Getting to the University Park Marriott Hotel
480 Wakara Way
Salt Lake City, UT 84108
1-801-581-1000
(Historical Note: the Hotel is at the intersection of Wakara, Komas and Arapeen, all the names of Native American chiefs who lived in the area)
Thanks to Brigham Young the great colonizer, Salt Lake, like most Utah towns, is laid out on a grid system that begins downtown at Temple Square. Young also commanded that these streets be wide enough to turn an ox cart around in--which they are. Eight full blocks equal one mile, to help you figure if you want to try the walk or not. The street north of Temple Square is North Temple, the street to the South, South Temple. . . The only exception being the street to the east which is called Main instead of the expected East Temple. From here, the grid runs wonderfully straight with streets named Second East, Third East, Fourth East. . .so on, with house numbers one hundred to a block, the evens on one side, the odds on the other. Once you get the hang of it, it does make finding things relatively simple--although many are thrown at first when an address says something like "992 South l1th East." "What sort of street name is Eleventh East?" Easy, it's 11 blocks east--towards the mountains--from Temple Square. And the address is nine blocks, almost ten, south of the same central point, on the west side of the street. Wakara Way, a recent, named addition, is 2300 E (there are lists that tell you things like this in most every phone book), the hotel at 480 South. Plot the grid from there.
*By Air--Salt Lake International Airport is accessible from most places by many airlines. In particular, Delta runs a hub here--although, please note, Delta keeps talking about bankruptcy, so keep an eye on that.
Once you arrive on the ground, the Hotel Shuttle is perhaps the easiest way to get to the Marriott. The cost, one way, is $12 and all you have to do is ask for it at the kiosk near either luggage claim area. They serve so many hotels that a shuttle will always be just moments away.
Taxis are of course available and cheaper if you fill them with your friends, perhaps $25 to the hotel.
The Public Bus is an adventure, with longer wait times than other cities (as long as an hour on some routes), and you will have to walk a block at the end. The cost is only $1.35 one way (exact change, be sure to ask for a transfer as you board). Nonetheless, for the adventurous, here are directions: At the airport curbside, catch the route 50 Airport/International going into town (I don't think you have a choice, so this is easy). Get off at the stop at 321 S West Temple (the drivers are good at helping you here). You should be able to catch either the #13 Canyon Rim or #14 East Millcreek bus going outbound here. Either will bring you to the western end of Wakara Way where you must cross Foothill Boulevard and then just walk about a block up east (toward the mountains) to find the hotel on the lefthand side. Visit the website www.utabus.com for more information--you may want to purchase a cheap pass if you mean to use much public transport while in town--but please note that few routes run on Sunday. The one to the airport does, but not the connector from the hotel.
Rental Cars of many agencies are also available with their own shuttles from the curbside.
*By Car. Should you pick up a rental car or come in one of your own, here are driving directions:
From the West, the airport, Wendover, Reno and points beyond. Enter the Salt Lake Valley on I-80 going east. Or, from the airport, get directly onto I-80 heading east, towards downtown. Take the 600 So. exit heading east. Turn left at 700 E., then turn right onto 400 South, heading east, towards the mountains. 400 South turns into 500 South and is State 186. You will drive past the University of Utah, past the Olympic Stadium, making a slow arc southward just at the end as Fourth South turns into Foothill Boulevard. Here, with a big stoplight, is Wakara Way. Turn left here; the hotel is no more than a quarter mile, on the left. If you come to the light at Sunnyside Avenue, 8 hundred and something south, and Foothill Boulevard, you've gone too far.
From the South, Provo, St. George, Las Vegas and points beyond. Enter the Salt Lake Valley on I-15 heading north. At the junction with I-215, take 215 going east--towards the mountains. This will swing you around right at the foothills until you come to a junction with Foothill Boulevard Exit onto Foothill Boulevard going north and take it for two or three miles, past the mall called Foothill Village on the left, the west. When you come to the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Sunnyside Avenue, you're getting close. It's the next stop light, Wakara Way to the right.
From the North, Bountiful, Ogden, Idaho and points beyond. Enter the Salt Lake Valley on I-15 heading south. Take the 600 So. exit and proceed as from the west, above.
From the East, Park City, Evanston and points beyond. Enter the Salt Lake Valley on I-80 through Parley's Canyon, heading west. The moment you see the valley spreading out below you, you will come to an interchange where you want to head north. Take the exit onto Foothill Boulevard, State 186, and from then on you may follow the directions for people coming from the south, above.
*By Bus. Greyhound has a terminal in downtown Salt Lake. Should you choose this mode of transportation, you will find a light rail, "Trax", station right out the front door when you debus. For $1.35 one way--purchasable from machines on the platform, exact change not required--get on a train marked "University" (or one marked "Sandy" and then change to "University" at the Gallivan Plaza station--but that's a pain) and ride it to the Stadium station. From here, walk across the street north to the bus stop on either the west or east side of the street and catch the free university shuttle, either Purple or Green lines, to Wakara Way. The shuttle driver should be able to help you. The hotel will be in view when you get off, but please note the shuttles only run from 6 am to 6 pm and the train runs only slightly longer hours. Trax schedules can be found at www.utabus.com or on the platform and shuttle schedules at http://www.parking.utah.edu/shuttles.htm or on posts at the stops.
*By Train. Only Amtrak's California Zephyr (between Emeryville, CA and Chicago) stops in Salt Lake these days, usually in the middle of the night and at least five hours late. The trip over the Rockies from Denver is spectacular, however. The station is in a bad part of town, so taxi service would be the safest way to get to the hotel.
We are at an elevation of over 5000 ft which suggests two cautions: You are much more likely to get sunburned, so if you intend to spend much time outdoors, prepare accordingly (although in April it might also snow--with the incumbent glare to increase the burn). You may find yourself shorter of breath than usual. Proper hydration helps.