High on Caffeine and Literary Bliss; An Afternoon in Salt Lake!

All this past week I've grown increasingly uneasy; I felt kind of stuck to the point that it was driving me to some serious distraction (case in point: I got home from the store Thursday evening and while putting my food away poured my entire bag of coffee beans into to my jar full of oats rather than my coffee canister (I wasn't able to extract all the beans and will be having coffee flavored oats for awhile!)). This morning my emotions worked themselves up to a deadlock, my restless mind had had enough, and it fast became clear that I HAD TO get out and do something - go somewhere - that I'd never experienced before. So I jumped in my car with my GPS in tow and drove south to the Salt Lake City Library.

Out of all the people and places in Maine there are very few that I miss more than the Brunswick library; really there isn't a day that passes where I don't miss being able to walk down Maine street to that old brick building to lose myself in it's stacks of literary magic. There is a library in Layton and while - as all libraries do - it has it's own loveliness it holds neither the charm or the selection of Brunswick's and I have been wanting for months now find a library that did. Circulating over 4 million items, the Salt Lake Library definitely meets that first desire, and what it lacks in old New England comfort it makes up for with big city WOW!

The current main location (there are 3) made it's grand début to the city in 2006 and was voted 'Library of the Year' in a national library journal. It's four above ground levels are filled with seemingly endless rows of books, CDs, movies, newspapers, and magazines. Comfy chairs, desks for studying and even gas fireplaces(!) on every level create a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere for families, students, and lone visitor simply looking for some peace and quiet. Their basement level showcases artwork from local artists (I saw some paintings by 8th graders that blew my mind with their talent) and a childrens section full of the obvious books, movies and computers, but also rooms for crafts and little cubby holes and hideouts for little ones to curl up and read. Sharing the main level of the building is a flower shop, a hair salon, a café, and the Library Store -
which is where I found some AWESOME cards and a Shakespeare coffee cup I've been wanting for years!). There is also a coffee shop - IN THE LIBRARY; my first experience with the Salt Lake Roasting Co. was definitely a positive one, I had an iced americano that was perfectly dark, strong, bitter and delicious! I walked out the doors a couple hours later feeling happy, refreshed, and seriously considering paying the $80/year fee it would cost for me (since I don't live in the city) to become a library member.

Before leaving the city I decided to make a quick stop at the Oasis Café/Golden Braid bookstore which my HR director highly recommend I visit, and I am glad she did. After a not so quick meandering through the store I wandered back out with more cards, gifts, and another cup of coffee (also good but the first was definitely my favorite). I arrived home high on caffeine and literary bliss and dug into a heavenly bowl of garlic pasta and broccoli (my goal these past few weeks is to be better at scaring myself with fear foods, hence pasta). My adventures today were exactly what I needed and to sign this post off I leave you with this little reminder I came across today...

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