Salt Lake City Girl’s Weekend + VLOG

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I know I usually have a fashion-themed post today, but because I had such a fabulous weekend with some of my favorite ladies, I decided to post my recap & vlog instead. Your regularly scheduled fashion post will go live tomorrow, don’t worry. YAY! To bring you up to speed –  Erica (cominguprosestheblog.com) & I flew out to Salt Lake City to celebrate Amanda’s (blissfulgal.com) 24^thbirthday and to support Chelsie (heytherechelsie.com) at a blogger panel & fashion show. If you didn’t know – I totally met my best friends on the internet and they are more like family than friends at this point. We love traveling together and this weekend was an absolute DREAM. Keep reading to read our SLC recap and watch our absolutely adorable vlog!!

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Salt Lake City Girl’s Weekend + VLOG

We packed about 1 million things into ONE weekend because all four of us live in different states, so when we see each other we have to pack a month’s worth of activities into 3 days. Here is the #bloguad guide to experiencing SLC:

RESTAURANTS TO EAT AT:

In’n’Out

While I am not a HUGE fan of the fries, I do love the burgers and cute 50’s vibes the restaurant gives off. It was the perfect fast food stop to grab after spending the entire morning on a plane. We didn’t spend very long here because we had lots of stuff to get to, but you don’t need to have an awesome experience. In’n’out is a very “out west” thing to do so if it’s your first time in Utah, you won’t want to miss it!

Blocks Restaurant

I’ve never been to this restaurant before, but it had an awesome atmosphere! It wasn’t fancy in terms of what you’d dress up to wear, but the food definitely looked professional and upscale. They were plated beautifully and tasted DELICIOUS. The only downside to this place is the wait for food. We had to wait a really long time to be seated because of limited tables, and then we waited again for them to take our order. In addition to that – it was a good 20-30 min in between receiving our appetizers and receiving our entrees. If you don’t mind a wait and are willing to be patient for good food, this is a great little place.

Spitz

I was completely obsessed with this place. It was a Greek / Mediterranean eatery and had some of the most delicious gyro wraps I’ve ever had. They were traditional gyros, but they had tender lamb/beef, fresh veggies, yummy tzaziki sauce and the pita bread it was wrapped in wasn’t stale or flour-y. They also had sweet potato fries I will be dreaming about for the next six months. My mouth is LITERALLY watering while I type.

Zupas

This isn’t a Utah-only place, but it is delicious. I would categorize it similarly to Panera Bread but a little more fast-food-esque (only in terms of how quickly you are served, not in terms of quality). I got the ultimate grilled cheese which had Tilamook cheddar cheese (a Utah & Idaho specialty), fresh tomatoes and basil pesto dressing for my sandwhich and their tomato basil bowl for my soup. Everything was under $10 and SO yummy. 10/10 recommend.

OUTLET MALL TO HIT:

Traverse Mountain Outlets

This mall was great because it had stores like Gap, Francesca’s American Eagle and Loft. We were able to hit our favorite ‘mall’ stores at outlet mall prices. I snagged some ADORABLE pieces at Francesca’s (stay tuned for my summer styling post next week) and was able to complete my spring/summer wardrobe for the season. It was SO beautiful this weekend so it was perfect for outdoor shopping.

AND if you are looking for stores along the lines of Burlington Coat Factory (a store I had never actually been in and will now be frequenting because of the amazing prices), Old Navy, Ulta and Downeast Bascis – it has all of those as well!! We all got matching palm tree tshirt dresses at Old Navy and I scored the most ADORABLE pinstripe pants for only $15 on clearance. #winning I also realized how much better Downeast Basics has gotten in terms of on-trend clothing. When I lived in Idaho, I typically avoided it because I felt the clothes were frumpy and definitely not with the current styles. I decided to give it another shot at Chelsie’s insistence and was SO pleasantly surprised! It felt WAY more like a boutique with modest but definitely trending styles. I scored some AWESOME pieces here, too, and will be frequenting their online store a lot more now that I know they’ve really upped their game.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES TO TRY:

Jeeping

This was ABSOLUTELY the highlight of our trip, hands down. Chelsie’s husband Dustin got the jeep ready for us and took us all out to the Utah mountains to get a taste of jeeping. I’ve been mudding and four-wheeling before in Idaho, but never jeeping. It was a completely different experience and we had a blast. All four of us got a chance to drive (thanks to Dustin being a completely amazing and patient driving instructor) and got to view some incredible skylines at the top of the mountain we drove up. I had forgotten how breathtaking that scene can be. We brought a bunch of snacks and hot dogs and ate a classic outdoor lunch by one of the old abandoned copper mines.  I wish Adam had been able to come with me because he would have totally LOVED this part of the trip.

INDOOR ACTIVITIES TO TRY:

West Jordan Cinemark

We did end up going to see the movie “I Feel Pretty” with Amy Schumer and even though I really don’t typically like her as an actress, I really liked this movie. It was belly laugh funny (along the lines of Bridesmaids, if you enjoyed that movie) and also SO CRINGE-Y and my secondhand embarrassment almost couldn’t handle all the embarrassing scenes. This particular movie theater also had reclining seats that made the experience that much better. I won’t see movies anymore unless the seats recline so I am SO spoiled that both here in the Utah and back home have that option. It makes watching movies SO much more enjoyable, honestly.

ADDITIONAL FUN TIMES THAT WERE HAD:

Fashion show for C

We were able to listen in on an influencer panel Chelsie was a part of this weekend and it’s always awesome to watch my girls succeeding and being amazing at what they do. She had some amazing insight and I always learn something new when I listen to her speak. Following C’s influencer panel, there was a really neat fashion show that centered on celebrating every type of woman, no matter your shape or style. There was definitely something for everyone and it was awesome to see everyone there really connecting and getting into the spirit.

Pizza & The Greatest Showman

Is there a better way to celebrate friendship than pizza and a movie on a Saturday night? I don’t think so. We decided to spend Saturday night in and order a pizza and watch The Greatest Showman. I’ve obviously seen this like 40 times but Amanda hadn’t seen it yet. Unfortunately, she was a party pooper because we weren’t allowed to sing along to the movie (rude) and so we had to mouth the words dramatically instead. To see the hilarious footage of that night – be sure to watch the video above!!

PIN THIS FOR LATER:

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Honestly – I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend with my ladies. Friends are the family you get to choose yourself and that couldn’t be truer of our friendship. I would fly out and do it again in a heartbeat.

I always wish I had more time to spend in Salt Lake (there are so many things I’d do, so many people I’d see – especially since I have SO many friends in the Salt Lake area) – but 3 days just isn’t very long when it’s crazy jam packed like this weekend was. If I didn’t get to say hello this time and you live in or around SLC – I will catch you next time I’m in town!

Have you ever been to Salt Lake City? What is YOUR favorite part? Let me know in the comments below!