Q-Tips Reviews

SALT LAKE CITY UTvoted the “least stressed city” we were told. Clean city, good transportation and of course, many things to see.

Salt Lake Plaza Hotel 122 W South Temple., Salt Lake City, UT 84101, Salt Lake City, Downtown, (801) 521-0130, plaza-hotel.com Our room was clean, had an ok breakfast. When we arrived they had cookies and some type of lemonade for the guest. The employees were friendly and helpful. When asked for a good steak and full bar Rest., the front desk person suggested “Squatters.” See review on squatters next. Asked if we could walk there and he said, if you wait one moment, our driver, can take you there, even tho we could have walked. After dinner we called the hotel and the driver came and pick us up after we were done eating. Nice touch for a hotel, since many only offer cab service. Of course, we did tip the driver. We did not encounter any bedbugs, hopefully they have eliminated the problem. We did have a lovely view of the city from our room.

SQUATTERS REST. 147 W Broadway, Downtown, (801) 363-2739
squatters.com After the glowing reports from the hotel’s front desk, we decided to go there. The food was OK but it was just a Pub with sandwiches and beer, they don’t know how to make a good drink. However, the restaurant was filled with college students, some singing, talking loudly and watching games on the TV’s, definitely enjoying themselves. Not exactly what we would call a quite evening with a good steak and full bar. While waiting for the driver, compliments of the hotel, we noticed a Ruth Criss Steakhouse a few blocks down. Oh Well, at least we were fed and watered.

MORMON TEMPLE and more: 50 W S Temple., Downtown., (801) 240-2534 We were able to walk around the temple and see a few things. It was later in the evening, so most things were closed. Nice gardens, but not as elaborate as one might anticipate. Still nice to see when the evening lights are on the temple. Would go back again to see more of Salt Lake City but not a real high priority on the “bucket list.” Time to get ready to leave early AM and get back on the bus.

BRYCE CANYON– http://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm Hoodoos and Forest – wonderful sights. Bryce Canyon, which despite its name, is not a canyon but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters.

The spires are called called “hoodoos”. We walked one of their trails. All trails are marked “moderate” or “strenuous”.

No hotel today – went straight from here to Salt Lake City UT

Ruby’s Cafe – decent food, service, lunch/or buffet, on our own, and reasonably priced. Even tho thee were other restaurants they were either closed or not to our liking. We had a limited amount of time before getting on the bus again.

GRAND CANYON National PARK – Sooth Rim – The Q’s have been to the North Rim and this trip it was good to go South.

GRAND CANYON BUS SERVICE – Excellent and easy to use, ride and it is FREE! There are several but they are easy to use depending on whether you are touring the Canyon, etc. The front of the FREE green and white shuttle tells you the name of the route and the color. Caution: Wheelchairs can be accommodated but motorized wheelchairs cannot.

Holiday Inn – Hwy 64, Grand Canyon, AZ (800) 345-8082, holidayinnexpress.com was ok – the usual amenities that Holiday Inn offers. It was a place to rest your tired bones at night. They say HIGH SPPED Iternet – it is more like NO SPEED/or very very slow speed internet. Supposedly have been working to fix it for several years.

EL TOVAR REST: Grand Canyon National Park Village Loop Dr., Grand Canyon, AZ (928) 638-2631
grandcanyonlodges.com/el-tova… High End, Good food/Drinks (had a bit of an odd odor when you walked it) but good menu selections.

SANTA FE NEW MEXICO – A must see and do for all creative artists types.

COURTYARD MARRIOTT 3347 Crillos Rd., (505) 473-2800 – HOTEL SHUTTLE-Yes, it did work.
Makes several stops around town – you can call them and they will let you know when it will be coming by at your particular stop to take you back to the hotel.

Had a tour of Santa Fe with our tour bus guide and then the afternoon you were free to explore on your own. Lunch/Dinner was on your own. Saw some landmarks and made a note to go back and see the inside of Loretto Chapel but when we went back they were closed for a Special Event. The staircase itself is truly a work of art and the story is it doesn’t have anything holding it up. There is a story, several stories behind the staircase – the sisters needed to get to choir loft and there was no staircase. Mrs. Q asks, is it a miracle or a lesson in physics? Legend says it was constructed or inspired by St. Joseph the Carpenter, was built sometime between 1877 and 1881. It took at least six months to build, and has two 360 degree turns with no visible means of support.

Georgia O Keefe Museum – 217 Johnson St., Santa Fe, NM 87501, (505) 946-1000, okeeffemuseum.org Q’s say: see it especially if you are an O Keefe fan. There is a movie you can see inside that says a lot about her personal and artistic life – don’t miss the movie. It is not free but – Seniors were, $10.00 pp. However, on the day we were there there was Special Event in the evening so they were closing early. Also passed by her “Ranch” in route to another Natl. Park.

DEL CHARRO SALOON: 101 W Alameda St., Santa Fe, NM, (505) 954-0320, delcharro.com Where the locals and tourists go, They have $6.00 Specials everyday and Drink specials also. Our waitress, Crystal was awesome – happy to to be there and serve you. Had the Margaritas – excellent. Mr. Q had the famous green Chile Cheese Burger. New Mexico raised, grass-fed beef seasoned with our Chipotle BBQ sauce, stuffed with apple wood smoked bacon, New Mexico autumn roasted green chile, Gorgonzola cheese and a side of green chile relish. Mrs. Q had the Kobe beef sliders. Both enjoyed their meal. Service was excellent and the ambiance is what one would expect at a saloon type restaurant.

YELLOWSTONE NATL PARK – WY Established in 1872, Yellowstone National Park is a national treasure. Located primarily in Wyoming, the park also extends into Montana and Idaho. Yellowstone has active geothermal features with geysers and boiling mud pots throughout the park. The most famous is Old Faithful, a geyser that has erupted on the clock for decades. The park has a tour bus system, nine visitor centers, and 2,000 campsites.

OLD FAITHFUL and other geysers. Geyser Hill, one of the most amazing patches of thermal activity in the world. In this small area, there are about 30 geysers, some large and others small, along with many hot springs. Wandering among the thermal features on Geyser Hill is a great way to spend time in Yellowstone before or after Old Faithful erupts, or a wonderful spot to learn more about geysers if you’ve already seen Old Faithful a few times.

The easiest way to reach Geyser Hill is to walk around the benches at Old Faithful — you can go in either direction. If you head around by Old Faithful Lodge, you’ll drop right down to the river bridge, and then up to Geyser Hill. If you walk around toward Old Faithful Inn, you need to go a bit farther until you reach a paved path that loops back to a viewing site for Beehive Geyser. That route takes you past some hot springs before meeting up with the other path and dropping down to the river bridge.

Most people take 30 minutes to an hour to make the Geyser Hill loop and return to the benches by Old Faithful. Of course, that depends on whether you keep walking. Since Old Faithful erupts about every 90 minutes, if you’ve just missed Old Faithful, this might be a great loop walk to try. Old Faithful is visible from much of Geyser Hill, so depending on the timing, you may also get a chance to witness it from a different vantage point.

5 great geysers to see on the Geyser Hill loop:

Anemone Geyser: Smaller geyser that gives you two geysers for the price of one. Big Anemone (closest to the boardwalk) drains with the same gurgle you hear when emptying out the bathtub. Last year it was about 12-15 minutes from the start of Big Anemone’s eruption to the start of the next one, with Little Anemone erupting in between. Anemone shows the cycle typical of many geysers — the basin fills with water, then the eruption starts and finally it drains back down the vent.
Plume Geyser in Yellowstone National Park

Plume Geyser: This one erupts about every hour, give or take a few minutes, which is more often than Old Faithful. There’s no warning, just the sound of a rushing water, then Plume Geyser starts its eruption which comes in bursts with pauses in between. Each burst is slightly weaker than the previous. It typically gives 4 or 5 bursts, but it can be more or less.

Beehive Geyser: Beehive is a favorite of many because of its lovely narrow, tall jet of water. This geyser usually erupts only once during daylight hours, and it is often (but not always) preceded by its indicator geyser — a smaller geyser next to the big cone. The indicator usually erupts anywhere from a few minutes to 20 minutes before Beehive. Beehive is taller and lasts longer than Old Faithful. The eruption ends with a rather loud steam phase that’s best heard from the boardwalk on Geyser Hill. Beehive Geyser isn’t regular enough to give a prediction. Lately, it has averaged about 12-15 hours between eruptions, with a few extra-long waits of 17 to 19 hours now and then. You can check at the Old Faithful Visitor Center to see if they know when it last erupted.

Lion Geyser: When active, Lion has multiple eruptions in a “series” that are each about one hour apart. This spring, Lion seems to give us long series of seven or more, but the more eruptions it has during a series, the longer it seems to take for it to recharge itself for the next batch of eruptions. It can be one or two days between active times.

Doublet Pool: This hot spring doesn’t erupt, but it does “thump.” About every half-hour or so, the water level rises to the top of the lacy, scalloped edge and then the thumps start. The thumps come from large gas bubbles that collapse below ground. Watch the level of the water at Doublet and give it a bit of time to see whether the water is rising or falling. Put your hand on the boardwalk to feel the thumps that match the pulses of the waves on the surface of the water. If few people are around, you can hear them, too.

This relatively short loop around Geyser Hill gives a good sampling of the geysers and hot springs which make Yellowstone so unique. Take your camera and make use of the maps, interpretive rangers and other resources at the Old Faithful Visitor Center to learn more about the amazing thermal features throughout the park.

Mrs. Q says: stay on the boardwalks and observe the warning signs and other posted notices. Geysers emit scalding hot water and can be dangerous and unpredictable. What may seem like stable ground around thermal features is often a thin crust of minerals that won’t support your weight, or that of children or pets.

JACKSON WY –

ELK COUNTRY INN townsquareinns.com/elk-country Nice place, clean, great front desk service, offer bottled water, cookies at night, and fresh fruit and coffee and water at front office. Hot tub – too busy to go in the hot tub and always got in too late to enjoy it.

RIVER FLOAT TRIP Dave Hansen Co. davehansenwhitewater.com – great float trip – Mrs. Q suggests doing it.

BIN 22 bin22jacksonhole.com – NO CORKAGE FEE IF YOU BUY THEIR WINE and eat from their SMALL PLATE Menu. Good food. Shared the Garlic shrimp, and IF YOU BUY wine there – they will uncork it for free when you take it out should you be at a local hotel/motel – no need to get a corkscrew.

BETTY ROCKS Rest. bettyrock.com – where the LOCALS eat – good homemade SOUP and chile. Mrs. Q says: Yes, Betty does rock.

SILVER DOLLAR RESTAURANT worthotel.com A historical place. The have a map which shows the historical stops of the restaurant. Good food, service, and next day went to their bar for an after dinner drink and the bar is a sports bar – several tv’s, great service and excellent drinks. A Must see and do.

CALICO’S RESTAURANT – WAS PART OF A TOUR PAID DINNER. calicorestaurant.com Service: good, wine or beer was included, salad was good but the Flat Iron steak, while the meat was good it was topped with too much salt and a dab of butter. Nice ambiance.

BUBBA’S bubbasjh.com A great breakfast/lunch place. Mrs. Q says: A lot more than just a BBQ Rest.

Mrs. Q says: If you are in Jackson long enough, see the above suggestions and enjoy!