NEW WINTER ESCAPE // DOWNTOWN
WATERING HOLES // SOUL FOODThe gateway to the American West is now open year-round
— Delta’s summer service from Heathrow to Salt Lake City has
extended to the winter season too
Curiosity has long been the main lure to Salt Lake City.
Temple Square — the Mormon equivalent of the Vatican
— ofers somewhat ethereal grandeur and the world-
famous Tabernacle choir. But it’s the liveliness beyond
Temple Square that comes as a surprise.
The restaurant scene is booming, and diversifying in
the process. Recent openings include pan-Asian GINGER
STREET, Hawaiian joint ALOHA HALE ‘AINA and Southern
belly-stufer ELLA LEE’S SOUL FOOD.
The drinking scene is changing too, despite Utah’s
heavy proportion of teetotallers. The Central Ninth
district, in particular, is pulling in tech workers from
California, and allowing experimental cocktail bars like
WATER WITCH to thrive.
Beyond the state capital, Utah’s spectacular national
parks are a big draw — and the red rock ruggedness
of Zion, Bryce Canyon and the Arches are much less
crowded in winter. That’s partly because everyone has
decamped to the ski resorts, such as Park City, which is
less than an hour’s drive from the airport. And, as well
as some of the inest snow conditions in North America,
there are plenty of quirks — such as being able to ski
straight into the High West whisky distillery. DW
visitutah.com visittheusa.co.ukWATERFRONT REGENERATION // EPIC RAIL
JOURNEY // NEW NEIGHBOURHOODSMega developments, a boom in stylish hotels and a hip
laneways scene are giving the overlooked Queensland capital
an injection of cool
Long known as the River City, Brisbane is spreading the
good stuf further along the water’s edge. A £2bn plan
to transform QUEEN’S WHARF into a glitzy commerce
district is underway, hot on the heels of the new HOWARD
SMITH WHARVES, now open as an 8.5-acre, landscaped
public space with restaurants and a crat brewery. The
ive-star, art-focused FANTAUZZO hotel has also opened
here, one of a string of additions to the hotel scene.
Elsewhere, the FORTITUDE VALLEY neighbourhood
has spruced up its once-grim laneways with indie shops
and small bars. There are new adventures to embark
upon, as well. YALINGBILA TOURS has launched the irst
Aboriginal-owned whale-watching cruises, which head
down the river towards the sand islands of Moreton and
North Stradbroke. And, going further aield, AUSTRALIA’S
NEWEST LUXURY TRAIN JOURNEY is the three-day GREAT
SOUTHERN epic from Brisbane to Adelaide, which
launched in December. All in all, the city is sinking some
£5.25bn into surpassing Sydney as the country’s major
gateway — and it might just pull it of. DW
visitbrisbane.com.au australia.com9 SALT LAKE CITY
8 BRISBANE
IMAGES: RICHARD GREENWOOD; GETTYTHE COOL LIST76 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel