By Curmudgeon
Some good ink for Ogden in the papers this morning. First, the Standard-Examiner reports that the January issue of Sunset Magazine lists Ogden as one of the “Top 10 Places you’ve gotta go.".
From the story:
Calling Ogden “one of the West’s hottest adventure spots,” and labeling it a place for adrenaline junkies, Sunset lists the area’s plentiful snow and outdoor recreation opportunities as the main reasons to visit. “Jackson, Wyoming, or Boulder, Colorado, might boast similar activities, but the prices and laid-back vibe in burgeoning Ogden can’t be beat,” the article says.Laid back vibe? Ogden? Now, I'll concede Ogden is much less laced up than, say, Morgan or Provo, but laid back? Would that it were so....
The story reports that upcoming issues of Ski and Ski Magazine will be touting Ogden as a happening place to be as well. All this is good.
Naturally, the article quotes Mayor Godfrey on Ogden's success marketing itself as a a kind of high adventure base camp:
Part of the new interest in Ogden is a revitalized downtown, Godfrey said, with restaurants, movie theaters and the Salomon Center. “If downtown is a cool, fun, vibrant place, then people will want to stay there,” he said, “and ski at our incredible resorts.”Somehow, the Mayor managed to restrain himself from explaining how a downtown Wal-Mart will increase the excitement and multiply the opportunities for adventure in Our Fair City. Admirable restraint on his part, I thought.
The other item is an article in the SL Trib, which touts the Flowrider particularly, pronouncing it better than Hawaii for true surfing fans. [No. I'm not kidding. It really does say that.]
The article goes on to talk about the Salomon Center and its other attractions, proclaiming them to be successful in drawing travelers from all over the world to Ogden. And it talks of Ogden's kayak parks, rivers and the coming ice tower and other attractions like bird sanctuaries and Ft. Buenaventura.
And all of this attention without a gondola. The closing graphs of the article:
The future of a proposed gondola on the east side of Ogden is up in the air. Mayor Godfrey said he was waiting for developer Chris Peterson, who could build a ski resort in the area, to bring forward a proposal.The future of the gondola is "up in the air." God, I love reporters with a sense of humor....
Even without the gondola, city leaders are proudly pointing to Ogden as one of the West's newest major outdoor-recreation destinations.
So, overall, lots of good ink for Ogden appearing these days and worth the reading, both pieces.
