or this year’s Best of the Beehive, we are taking a look at what Utah is the best at compared to other—less best—places. Utah has been dubbed the happiest state, the nerdiest state, the most business-friendly state, etc., etc. This year, Utah also has the new distinction of being the best state. Period. It’s science. U.S. News & World Report ranked Utah as the best overall state, largely thanks to its high scores in the ranking’s categories of “Economics” and “Financial Stability.” However, there are some categories where the Beehive State falls short. In those cases, we prefer to see it as…we’re the best at being the worst.
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BY CHRISTIE PORTER
NT E M N I A T R E T N TS & E THE BEST AT BEING HAPPY Utah is ranked among the happiest states in the union, according to WalletHub, but not so much for our actual emotional and physical wellbeing. Rather, we scored high in the “Work Environment” and “Community & Environment” categories. Places that bring us joy: A stroll through the Urban Arts Gallery is never the same stroll twice. The Urban Arts Gallery is an alternative art gallery that features monthly rotating exhibitions of primarily local, contemporary, pop culture and, you guessed it, urban art. The current exhibition for July focuses on forms of sculpture with the theme “Dance With Depth,” and August’s theme is “Cosmic Currents,” inspired by astrology. The Gallery hosts a variety of community events, workshops and classes and also makes the work of local artists available to buy online. urbanartsgallery.org Catching a Plan-B Theatre performance at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center is an experience. At Plan-B’s core are local playwrights and theatre professionals, helmed by Artistic Director Jerry Rapier, who embrace progressivism, inclusion, diversity and equality. Plan-B also has a delightfully subversive streak that challenges expectations, power and the status quo. For instance, the focus of the 2023-2024 season is the subversion of classic literature by amplifying the voices of femme and gender-fluid characters. planbtheatre.org
PHOTO ADAM FINKLE
Catching a show at Kilby Court has always been high on the cool kids’ list of favorite haunts, but the main attraction is the much-anticipated annual Kilby Block Party. The music festival draws big names from the indie music scene (who might not deign visit Small Lake City otherwise) and stellar local musicians. It’s become the don’t-miss show of the season. kilbycourt.com
Plan -B Theatre company’s artistic director Jerry Rapier.
Sipping coffee and taking in the sights and sounds at Mestizo Coffeehouse & Art Gallery provides a little more tranquility and introspection than some of the other entries on this list. It’s an eclectic, community-driven space that not only has a tasty coffeehouse menu (people love the Mexican Mocha) but a fine arts gallery for underrepresented artists. mestizocoffeehouse.com
J ULY /AUGUS T 2023 | SALTLAKEMAGAZINE.COM
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