For this issue, we looked at the state of travel on the Wasatch Front—without a car. Our story “Alternate Routes” examines the ways pedestrians, bikers, scooters, skaters and anyone not in a car (somersaults maybe?) navigate the Wasatch Front. Over the last decade, there has been a huge infrastructural push to change the prevailing wisdom that roads and cars are the only way to fly. Around Utah, in cities from St. George to Logan, elected officials, regional planning agencies and grassroots groups of transit nerds have been putting action to the idea that transportation means more than just cars. This is more than just painting some lines on the road and calling it a bike lane and passing out orange flags at crosswalks. It’s a shift in thinking. We like to move for fitness, for cleaner air, and, honestly, for fun. Our cars get us there, sure. But do we enjoy the ride? Our story will help you discover the fun of stabling that car in the barn and moving through the city in new ways.
“People often think about what they lose if they stop driving,” says Sweet Streets Director Ben Wood. “And what you’ll find when you make the switch, is you gain much more than you lose in just terms of community, connection and a sense of place and a sense of home in the city you live in.”
And, while we’re on the subject of doing new things in spaces formerly reserved for something else, let’s talk about Pickleball. You may have heard about this thing. Or you may have just heard it—a new kind of sound in the park—dink, dink. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the nation, and Utah is the no. 1 state in the union for pickleball. (And you thought it was Florida?) Shh. Don’t mention that to the tennis players you know. Many tennis players deride pickleball as a mere game—akin to croquet or tossing a frisbee around. But love it or hate it, pickleball is here to stay. Across the state (and especially in St. George), parks and recreation departments have been reconfiguring dormant public courts in parks for the picklers, as they call themselves. Our writer, Heather Hayes is a former tennis player newly converted to pickleball. She wades into the debate in her story “What’s All the Racket”. She discovers a range of views from tennis purists to pickler upstarts. Somewhere in the middle lies the truth, she found.
As things heat up in Utah, we know this issue will help you discover more ways to enjoy the warmer days. From after-work hikes (“Shake Off the Day”) to breakfast on a patio (“The Rise of the Breakfast-only Joint”), we’ve got you covered.
Bring on summer!
Executive Editor Jeremy Pugh
Photo by Natalie Simpson @beehivephotovideo
