the time I got to wear an orange vest and hardhat

 A few weeks ago, I got to go on a tour of the City Creek Shopping Center in downtown Salt Lake City.  It won't be done until the end of March, but it's going to be pretty impressive.

The stores take up two full blocks with a skybridge and flagship stores for Macy's and Nordstroms.  Which might impress some of you in great amounts.  I hardly ever go shopping, so I can't muster the proper enthusiasm.  I am, however, extremely excited for the Disney Store to be there.


And, being married to an architect, I always have to look how things are designed and I've gotta say, the City Creek Shopping Center is pretty awesome.  They have retractable roofs!  Just as cool as a convertible sports car.  Except, you know, with a building.  (And therefore way more impressive.)


There's a little creek running through the whole shopping center, with real live trout in them.  So if you've spent all your money and can't afford lunch at the foodcourt, NO PROBLEM, just bring a fishing pole.  (I'm totally joking.  If you fish in their creek they'll probably get a big scary security dude, who probably used to be a professional wrestler, to drag you out in a headlock, or something.)

And check it out - I have a MOVING PICTURE of one of the fountains there (it's totally like in Harry Potter, except not really, because it's actually just a tiny video, and it's not like I can make the picture move if it were on paper):

Also, I have this really awesome picture of these guys putting up a huge building wrap:

If that were my job, I'd be dead.  I would get up there, strap myself into one of those swingy harness seats, start panicking, begin screaming and flailing about, the strap would come loose, I would pass out due to scream induced oxygen deprivation, and plummet to my death.  It's a good thing my work involves sitting on my fat butt at a computer, right?

Probably the coolest thing about the whole shopping center is the fountain they're going to have in the main courtyard.  It was designed by the same people who did the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas.  And it's going to have water, fire, lights, and sound.  So basically it's going to be pretty sweet.

See that black rounded thingy in the bottom right hand corner?  That's the fountain. Except, much to my utter dismay, it wasn't finished yet.  Which was a huge bummer, and also my excuse to go back as soon as they open.

So yeah, come check out the City Creek Shopping Center and maybe I'll see you there.  (I'll be the one cheering and dancing around the flamey fountain while my kids hide their embarrassment behind a pillar.)

City Creek compensated me with nothing other than a tour.  And the opportunity to wear a hard hat.  That's why I said I'm not so excited about flagship stores and stuff.  If those stores would have given me something cool, like a Dolce & Gabbanna handbag for instance, I could sing their praises for years.