Stuck in SLC

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate Salt Lake City, at least not any more. Since going to college, turning 21 and making some great friends, I’ve come to tolerate, and even admire this salty city. But as much as I try to smile in the face of snow, I find the religious majority that seems to control everything, the freezing temperatures and smoggy air bring me back to a type of compulsory loathing that you can only experience for the city you grew up in.

There are a lot of things to love about SLC. The beautiful mountains, the adamant counter-culture, the quality standard of living that I’ve become so accustomed to. Even as a single, 21-year-old girl, I manage to afford my own apartment in the city, complete with all the creature comforts one could want and only a block away from my favorite city park. Gosh, I sure do have it good—but why, then, am I always so down in the dumps about living here?

It’s not that Salt Lake is bad, it’s just that, and all natives with a brain will tell you this, there is so much more to the world than Utah. That said, I haven’t been able to get myself to leave. First school, then a job and a boyfriend, not to mention not having the funds to pack up and bounce to a big city. While it seems that many bloggers are able to pick up and leave whilly nillly—and while I aspire to be that way myself—I have commitments here that have kept me in the City.

So, as 2014 begins, so does a new chapter of my life as a Utahan (even the proper noun is horrific). I figure, if I’m stuck here another year for this reason or that, I might as well try to help those that are stuck with me. Whether you too are looking to escape the drudges of SLC or have your own hometown blues, join me on a quest to not only live, but love in the city I can’t stand.