The Calculus of Regional Public Transit and Bus Transportation

Wow. This person likes math. From the post, I think this person lives in Germany. Locally, there is a push by the Wasach Front Regional Council, for encouraging people to walk, use bikes more and use the bus system (UTA, the Utah Transit Authority) more. There are Regional Planning Meetings in order to give us more bike lanes and make the region more walkable and more bikeable. I don’t think they care about more “personal vehicle-able.”

This linked post is about the calculus and predictablility of bus riding, including how to prevent “bunching.” It is fascinating that anyone has a brain that can do this.

Read this person’s next blog post down, which is a orevious one, too. It talks about biometric data being stored in a card used to pay for public transportation as a way to make the German people (who like privacy) feel like their privacy is not being taken, while still assuring people pay for their public transportation.

“Pedestrian Observations” blog

If you want to know about these regional planning meetings, which are available the to the public, go to your city building and look for a posting hung there about it. These meetings will not be on facebook, twitter, in your city newsletter, or advertised on the radio or televisions. As a matter of fact, although they will reassure you they are open to the public, these are meetings they’d rather you did not attend. After all, they are meetings about how much more they can spend, which will increase your taxes. Why would they want to invite you?!? You have to be a Sherlock Holmes to find out when and where these public meetings are held. Do it. Know what is going on. Know why your taxes are going up. It’s not as if they want to tell you the truth. By “they” I mean your mayor, your city planner, the city planning commission, your city council members and the UTA.

My List of 6 Best and 5 Worst Romantic Places for Lodging in Northern Utah

I am going to make a list of my favorite places to stay and get breakfast in the morning. Just so we are clear, these are my needs and wants, when looking for a romantic stay.:

1. My top priority is a bed that does not get so hot at night from retaining body temperature heat, that I cannot sleep on it. In the case that the bed is retaining heat, I would like a clean and comfortable alternate place to sleep. There are certain mattresses that are made which retain heat. As far as I know, most hotel owners do not know about this. It is just something about the mattresses. The mattresses that have this feature always have an extra division, which is for comfort. The mattresses are extra high and thick. In my case, a mattress which is oldfashioned and thinner, is better, although I would prefer a non-feather mattress and no-feather pillows (because I am vegan).

2. My 2nd priority is a couch in front of a t.v. Sitting on a bed to watch a movie is so uncomfortable for me. I have a bad back and it hurts my back so much! I prefer a room with a couch so that I can sit right by my husband and watch a movie. A room with no couch in front of the t.v. will get a lower rating.

3. Privacy and control are my next priorities. If we have to share a microwave, a T.V., a couch, a table and a dining experience with other guests (strangers), and if we cannot do these things in complete privacy, that is not romantic. If we are not in charge of temperature, but the manager or owner is, that is really annoying. Let me control my room temperature!

4. Next, my priorities are a DVD player, a large jacuzzi tub, delicious and filling vegan breakfast, a nearby place for a vegan dinner whch includes protein and iron (vegan beans, nuts or tofu), cleanliness, spaciousness and larger table size. Since all of these are of equal importance to me, they are listed together.

The 6 Best

The Best. The Inn on the Hill, Salt Lake City (“King’s Peak”)

What was great: Mattress did not retain body heat, couch in front of t.v., privacy and control, large jacuzzi tub, great vegan breakfast, cleanliness, spaciousness, large table, fridge, microwave, DVD player

This was just really awesome. The vegan breakfast was a 10/10. The room size was large. The jacuzzi tub was large and very romantic. There were lots of free, healthy snacks that they let us have which were part of our stay. We walked to the temple and back and had a view of the temple. We had a DVD player and couch in the room. It was very romantic in appearance and in every other way. We got to control our own temperature. Service was above par by a long shot.

2nd Best. Crystal Inn, Logan (This is no longer in existence, but there is one in Brigham City) (King Jacuzzi Suite)

What was great: Mattress did not retain body heat, couch in front of t.v., privacy and control, large jacuzzi tub, great vegan breakfast, cleanliness, spaciousness, large table, fridge, microwave, DVD player

The jacuzzi tub was extremely large and very clean and nice. We could see the t.v. from the couch and the tub. There was also a bathroom with a shower/ tub combo. There was a very nice dvd player and t.v. The bed was very nice, also. It was a very good room. We swam in the pool. It was nice. The breakfast was great. Dinner, we ate at a nearby restaurant. There were no protein options for vegans (beans, nuts, tofu).

3rd Best. Snowberry Inn (Eden)

What was wrong: Not enough privacy and no control of temperature of room

This was a nice, beautiful and quaint place. The jacuzzi tub was nice, but a little bit of gel or gunk from the previous users came all over our skin when we used the tub. I think it was in the jacuzzi jets system. It was not in the tub when we got there. There was a sign that said please not to use that stuff, but the previous people had used it. It had a towel warmer, but we did not figure out how to use it right. We had a bed that was nice and comfortable. The room was tiny. We had less privacy than we are used to at a bed & breakfast. There was no shower. There was a private sink and toilet. There was no t.v. or table and chairs our room. There ws a table in the common area for the upstairs. There was a t.v., DVD player and couch in the common area upstairs. It happened that we had the entire upstairs to ourselves, so these were all ours to use, but the owner could come to this area, too. It was a public space, after all. We could not control the temperature of our own room or of the floor we were on. I wore lots of warm things to keep warm. The owner tried very hard to find a vegan meal for me at a local restaurant. I had anticipated this. We had brought our own microwave dinners. We cooked them downstairs near the lobby area. Breakfast was vegan french toast, vegan potatoes and fresh fruit. The french toast was so amazing and delicious that I asked for a recipe. The owner wrote the recipe down for me. That is really sweet. The owner was very friendly and nice. We ate downstairs in a common dining room with other guests.

4th Best. Comfort Suites, Ogden (and attached restaurant, Cactus Reds) 🌵 

What was wrong: No couch in front of t.v.

This was a comfortable and good place to stay. It had a fridge and microwave. It had a shower with a small tub. We could control our own temperature. There was cable t.v. We loved the attached restaurant, Cactus Reds. The breakfast was big and was great, with enough of vegan options for proteins and other nutrients.

5th Best. Alaskan Inn, Ogden Canyon (The Orca Cabin, Misty Fjords Cabin)

What was wrong: No couch in front of t.v.

These cabins were great. We had a jetted jacuzzi whirlpool tub, dvd player and flat screen t.v., nice bed, refrigerator and shower. We got a great vegan breakfast in the morning for me and the meat one for my husband. We ate them outside on our mini patios. The view is great. Dinner nearby at restaurants is great.

6th Best. Ben Lomond Hotel, Ogden (upstairs, jacuzzi suite)

What was wrong: No couch in front of t.v.

We loved the hotel. We ate nearby in Ogden. The jacuzzi tub was large. We could watch the t.v. from the tub. There was no dvd player. The bed and room were very comfortable and spacious. There was a couch in a separate room which I nursed a baby in (we brought a new baby along). It was a comfortable couch, too. The view of Ogden from up high was spectacular. We could control the room temperature ourselves. The restaurants in the same building did not have vegan food and besides that, were cost prohibitive (expensive)! We had breakfast downstairs. It was good.

The 5 Worst

5th worst. Anniversary Inn, Logan (“Lost in Space” room)

What was wrong: No couch in front of t.v.

This room was cool looking but, oh, so cramped. Everything was tight, tight, tight. There was a table with chairs, a bathroom, a shower and a jacuzzi tub. There was a very tiny tube t.v. above the bed so you have to look up high to see it. There was a dvd player. The breakfast was very small. It left us very hungry as soon as we were finished eating. We went on a tour and saw the other rooms. We decided to get a bigger and better room next time. I recommend the tour. It is a good idea. Tours were 1-3 p.m. most weekdays.

4th worst. Little America Hotel, Salt Lake City

What was wrong: There was no jacuzzi tub, couch, t.v. or breakfast. The attached restaurant had a muffin which cost $8. That is ridiculous. We had no dinner because it was too expensive. No dinner is not romantic. I do not think this place had free breakfast.

This was luxurious but did not include all of my priorities. It had a nice view. It was spacious and clean.

3rd worst. Best Western, Uintah

What was wrong: Mattress retains body heat

This place as nice, but the bed got too hot at night. It is a thermal memory bed that retains the heat from the people. I slept on a nice hair and footrest combo., which was large and better than the floor. It had a microwave and fridge. The food was nice. It had cable t.v.

2nd worst. Castle Creek Inn, Cottonwood Heights (Romeo & Juliet Suite)

What was wrong: Mattress retains body heat

I had to sleep on the floor. The bed retains thermal heat of the persons sleeping on it. I do not like a hot bed. I don’t even heat up my water bed. I tood some blankets and my pillows and slept on the floor (which was a clean floor). My husband does not enjoy, either, having his wife sleep on the floor and away from him for an anniversary. There was a jacuzzi tub shich was nice. The bathroom was so tiny (like the ones on a train). We could not control the temperature in our room. I turned the fireplace on to get warmer. Then they turned the a/c up. It was a battle. It had a t.v. with roku but the bandwidth was too small, so for every 20 minutes of movie watchingk we got 30 minutes of “loading, loading….” That was very frustrating.  I honestly do not remember the breakfast.

Worst. Alaskan Inn, Ogden (“Cascade” Queen Suite)

What was wrong: Mattress retains body heat

The bed got too hot at night. It retains body heat and I do not like this. Since there was not a clean floor, there was no alternate place for me to sleep. The view and surroundings of Ogden Canyon are unbeatable. There was a shower and jacuzzi tub in one. The room was simple by way of decor. The vegan breakfast was great. I had a special-request breakfast (as always). The floor was not vaccuumed in the corners and the windowsill and lampshades were very dirty. Other than that, it was clean. There was no microwave and no dvd player. There was cable t.v. We used the lobby microwave for our microwave popcorn.