When our editors announced they were visiting Axios Salt Lake City, we thought: What would Ferris Bueller do?

• What's the best use of a beautiful spring day (and a half) in our city?

Why it matters: Axios Local is an unusual feat of journalistic efficiency. Our off-site editors have to trust hometown experts to properly cover cities that may be unfamiliar to them.

• We had 36 hours to give Phoenix Jessica and Portland Hadley a chance to better understand our news and see what makes our city unique — a mix of iconic must-dos, new faves and glimpses of our daily lives as Salt Lakers.

The sights

🙏 Temple Square: The new visitors' center is opening May 18 — and we lucked into a soft-open trial run Tuesday afternoon.

• The elaborate temple replica tour was particularly illuminating.

🦖 Natural History Museum of Utah: We ❤️ dinos, but the museum also provided a tremendous sense of place and insights into crucial issues of ecology and land use.

• Highlight: At the earthquake simulation table, you build a toy tower and see how far up the Richter Scale it can stand.

🎶 East High School: Sign up for the student-led "High School Musical" afternoon tours from Monday-Thursday for $8.

• Yes, Shar Pei's lockers are pink, and yes, there are two.

The tastes

🍝 Cosmica: We couldn't get enough of the Italian diner's famous puffy bread, handmade pastas, creamy gelato and moody lighting.

🥤 Swig: We returned to the womb of the drive-thru dirty soda craze. There was some choking, but the simpler recipes went down easy.

🌮 Kim's cantina: Food is Kim's love language, and Erin has proselytized to our coworkers that hers is the voice of God.

• The prize of prophecy: Steak tacos with blue corn tortillas from scratch, roasted salsa verde and freshly juiced agua de piña.

The bottom line

💭 Jessica's thought bubble: I loved your green parks and snow-capped mountains, but I loved the way Salt Lakers love their city most of all.

💭 Hadley's thought bubble: The Living Room hike got my heart pounding, Cosmica's gelato-stuffed brioche was standout and Kim's homemade tacos were such a treat during a heavy travel week.

• Bonus: Getting to and from the airport on Trax was so easy. +1 for public transit.

Tell us: Hit reply and share your ideal "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" itinerary in Salt Lake City!

Go deeper

If you're briefly in SLC, the mountains will probably call to you.

Here are our recs if you just have a few hours.

📍Ensign Peak: Brigham Young famously planned Salt Lake City's layout from this knoll above what is now the Utah State Capitol.

• When: All year
• Hike stats: 1 mile | 410 feet elevation change

🌅 The Living Room: This SLC classic ends at a cluster of couches and chairs made of rock slabs. It's perfect for a picnic — or sunset viewing, if you bring a headlamp for the descent.

• When: All year; consider traction in snow.
• Hike stats: 2.3 miles | 1,000 feet elevation change

🍩 Donut Falls : Step-for-step, it's one of our most beautiful family hikes.

• When: All year, with traction in snow.
• Hike stats: 3.5 miles from the Mill D parking area of Big Cottonwood Canyon | 450 feet elevation change

🌲 Desolation Trail Overlook: Get a taste of Millcreek Canyon on this wooded trail to sweeping views of the Salt Lake Valley

• When: All year, with traction in snow.
• Hike stats: About 4.6 miles | 1,300 feet elevation change

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💧 The group behind a massive data center planned for Box Elder County has withdrawn its water rights application, which drew thousands of formal protests. (FOX 13)

• Backers of the project say they intend to re-apply.

🛒 Trader Joe's is planning two new locations in West Jordan and South Jordan, in addition to a Herriman store in the works. (Salt Lake Tribune)

🏞️ City leaders are working on a master plan to revamp Liberty Park — one of the city's oldest parks — while preserving key features. (KSL)

🎨 The Salt Lake Art Museum is expected to hold its grand opening on Pioneer Day, Kim reports.

For a welcome-to-Utah happy hour, you can't go wrong with a lavender Bees- Knees.

• We are, after all, the Beehive State — and the added lavender evokes our massive essential oils MLM industry!

Between the lines: For Witch House service, I made it magical with Holystone Distilling's Cerulea gin, deepening the blue with some butterfly pea flowers I keep on hand.

Lavender honey syrup: I use granulated sugar with dark honey to preserve the cocktail's color.

• Mix 1/2c sugar, 1/2c honey and 8 tsp dried lavender blossoms with 1 c water. Boil to dissolve sugar, strain and cool.

The cocktail: Use 2 oz. gin, 1 oz. lemon juice and 1 oz. lavender honey syrup.

• Add the lemon to the gin in a clear vessel so folks can witness the spell. Shake with the syrup and serve in a coup with a garnish of lemon peel or a lavender sprig.

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