After a very long Friday 29th January, we arrived in Salt Lake City at just before midnight local time. However, this was 7am GMT on Saturday 30th January, and we had been awake for more than 24 hours! Definitely an exhausting day….
However, the birthday began on the floor of Chicago Terminal 3 as, when it was midnight in the UK, I was presented with cards from the entire FWL team. Not quite what I had expected….! As we boarded a rather small American Airlines plane, the time for fingers and toes to be crossed was nigh as my suitcase – somewhat battered on arrival in Chicago – had to make it to its final destination.
And there we were, standing around the carousel at SLC and no sign of either of our cases. An announcement was made for American passengers to tell them that their cases were arriving on a different carousel…. and guess what? We are apparently American! There were both of our cases and mine, in one piece. Well both actually, but the fact mine had survived further travels without any further damage was extremely pleasing. The shuttle to our Hotel (see right) was quick and easy and I was greeted with flowers and a bottle of bubbly to celebrate!
It would be fair to say, consumption of alcohol was not high on the agenda after being awake so long so we retired to our rather large beds for a good night’s sleep. Day 1 in Salt Lake City was an absolute ball – it was throwing it down with snow for the most part of the day! We donned our hats, scarves and gloves and had a good ol’ wander about to get our bearings. We located Temple Square and now know where the Family History Library is for our planned visit on Monday.
We stumbled upon City Creek and made a few minor purchases before bumping into Jill Ball (@geniaus) outside Macy’s. We had already made arrangements for dinner later at Caffe Molise (opposite Jill’s hotel) and, after a quick selfie of the three of us (see Facebook and Twitter), we continued our journey around the area, taking a fair few pictures on the way (see Facebook!).
The genie forces are definitely gathering with many Facebook posts and tweets announcing people’s departures from various destinations, heading this way. A lovely way to end our first day in SLC, having a meal with THE Rockstar Genealogist for Australia, Jill Ball – and celebrating my XXth birthday!
We managed to power through most of the day but, whilst trying to find a rather irritating person on the 1901 and/or 1911 census for England and Wales (without success), we retired early to ensure we could make the most of Sunday.
