Author – Jeana:
Mother’s Day begins with the most traditional of rituals, breakfast in bed. For my own special spin, I always request a (big) slice of flourless chocolate cake from our local Windy Ridge Cafe and Bakery www.WindyRidgeFoods.com, a homemade cappuccino – my husband is the best brista in town! – and at least three newspapers. I intended to read all the papers front to back while watching Meet the Press, but my children have different plans…they want breakfast in bed, too, while watching Sponge Bob!

We arrive early enough for “good” seats at St Mary’s Catholic Church www.StMarysParkCity.com. The service is surprisingly empty, but I soon learn it is because of the recent swine flu outbreak. The service is lovely, as always, and Father Bob does his best to make all the mothers feel special. However, because of the concerns over the flu, the children’s liturgy, communion and post-service gathering are cancelled. In some ways, this is disappointing, but overall I’m proud of how our community has reacted to protect one another.

Following church, we go to one of our favorite breakfast spots, the Morning Ray Cafe on Main Street. The Morning Ray is located inside the Treasure Mountain Inn (www.treasuremountaininn) at the top of Main Street. We have been loyal to Morning Ray for many years and now they are under new management and their service and quality are at their best. We enjoy the creative omelet ingredients, the fresh coffee, the children’s menu and of course, the prime location!

After a fabulously filling brunch, my family surprised me with a private tennis lesson at Park City Racquet Club (www.parkcity.org)! Tennis is my new passion, next to golf and my goal is to play as much as possible this summer. The lesson is just what I needed to shake off the winter of not playing and revitalize my skills for the summer. The Racquet Club offers 7 outdoor courts, 8 indoor, private lessons, group lessons, clubs, a full fitness facility with classes, child care, two swimming pools, and a great restaurant for lunch and it is located on the shuttle route! My entire family lives at the Racquet Club in the summer.

Following my lesson, I treat my kids to quick trip the Hogle Zoo (www.hoglezoo.com). We have learned the best time to go to the zoo is right at closing time – 5 pm. The gates close at 5, but the zoo stays open until 6 pm. We have a membership and so going for only an hour, whenever we feel like it, is just right for us. It is less crowded, the summer isn’t so bright and the animals are enjoying their dinner and are actually quite active. Each kiddo picks out a favorite animal to go see and we stroll through learning about their choices. The perfect ending to my special day.

There’s nothing quite like Old Town Park City anywhere in Utah.  In fact, it’s pretty unique regardless of where you look.  Aspen may come close in some aspects, Breck has some similar spots, but the geograhpically small area that is Old Town Park City tucked in between two mountains is magical.

If you’ve not stayed in old town for a ski holiday you should put it on your list of to-do’s. Waking from a home to Main Street for an elegant or home style dinner, perhaps a ski-in-ski out location, seeing the town lift rise above the back deck of your accomodations….it’s really pretty cool.

Aside from those benefits, I really like the slow pace that is tangible around Old Town.  Along with this is the friendly nature of those that live there year round and the many visitors that come to ski.

Utah Vacation Homes recently added Empire #3 to it’s collection of vacation homes in the Old Town area.  It has 3 bedrooms and 3 baths, a private hot-tub (a must for post ski and pre-dinner relaxing) and is an easy walk to Park City Mountain Resort and all of their amenities.

Perhaps I’m wrong about Old Town, but its charm and allure has cast a spell on me.  Am I the only one?

There’s nothing quite like Old Town Park City in all of Utah.  The feel, the old miner homes, the shops and the adjacent mountains on either side make for unbeatable surroundings.

One of the lesser known historical features about the layout of what is old town and now present day Deer Valley Drive is that this road was once the “Red Light District”.  Only a couple of remaining miner’s cabins and relicts exist today but despite this a number of properties on lower Deer Valley Drive near the round-about have the look and feel of a modern day “old town” property.

Utah Vacation Homes recently added one such property to its rental pool – Aspen Grove #2 (pictured above).  Just steps from Main Street and the Town Lift, and a very short bus ride to the base of Deer Valley this 2 bedroom 2 bath condo is a real treat.

It was recently renovated and is in top condition.  If you’re headed to Park City this winter and would like the best of both worlds, Aspen Grove #2 is a premier location.

FYI – It’s also a great spot for anyone attending the Sundance Film Festival in January.