How to Holiday
Dec 13, 2018
What do a ski maven, jetsetter, active couple, energetic widow and television reporter have in common (and no, this isn’t a joke)? This unique group of individuals are downtown residents. Here’s a story that shows how a variety of people with diverse passions, in different stages of life, call downtown home.
Gaylis Linville: The Ski Maven
Achieving a work-life balance these days is difficult, but Gaylis Linville shows that it can be done. In 2006, Seattle-resident Gaylis moved to Utah to live, ski and work at Solitude Mountain Resort. Six years later, she finds herself at SMG in the Salt Palace Convention Center managing communications and public relations. Commuting daily from Solitude to downtown grew tiring, and as a result, she purchased a condo at The Belvedere.
“I was tired of driving 60 miles every day,” Gaylis says. “Now I am able to reduce my carbon footprint by walking everywhere and only having to commute two blocks to work.”
Weekdays are spent downtown working and experiencing the culture of the city. The 62-year-old likes swimming at The Gym at City Creek, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company performances, outdoor concerts and discovering new restaurants and bars. Cooking and entertaining are also favorite hobbies and Harmon’s Grocery keeps her stocked and never disappoints. Gaylis retreats to her primary residence in the mountains for skiing, hiking and relaxing on the weekends.
Rosalinde Foster: Energetic Socialite
When Rosalinde Foster moved to downtown Salt Lake City in March 2013, she arrived with two suitcases and the clothes on her back. German-born Rosalinde moved to Columbus, Georgia in 1966 with her US military policeman husband. After he passed away, Rosalinde visited family in Utah and decided that she needed a change in her life. Within two weeks, she put an offer on a condo at The Regent at City Creek, sold her house, car and belongings in Georgia and never looked back.
“Until now, I’ve never lived in a place where I could walk out the door and be in the middle of everything,” says the 77-years-young downtown socialite. “The energy of the city makes me feel alive!”
A true connoisseur of public transportation, Rosalinde regularly rides UTA buses and TRAX (and once a GREENbike) around town and takes FrontRunner to Layton where she visits her daughter and family. Mostly, she loves that she can walk to so many places including Harmon’s Grocery, Abravanel Hall, Market Street Grill and her tri-weekly water aerobics classes at The Gym at City Creek. Rosalinde rounds-out her downtown lifestyle spending time at a senior center where she takes beginner Spanish, French and creative writing classes.
Ben Winslow: News Professional
You may find that Ben Winslow looks familiar – and rightly so. This downtown resident is also a well-known face for FOX 13 news, covering politics and courts and “downtown is where the decisions are made.”
“When I first started working in Salt Lake, I thought I would stay long enough to cover the 2002 Olympics and then move on to another city,” Ben states. “But I'm still here and I love it. It's hard to picture myself living anywhere else.”
Before moving downtown, Ben, 38, lived in the suburbs of Salt Lake. He found himself downtown so often that he figured that he might as well live there. Ben loves being able to walk, ride a GREENbike or take TRAX around the city because there is always something going on any time of the year. When he isn’t covering stories for FOX 13, Ben likes shopping at the Farmer’s Market, sipping java at The Peoples Coffee and discovering new things happening in his town.
Chase Johnson: Jetsetter
28-year-old Chase Johnson has been a downtown resident since the fall of 2012. After graduating from Westminster College, the Salt Lake City native found downtown lofts going to auction, made a bid and ended up with a 400-square-foot loft. “I love that this city is growing up at the rate that I am,” Chase says. “It has been cool to watch Salt Lake grow and change the same way that I have.”
When he is not working as a digital marketer for CHG Healthcare, this jetsetter and his girlfriend love to travel around the country in search of unique experiences and beer breweries. Taking TRAX to the airport is a no-brainer, making it so easy to catch the plane. As a self-proclaimed minimalist, Chase doesn’t do much shopping. He spends his money on experiences rather than things – and downtown’s food and entertainment scene fits that bill. Pallet, Canella's and La Fountain are some favorite eateries while Red Rock, Beer Bar and Beerhive are preferred watering holes for this beer lover. The Twilight Concert Series and shows at The Depot are some of Chase’s top picks for places to catch live bands. To him, Salt Lake is the best kept secret.
Dana Hernandez and Will Tuddenham: Recently Engaged
Recently engaged couple, Dana Hernandez and Will Tuddenham, enjoy the buzz of downtown life together as they get ready to tie the knot. After graduating college and working in San Diego, Dana moved to Salt Lake in 2009 to ditch the traffic and landed a gig doing public relations and communications for the Utah Film Center. Will, 30, a Salt Lake City native and former-professional snowboarder, studies graphic design at the University of Utah.
"Living downtown gives us easy access to everything we need," says Dana, 32. “I walk to work, Will rides TRAX to the University and we love riding our bikes around town too.” The couple enjoys urban life filled with food, arts and culture. They love dining at Takashi and Copper Onion, frequent the Repertory Dance Theatre, take in Utah Jazz home games at Vivant Arena and attend free movie screenings at The City Library. Downtown shopping for their wedding is also a pastime for them. Dana’s engagement ring and their wedding bands were designed with the jewelers at O.C. Tanner Jewelers. Will designed the suit he'll wear at the wedding at Beckett & Robb. “What a fun experience that was!”
