This neighborhood guide is brought to you by City Cast Salt Lake contributor, neighborhood boundary aficionado, and Building Salt Lake Editor Taylor Anderson:
I’ve lived in Liberty Wells for just over six years. It’s a perfect rectangle encompassing about 950 acres of land southeast of Downtown, west of Sugar House, and north of ‘SoSaLa.' (That's the first and last time I'll call South Salt Lake that.)
Places To Eat
Park Cafe
Salt Lake City is experiencing a mega-drought of greasy spoon diners. The Park Cafe is an oasis. In my opinion, an institution worthy of the long wait –– it’s part of the experience. I get the pancake sandwich every single time.
Mahider Ethiopian Restaurant
Vegans, rejoice. Mahider Ethiopian Restaurant is one of those international gems hiding on State Street, waiting for you to discover it and regret that you hadn’t done so earlier. Close your eyes, point at the menu, order it. You can’t go wrong.
Nona Bistro
No, no, no. It’s not Pizza Nono. That’s the sister restaurant in 9th & 9th. Nona is a new spot on the north end of Liberty Wells, at 346 E. 900 S. Go for the wood-fired dishes, or wait until the weather warms and get blown away by the ambiance and landscaping of the backyard patio.
Pocket Parks
Ron Heaps Memorial Park
Obviously we have Liberty Park. But Ron Heaps Memorial Park, at 256 E. Herbert, is one of a few city-owned pocket parks that show what the city can do with just 0.14 acres of land in areas that need more greenspace.
Ida M. Cotten Park
I’d long ignored it as a place for families with kids. Well, what do you know? Now I’m one of those people, grateful to have a playground around the corner.
SLCC
It may not be a “park,” per se, but when walking to Bees games or RoHa Brewing in Ballpark I’ll typically check out the landscaping in front of the school before hooking left on Kensington. Download a plant identification app and check out these drought-tolerant, primarily native garden beds.
Better Bike Route
When I moved into the neighborhood, I would always ride on 300 East into Downtown because it has marked bike lanes. 200 East is the way to go. Traffic lights actually recognize people riding bikes and are much more in sync for someone cruising 10-20 mph. This is your straight shot into Downtown. Enjoy watching the city transition from single-family to mid-density with mixed-use to urban core, and one of the best views of the Salt Lake City and County Building.
