From Library Journal
A resident of Salt Lake City, Kerig (The Snowboarder's Total Guide to Life) valiantly attempts to dispel the perception that Utah is dull and staid, overrun by prudish Mormons and with little to offer other than mountains and skiing. This alternative guide to Utah opens with a broad overview of the state's history and culture, then proceeds to focus on different areas of the state, with the bulk of the space devoted to Salt Lake City, host of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Kerig provides ample descriptions of entertaining restaurants, hotels, and shops and discusses traditional as well as unusual ways to have fun and unwind. Readers will appreciate his useful rating system and the abundance of maps and black-and-white photos. There are also several down-to-earth interviews with officials. The drawbacks are the index, which is not comprehensive, and the failure to mention national parks and noteworthy monuments. For large travel collections. George M. Jenks, Bucknell Univ., Lewisburg, PA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Description
From coffeehouses to cave diving, Buddhist temples to independent bookstores, mountain biking to snowboarding, Utah offers both locals and visitors a variety of cultural and scenic experiences. Exuding a verve and passion often missing in travel guides, Utah Underground is a backstage pass to the alternative music, film, and outdoor scenes. This guide takes readers to the nude beach on the Great Salt Lake and the spelunking center of the Wasatch Mountains. From the depths of Salt Lake's Dead Goat Saloon to the heights of Snowbird's Aerie Restaurant, from wild blowouts at the Zephyr to silent soakings at a secret hot spring, Utah Underground searches out the best -- and best-hidden -- spots and sights. Whether the reader's aim is to luge the 2002 Olympic bobsled course, fly off Winter Sports Park Nordic jumps, or blaze into the backcountry on a snowmobile, this book is the ultimate how-to. Everyone has heard of the Sundance Film Festival, but how many books can show the best way to infiltrate its inner sanctum? The author, an independent filmmaker himself, also gives the lowdown on the other film festivals -- including Slamdance, Slumdance, and No Dance -- that run concurrently with Robert Redford's famous fest.