Park City with Rak/Sim - February 2008

Dinner at Handle

 We missed the annual ski trip last year with Rak and Simran but resurrected this year.  This was our 3rd time to Park City in ~9 months after never having been there before!

Our flight was late out of Phoenix due to the runway work.  We arrived just as Rak and Sim's flight did, so ended up seeing each other at the Hertz rental.  We grabbed both cars, Simran joined us, and we drove out to the Whole Foods to get a few bites for the VRBO.  We walked out $350 poorer and with way more than we had planned.  Shawna and Simran went to the wine shop next door to stock up as well.

Hanging Out at the Bookstore

The VRBO was at 212 Daley - a 3 bedroom with garage, first floor kitchen/living/bedroom, and 2 bedrooms on the top floor.  The kitchen was good but the rest of the VRBO was less than optimal: the living room was not configured to be social, the beds were small, uncomfortable, the sheets polyester so had lots of static, and the pillows terrible.  Definitely once of our more disappointing VRBO experiences.

When we arrived to the condo, we had a quick late-night bite and then headed to bed.

High West Distillery

On Saturday morning, Rak, Keith and Ria stopped by Jans to rent our skis for 3 days and then drove the hour to Alta since none of us had been there before.  The resort is just stunning and the weather was just perfect that day.  The only downfall was that with very little snow recently the ski conditions were not A+.  Simran and Shawna went to the High West Distillery to do a tour and taste whiskey - we ended up eating lunch there as well sharing soup and a sandwich which was very good.  The tour was interesting but we did not have much of the tasting since Shawna is not a fan of whiskey.  After the tour, we walked around town.  Back at the condo, we had some cheese and beer/wine with the skiers and then went out to dinner at the Handle.  Shawna and Simran were on strike so this ski trip, they did not cook dinner.  We shared several dishes - kale salad, cauliflower, mushrooms, short ribs, and fried chicken - food was tasty!

Whiskey Tasting at the Distillery

On Sunday, Rak, Keith and Ria decided to go back to Alta for another day skiing as we had not covered the whole mountain.  Also, a winter storm was coming so we thought the conditions would get better.  Shawna and Simran went to the spa at the St Regis, eating lunch there first (salads and tuna tartare which was OK but not great) and then each getting a treatment (Shawna got a massage while Simran got a facial).  Back at the condo we had cheese and wine again before going to dinner at Yuki Yama Sushi.  We shared a few appetizers - edamame, gyoza, shishito peppers - and then split the  udon.

Ria and Keith Skiing

On Monday morning, we woke to 20+ inches of snow from the winter storm the night before - and the snow was still falling.  Keith and Ria shoveled the snow - with a bit of a debate re: the contribution of the 12-year-old!  But we got all the snow out so both cars could leave the house, and packed up.  Rak/Ria/Keith headed to Park City for a half day of skiing which was insanely hard because of the deep powder.  Shawna and Simran stayed at the condo until the maid showed up to clean and then went into Park City to hand out at a book store until we all met up.  It was a fun day - we skied until 1pm and then met Shawna and Sim at High West Saloon for lunch.  It was a terrific lunch - we shared several dishes again - popcorn, mac-n-cheese, cheese board and elk chili (which was delish but very heavy).

Ria and Keith Shoveling

After lunch, we all went back to Jans to drop off the skis.  Then after goodbye hugs, Rak and Ria drove off to Sun Valley while Shawna, Sim, and Keith drove to Park City airport for the flight back to Phoenix - where Simran was to spend the next week with us.