Earlier this month, Derek got to travel to Park City, Utah for a neuroscience conference (he has been getting to take some fun trips for work lately!). Unfortunately I didn't get to go with him this time, but he kindly snapped some nice shots to share with me, and now I shall share them with you loyal readers. Let's just say I was a bit jealous--I've been craving a snowy trip to the mountains, and Park City looks beautiful! Thankfully he skipped on the skiing so we can go together sometime soon...(fingers crossed!)
First, a quick history lesson. The area was first explored by Mormon pioneers in 1848, and in the 1860s it experienced a boom with silver mining. Despite mining disasters such as fires and explosions, this continued to be a huge draw to the area until the 1950s, when the price of silver dropped and the place nearly became a ghost town. But luckily, town officials had been developing the town as a premier ski spot, and in 1963 Treasure Mountain ski resort opened and more or less saved the town. Since then, Park City has been a top spot for skiers and vacationers from around the globe.
A monument to the town's miners on Main Street.
A nice timeline of the Park City's history can be found here.
Park City now boasts a variety of unique features:
*Home to the Sundance Film Festival (Derek missed it by just a few weeks!)
*Site of much of the 2002 Winter Olympics
*Scenes from Dumb and Dumber filmed here
*Original home of Mrs. Fields Cookies chain
*Current home of US ski team
*Generally larger tourist population than residents
*Named one of the 20 prettiest towns in Forbes Traveler Magazine (2008)
*Internationally recognized for its biking trails
Alright, now time for a stroll down Main Street!
This was Derek's favorite thing--ski slope that emptied onto a bridge over Main Street with a lift going back up...
Ski, stop and grab lunch, and back to the slopes!
Burn Cowboy Shop--family owned since 1876!
I would like to eat here please.
Icicles.
Did I mention how cold it was?
Davanza's Pizza--Derek recommends the Philly cheese steak or the thin crust pizza!
(A trip can't be complete without some food photography...)
The local high school.
Ah, scenic!
--Jessica (&Derek)
Historic photo via
