Utah's Contrasts - Well, I was back in Salt Lake over the last several days. Hosting me for the business trip was a very traditional local law firm that appears to be closely connected to the LDS church. (Yes, they had coffee and Coke in the vending machine, but no one was drinking them.) The office was located right across the street from the Temple, and we even tried to have lunch in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (formerly the Hotel Utah), but the wait was too long. Needless to say, this trip was definitely my closest encounter with Mormon society to date.

My boss had an interesting observation about SLC. He felt like it was a place with a quiet but rather open clash of cultures going on. In a state where the surrounding communities are 80-99% Mormon, SLC is only 50%. Thus, this one city is where virtually all of Utah's non-Mormons live, and they seem to want to let everyone else know they exist. So you really notice the tattooed bikers, the gritty street people, the soul-patched, snowboarding alterna-kids, and the pride-flag-waving homos. Suprisingly, therefore, SLC displays a remarkable spirit of Vive la différence.

Especially against the backdrop of preternaturally clean streets and orderly houses (not to mention polite, clean-shaven and neatly dressed LDS citizenry), the contrasts just stand out. I was tempted myself to check out Club Naked, a blazing neon, free-standing mostly-homo nightclub just six blocks from the Temple, but I passed. Likewise The Trapp, not too far from downtown. Maybe next time -- with my new online friends from SLC guiding me -- I will get out and see those sights.