Finding the Road

How many times have you been on this date: dinner at say a certain Costa Vida, bowling for the 100th time, and then back to the apartment to "hang out"? How boring and cliche. This web site is for all you adventure seekers who want to mix things up a bit. Here you'll find an array of restaurants, entertainment venues, and other places you've never heard of, but definitely should. These are the unknown, eclectic, unique places that will rock your night (or day) life! And if you know of any of these hot spots, post it!

Check out my Slide Show!

One World Everybody Eats

"I like it because they're not trying to impress, they're trying to help." ~Johnny Evanson

One World Cafe has the most unique and brilliant concept of what a restaurant should be. Its motto is "A hand up, not a hand out," which means anyone can eat. The cafe will never turn down a hungry soul who can't pay and offers to trade their homegrown organic food for some work in their gardens or in the kitchen washing dishes. And they have a complimentary dish every day for all guests.

Oh yeah, this little hippie cafe has no menu or set prices.

Every day One World whips up a new menu from the gardens out back . The day's food is displayed on the big kitchen counter where guests pick out what they like and tell the person behind the counter how much of each dish they want. When you leave, there's a jar where you pay whatever you feel is fair.


The food is organic, healthy and served with a good cause in mind. The setting is a mixture of bohemian decor amidst chic, urban design. The cafe is divided up into several small rooms where you can eat in a variety of settings: on a plush canopied cushion, at a large table for friends, and even in a quiet corner sitting under pictures of Mother Theresa.

One World is quite the experience and takes a certain type of person to fully appreciate the genius of the place. If you're high maintenance, this place is not for you. But if you love trying new, unusual things, One World will definitely meet your standards.


http://www.oneworldeverybodyeats.com/saltlakecity.html

41 South, 300 East
Salt Lake City

BYU International Cinema

Brigham Young University offers an exciting alternative to the traditional movie date. Several times each month, BYU shows numerous international films free of charge. Apparently, it is "the worlds largest and longest-running foreign film program".

BYU International Cinema, sponsored by the BYU College of Humanities, is designed to meet the following three educational objectives:

1. To supplement the curriculum of BYU foreign language classes by providing frequent opportunities both to hear native speakers of such languages, and to experience the art and culture of the countries in which those languages are spoken;

2. To supplement the curriculum of BYU English, film and humanities classes by showing classic and quality films from the canon of world cinema, as well as cinematic adaptations of great English literature;

3. To provide BYU honors students with frequent and consistent opportunities to complete the film component of their Honors Great Works requirement.

This is not just for Humanities students, in fact it is free for anyone. This is a really good date idea, and the movies always leave you with something to talk about.

For additional information on current showings click here

Serve and Have Fun

Not a lot of time? What about multi-tasking? Visiting assisted living centers can be a great way to help others and have fun while doing it. Next time you’re looking for something to do, just check around for the address or phone number of your local assisted living center (aka “Old Folks Home”) and ask if you can come by with a group of people to spend some time with the residents. Activities you might consider are playing board or card games, painting fingernails, reading stories, singing songs, interviewing and recording personal histories, or other ideas that allow you to spend time with some of the residents. Just being with people that are a little more advanced in years can really bring perspective into your own life. Hearing their stories and interacting with them can uncover a treasury of incredible life stories. Provo is a fun place to do this because of the relatively good number of elderly care facilities and a population of younger people who love to serve and to play. Combine them both and you can have an inspiring experience and really feel good about how you spent your time.

Remember the Holidays when you consider visiting facilities. They can be great opportunities for themed activities. Ask the facilities if they have any ideas of what you might do or what’s on their calendar already.

Examples include:

Halloween: Some facilities do trick-or-treating

Thanksgiving: Thankful Turkeys out of toothpicks and gumdrops

Christmas: Christmas carols, Christmas crafts of some kind (gingerbread houses, decorate sugar cookies, etc.)

Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity

It's too easy to get caught up in the busy lifestyle our generation has created for itself, so hard to find a peaceful place to repose. There is a small community of 21 men in Utah who have dedicated their entire lives to feeling and promoting that peace that comes through a life dedicated to serving God.

The Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity in Huntsville, Utah, is probably best-known for its Trappist Creamed Honey. According to the Abbey's Web site:

"Trappist Creamed Honey is a specialty of the Abbey of the Holy Trinity. It is a fine blend of Utah honey and various flavors calculated to satisfy a variety of tastes. It is crystallized to a consistency like that of butter or margarine. It makes a good spread for bread, toast, pancakes or waffles, and is a good topping for baked goods and bagels. It can be used to sweeten coffee, tea and hot cereal."

Don't go there just to buy honey, though, or you'll be missing out on the best part of the experience: getting to understand the life of a monk. The Retreat House in the monastery is open for any man, Catholic or not, who wants to feel the peace of a monk's life. Women who wish for this same experience can go into the Family Guest House when it is not being used by the monks themselves.

Further than this, however, is the option to reserve a private room in the Retreat House for up to 3 days free of charge (although a donation would be wise). The retreater can spend time reading religious books and pamphlets in the Abbey library, or choose to dedicate his time to prayer.

"For newcomers the transition from life in today’s fast-paced and stressful American society to the slowed-down, quiet way of life at Holy Trinity Abbey can be disorienting. Some call it liberating. Although we are not completely cut off from society, we deliberately withdraw from many features of city life, even good ones, for the sake of our religious practices. Monks do not pretend to live in the Middle Ages, free of modern technology and totally self-sufficient, but monks do filter and restrict their contacts with contemporary society."

See the monks praying here.

Utah Symphony

Did you know some of the worlds greatest musicians have come to Salt Lake City just to play with the Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall? The best part is that students can go to any symphony for just $8! The Utah Symphony is an amazing activity if you are looking for a good cultural event. You get to dress up all nice and listen to some of the best music around. Look at their website for additional information about ticket prices. Also, take a look at their calendar to see what will interest you the most!
123 W South Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101

801.533.5626 (general office)
801.533.NOTE (ticket office)

http://www.utahsymphony.org/

The Mayan Adventure

"No Ordinary Dining Experience"

The Mayan Adventure Restaurant is named appropriately. This is no ordinary dinning experience. When you walk in to the restaurant, it feels like you are walking into the Indiana Jones Ride in Disneyland, or the scene of some adventure movie. The hostess takes you down long decorated corridors, past the two story waterfall, to your table.

This dinning experience is equipped with a show every half hour. The lights are dimmed, and your attention is drawn to the huge waterfall. There you will see cliff divers showing their skill by diving into the pool 30 feet below.

Although the experience is fantastic, the food is just alright. The menu consists fairly priced Mexican dishes and mouth watering desserts.

The Mayan Adventure is a must experience in UT.

For more information and directions visit: http://www.themayan.com/

Festival of Trees

The Festival of Trees is one of the best Holiday activities to get you in the Christmas spirit. Located in the Expo Center in Sandy, this event combines Christmas decorations with the spirit of giving.

The Festival of Trees is essentially a fund raiser where hundreds of trees are decorated with different themes and placed on display to be auctioned off. The themes range anywhere from classic Christmas to Western, Barbie to Star Wars. All proceeds are donated to the Primary Children's Medical Center.

The interesting thing is, each one of the hundreds of trees is inspired by someone's story. There are pictures of the individual for whom the tree is made and numerous volunteers ready to tell you all about the person.

Admission is only $4 for an adult, $2 for seniors and children. But make sure to bring cash, they don't accept credit cards.
For information on directions, volunteering, or facts about the event check out http://www.festivaloftreesutah.com/