By Andrea Cuttler and Erica Singleton, Vanity Fair (January 18,2013) -- This week, actors, filmmakers, musicians, and more are flocking to Park City, Utah, for the 35th Annual Sundance Film Festival. Modern Family’s Ty Burrell is the unofficial mayor of the fest, residing just outside the small town, in Salt Lake City.Below, his insider tips on local farms, what to pack, and a little spot he likes to frequent, the mysterious Bar X.
To get away from it all, I go to . . . Salt Lake City, Utah.
The best way to get there is by . . . plane. The flight is an hour and 20 minutes from Los Angeles.
My favorite place to stay is . . . My wife is from Utah, so we bought a home there years ago to be near family.
My ideal travel companions are . . . my wife and daughters.
When I’m in the mood for room service . . . I order my wife to bring me an arugula salad, and she punches me in the throat.
My favorite place to indulge in a delicious meal is . . . I like all of the food that the many local farmers offer up there. Forage, Finca, Copper Onion, Café Niche, etc. Many places there these days are working hard to source local folks.
To stay in shape, my on-the-go fitness regime is . . . Usually, when we’re up there, we’re doing stuff specific to Utah. So my exercise is skiing, sledding, hiking, fly-fishing (is that exercise?), and swimming—that kind of stuff.
My suitcase absolutely must contain . . . a jacket that’s versatile so I don’t have to pack too much.
When it comes to luggage, I’m an . . . underpacker, to a fault. I’m usually bemoaning leaving something behind, to my wife’s chagrin.
Salt Lake City’s best-kept secret is . . . the Natural History Museum. It’s spectacular and a great place to bring the girls.
When I’m in the mood for some retail therapy, I visit . . . I’m not much of a shopper, but if I go somewhere, it’s the Chalk Garden Co-op. It’s a locally owned collective. The men’s department is great, and a spa is going in there soon, too, so that’ll be nice.
To paint the town red . . . we go to Bar X. My brother and cousin-in-law (is that a thing?) run it, and the drinks are ridiculous.
My favorite travel pastime is . . . the iPad, probably. I usually work on the plane unless our kids are flying as well. In which case, I spend the hour and a half doing whatever they want me to do to keep them from ruining everyone else’s flight.
Upon arrival in Salt Lake City, I look forward to . . . doing projects around the house listening to comedy podcasts. The days go by too fast.
Upon departing S.L.C., I am most happy to leave behind . . . the stoplights in Salt Lake. For years they’ve had very few timed lights in the city, and pollution from idling cars in the winter can get pretty nasty.