many people were outside. But, the neighborhood did feel friendly. Since students probably live in many of these houses, we assumed that there is probably frequent neighbor-to-neighbor interaction. We saw some signs that showed the grade of the hill slant, indicating that the neighborhood was also bike-friendly. The sidewalks mean that many people must walk up and down the streets here, especially when the weather allows for it. In this way, the houses are very accessible to visitors. 

As mentioned above, there were not many people out and about when we visited this neighborhood. However, we did see a younger man near the gas station who took our group photo. He seemed to be somewhere in his early twenties, most likely a college student. Some families or older/more financially secure adults may live in the more expensive houses. Other houses may be shared by groups of college roommates. 

Signage indicated that the sidewalks were bike-friendly. There was a speed limit of 30 MPH posted on one of the busier sides of the neighborhood, and then speed limit was probably 20 or 25 MPH on the residential streets. Other normal street signs with street names/numbers were posted on the corners. The streets were for residential parking only. 

As for common grounds or meeting places, there was a small courtyard outside of the large apartment building. As a group, we discussed that the University of Utah campus is probably the most common meeting place for other residents. The university offers different clubs, activities, sports events, etc. that unite people from different areas of the city. 

It was a nice change of scenery to move a bit further away from the campus we are used to seeing everyday and to see the way that other people live. I enjoyed the diversity of housing styles and decorations in this unique neighborhood. A lot of us commented that we would actually like to live here!

Individual Post-- Walkabout #4--Kristan Farnsworth

For our fourth walkabout we went to the neighborhood between 1200 E to 1300 E and 100 S to 200 S. This is right below campus and a perfect place for student and professors to live. I met my group there because I had class right before, and loved quietly walking around the neighborhood admiring the freshly fallen snow.

This was a very unique neighborhood because the east side, closer to campus, there are apartment buildings and houses for students, and then as you get further from campus there are grand houses in all shapes and sizes. We saw a lot of bungalows and victorian style homes that I could really imagine some of my professors living in. 

I loved the different colors of the houses and would love to live here someday! The houses were set back from the rode a ways, and even though everything was covered in snow, you could tell that the yards and houses are well kept and that it is a nice neighborhood. 

It is conveniently close to campus and has restaurants, banks, gas stations, and even a pharmacy one block away. There is also a park with tennis courts and a play ground kiddie-corner to the block. 

I am glad that this class made me take the time to notice this neighborhood so close to where I live. It is somewhere where I now want to live before I finish college.

Individual Post--Walkabout #3--Kristan Farnsworth

For our third walkabout, we went to the City Cemetery.  I found the cemetery to be a very peaceful place. We took the bus to get there, although we could have walked on a warmer day. Riding the bus was a fun experience because a couple of my group members had never ridden on a UTA Bus before.

When we arrived, we entered through the Catholic part of the cemetery. I found it interesting that dogs were allowed in this section of the cemetery but not in the other sections.

While at the cemetery, we didn't see any other people and only heard a few squirrels and birds. It is amazing how close we were to the city, yet there was no one around. The solitude created a wonderfully serene atmosphere. I would imagine this would make a wonderful thinking spot for people who have lost there loved ones. 

I especially loved how some of the headstones had trees or shrubs planted by them to represent the person who had died. I also loved how the Jewish section of the cemetery has rocks on the headstones since rocks last forever and everyone can afford them, while flowers die and can be expensive.

I enjoyed looking at all the different headstones and noticing how they each had their own personality to represent the person who died. It was surprising how much you could tell about a person just from looking at their headstone. I liked this cemetery a lot more than the one by my house in Sandy where all the headstones are flat in order to make mowing the lawn easier.

I loved seeing this beautiful part of the city that I would probably not have seen if I wasn't taking this class. It is always wonderful to explore new places and experience the beauty they possess!

Individual Post- Edge of the City - Hailey Hanson

For my second walkabout, my group and I went to the Bonneville Shoreline trail. The historic Bonneville Lake formed this trail. This Trail is very defined and is one of the edges of the city.

This trail is very close to campus, we got there by walking across Legacy Bridge and then up through housing. Once housing ends, the trail head begins. This trail is very maintained and busy.

The University of Utah is the end of buildings and city on this side, and the University backs right up to this trail. Since this trail marks the end of construction, it is considered the edge of city. This trail is the divider (edge) between Salt Lake and the mountains. The defined edges that Salt Lake has, allows it to feel compact and defined.

I enjoyed doing this hike, because it also showed the other edges of the city. We were high enough to see the valley and the various edges. One edge, there was residential area and then trees, so I could see the line between city and not city from a distance. 

This trail can also be called a path, because it gives people a trail to walk, run, or bike on. This path gives people direction and helps them on where to go. The path also has many signs, to help direct the people on where to go.  

This trail is very public and open to hikers, mountain bikers, and runners. The trail was fairly wide and very well maintained. The trail was not flat; it followed the base of the mountain. I enjoyed this hike, so I went back after the walkabout with Kaitie and ran it.

This trail is very convenient for University of Utah students, because it allows the students easy access to the block U. From the Marriott Honors Building, it is about five miles round trip. 

Individual post- City Creek Center By Hailey Hanson

When I went on this walkabout, to City Creek Center, I was very new to the Salt Lake area. This was my first time having to transfer trains with Trax. We started our journey to city creek, at the Fort Douglas (Red Line) Trax stop and rode to Courthouse, which we then transferred to the green line to the City center stop. City Creek was very easy to get to, because there is a Trax stop right in the middle of the mall.

Photo from rideuta.com - The trax official website  has trip planners to help riders get around Salt Lake. 

I was not aware that the LDS church owned City Creek. Since the church owns it, there are many rules that follow the LDS religion like being closed on Sunday. We experimented with this a little bit, because we heard that the mall is not welcoming to couples of the same sex. Lisa and Kristan walked around holding hands, but they were never asked to leave or stop holding hands. Also, I was dressed in a tank top and short shorts and was never asked to leave.

With the rumors floating around that the mall is not inviting to everyone, I believe this stops many people from supporting the mall. This mall is closed off to beggars and non-approved street musicians. Even though this place is public, it has rules and regulations that stop many people from being welcomed in the area.

 While walking around I observed the others shoppers and noticed most people were with their families and friends. Everyone stayed with their group, and did not interact with the other groups. I was surprised though, because the open fountain area caused many people to interact with other groups.

Most people there were dressed very modest. Many people were dressed in church clothes, probably stopping by to shop after visiting the LDS temple. Majority of the people were dressed in higher end clothing, but very casual.

Shopping at City Creek is very diverse. They have every thing from high-end designers to affordable teen clothing stores.  Because of this, families can come and get stuff for everyone at all price ranges. I like the idea of having this mix of high end and affordable, because it allows friends of different economic backgrounds to shop together.

map of City creek both photos from http://www.shopcitycreekcenter.com

This mall is very beautiful; they have a retractable roof, which can be open and closed based on the weather. The mall is a very big facility, according to City Creeks website, their mall takes up 23 acres, which is 2.5 blocks. City Creek is not only shopping center, but an apartment complex as well.

City Creek built the mall with customers in mind, they not only made a nice atmosphere in the actual mall, but they put in underground parking to make it easier for the costumers to park. They also built it, so there is a Trax stop in the middle of the mall. 

Photo from
http://www.shopcitycreekcenter.com

Individual Post--Walkabout #4 NEIGHBORHOODS

By: Kaitie Jowers

For our fourth walkabout, we went to the neighborhood between 1200 East to 1300 East, and 100 South and 200 South.  Luckily it was very close to campus.  Just one square block, it is a small, beautiful neighborhood.  I feel that it has been built over time by different people--it wasn't planned nor did it spring up overnight.

I had never been to this area before, but once we arrived I realized how close it was.  Across the street from Presidents Circle, this neighborhood is very convenient for students, professors, staff, and families.  There is a gas station on the corner, and there are several businesses close by, such as Wells Fargo, La Frontera, 7-11, Aristo's, and Einstein Bagels.  The closeness to the University of Utah is obviously a uniting factor, and the events on campus would be a great way for people of this neighborhood to bond.   Also, there was a large courtyard next to one of the apartment buildings which could serve as a gathering spot which could unite the residents. 

I loved the differences in this neighborhood.  It was an accumulation of different styles and people.  There were a few apartment buildings for students, which provided a cheaper living option.  There were duplexes and triplexes, and also homes divided into apartment-style living.  In addition, there were normal houses that families appeared to be living in, as well as normal houses that students were renting.  

All the houses were beautiful in their own way.  Each had a distinct style.  Almost all were different colors; as shown in the picture below, there was a green house, a purple house, and a pink house all in a row.  In addition to color, each house had distinguishing characteristics.  All the roofs were different, and some had front porches, or large front windows, or columns, or other differences.  I loved seeing how unique each house was and how all the houses added to the overall beauty of the neighborhood. 

I looked up the prices for some of the homes in this neighborhood.  I found one for rent for $78,000, and one for rent for $109,000.  Also, we found a flyer to buy a home for $700,000. Obviously, an apartment would be a lot cheaper.

All the houses were setback pretty far from the curb.  There were large front yards in front of each house.  We didn't go into the backyards of the houses, but from what we could see, it looked like there were big backyards as well.  Most all of the driveways wrapped all the way around to the back.  

There were not very many people in the neighborhood.  However, everyone that entered and left the neighborhood seemed to live there (except us).  There were not a lot of outsiders.  We saw a couple of college students walking back and forth from the U, one woman walking her dog, and one woman raking leaves.  It was during the middle of the day, so we did not expect to see too many people.  Just from the few people we did see, we could tell that, like the houses themselves, that there is a wide range of people living in this neighborhood.  The homes were not that close together, except on the north side of the block they were very close together.  

I am glad that we got to visit this neighborhood that is so close to where we live.  It seems like a great, safe neighborhood that has easy access to many services and to the University of Utah.  By the end of our walkabout, my whole group, myself included, wanted to live there!