Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Salt Lake City is dolled up for NBA All-Star weekend
Urban Living
Posted By Babs De Lay on February 8, 2023, 4:00 AM
In one week, NBA basketball fans will be tuning into the All-Star game, hosted here in Salt Lake City on Sunday, Feb. 19. They'll see the Vivint Arena, one of the smallest in the country, squeezing in fans, players, coaches, support staff, owners and VIPs.
Every year, I like to bring my brother to Salt Lake City to see a Jazz game, so I was curious to see what ticket prices were for this event. LOL!
When I checked a few months ago, the seats in the sky ranged from $3,000 to $5,000, and those on the floor were going for a mere $45,000. Not kidding! If you wanted to impress someone and take them to the game to sit behind Team LeBron or Team Giannis, you'd be out just under $100 grand.
Apart from the game itself, Salt Lake City will make sure to put on a good show. Locals can catch a free snowboarding competition called "GRIT Rail Jam" on Feb. 17-18 at The Gateway, and there are free concerts and art shows at Gallivan Plaza Feb. 17-19 from 1-10 p.m. daily (open to all ages) and a free ongoing hoops contest Fridays through Sundays at Trolley Square, similar to the Pop-a-Shot game.
Look for other events under $50—just Google "NBA All-Star Weekend events" for more info.
What visitors might not see are the lines of tents housing the homeless along North Temple and around the Gateway. Police presence will no doubt be amped up around Trax stations and the arena as I imagine city officials will direct police to keep our homeless hidden from TV cameras and visitors during the All-Star Weekend.
On the flip side, visitors will see how vibrant our downtown is with all the cranes in the air. The Astra tower (at 200 South and State Street) is 15 stories up, with 24 more to go. It will be the tallest building downtown when completed.
Next is the site of the old Tavernacle piano bar on 300 South and 400 East—now home to a 31-story building that's about 15% up in the air so far. And previous visitors will be impressed with the new Hyatt Regency hotel attached to the Salt Palace that features terrific bars and restaurants.
City Creek Mall tenants are drooling at the potential for increased sales, but probably sad they can't be open on Sunday—and this particular Sunday—for guests to do some shopping before the big game.
The state is also going to show how "normal" Utahns are by opening a temporary state liquor store within the Salt Palace Convention Center—but only for three days during the NBA All-Star Weekend.
That's a first, and the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services (DABS) says the pop-up store was approved because parking at the downtown liquor store on 400 South is hell. They're right about that—it is.
NBA fans flying in might gasp at how much the Great Salt Lake has shrunk, or how much snowpack we have on the slopes. Hopefully, we won't be sporting an inversion that week!
About The Author
Babs De Lay
A full-time broker/owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Babs De Lay serves on the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission. A writer and golfer, you'll find them working as a staff guardian at the Temple at Burning Man each year.
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