This week's column is a bit of a travel log, but one that relates to life here in Westminster. Recently I had an opportunity to spend a week in Salt Lake City, Utah. This was my first visit to the great American west. I was not disappointed.

One of the first things I noticed when I arrived was the dry air. Although the temperature was as hot as it was in Maryland, there was essentially no humidity.

The next striking feature was the geography. The city is located in the Great Salt Lake Valley basin, which is a desert area surrounded by mountains as high as 11,289 feet. The city is nestled in between the mountains and the Great Salt Lake at an altitude of 4,427 feet.

As you may know, Salt Lake City is the international headquarters for the fourth largest Christian denomination in the U.S., the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Although the church is a driving cultural and economic dynamo in the Salt Lake City area, I found the city to be a thriving metropolis with a surprising international presence and a diverse population.

Of course, Salt Lake City also brings to mind winter sports -- and the 2002 Winter Olympics. I am frequently surprised by the number of snow skiers living in Carroll County. Equally surprising is how many travel to the Salt Lake area for skiing and snow boarding.

I stayed in downtown Salt Lake City within walking distance of Temple Square, a 10-acre complex which includes the Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake Tabernacle and the Conference Center, as well as the Latter-day Saints' international administrative complex.

The city is pedestrian-friendly with a thriving arts and cultural presence. I visited a number of art shows, the highlight of which was the "Monet to Picasso" show at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. The show featured 70 original European masterworks.

Topping off the week was the opportunity to see and hear, in person, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The Sunday taping of a weekly program, "Music and Spoken Word," was in the conference center.

In fact, the conference center was an experience all to itself. The facility seats 21,000 people. (Bear in mind that the population of Westminster is 17,000.) The 360-member choir was accompanied by a Schoenstein pipe organ with 7,667 pipes and the 100-member Orchestra at Temple Square.

"Music and the Spoken Word," has never missed a weekly radio broadcast since it began July 15, 1929. I saw show number 4,119.

I boarded the airplane for home with a profound reinforcement of how arts and cultural events add to a sense of community and quality of life by bringing people together for a shared experience.

Salt Lake City is a prime example of art strengthening a region, spiritually and financially.

Art and culture should be a major component of how our community could capture a positive unique regional identity in our efforts to revitalize.

A city isn't necessarily transformed by the quality and value of its arts -- but the power of art contributes to a community's sense of vibrancy, optimism and self-worth.

Fortunately, we have a great existing foundation on which to build, as faith and church, family, art and cultural events, restaurants and music have been touchstones of our community since our earliest beginnings.

If you ever have an opportunity to visit Salt Lake City, jump at it. The weather, the arts, cultural and spiritual attractions all combine to make it a wonderful place to visit.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at kdayhoff@carr.org.

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