books, BLM, boxes and beer

October 12, 2009, Monday. On H’s last day of vacation, by the time we’d each gotten through our torturous runs/rides, we decided that it was too late to seek out another beginner level hike, especially since we’d already been to the nearest canyons (Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, Millcreek and City Creek). Instead we went city-exploring to locate some places of interest. Of interest to us, at least.

First we found H’s new office, a mere six miles down the street our apartment is on – what a cake commute! Next was the Central Book Exchange (2017 South 110 East, Sugarhouse), reportedly the best used bookstore in all of SLC. “Used” and “second-hand” are our new watchwords, btw. Central Book Exchange is pretty small but chockablock full of all kinds of books – meaning that it’s that much harder to find what you’re looking for because there’s not that much organization. Still, the variety is terrific and excellent condition paperbacks seem to go for $3-4. There’s tons of fiction in all sorts of genres, so that’s great for me.

Unless I’ve just been to the main branch of the City Library in SLC (210 East 400 South). Holy frickin’ moly – this is the coolest library I’ve ever seen. Please click through to see the photographs. H and I walked up the exterior stair wall to the roof garden where there’s a 360° view of the city. Inside the towering glass atrium are a café, art museum and multiple shops (including a branch of what will become my new comic book store, Night Flight Comics). I didn’t get a library card when we stopped in but I will soon. What an awesome place.

Our next stop was the State of Utah Department of Natural Resources Map & Bookstore (1594 W. North Temple) because H had read somewhere that this was the best place to go for maps. Indeed, they’ve got every kind of map – from the streets of SLC to hiking the Wasatch range to technical BLM charts – for all of the state. Here H selected a trail map to supplement the books on area hiking we’d just picked up at the CBE.

As you might imagine, all of this was thirsty work, so we swung by Squatter’s before hitting the self storage place and then heading home.