Hello, my name is Kristina, and I love pickled things.
I also love appetizers, so if I have a chance to sit on a patio munching on an appetizer, sipping a beer in the sunshine I’ll do it. Wasatch Brew Pub has a new chef and a new menu, including tater tots with truffle salt and fried pickles.
These are the fried pickles.
My recommendation? YES. So firstly, it’s a fried. pickle. A FRIED PICKLE.
The breading was full of dill and lovely. My batch was a bit soggy in places, but that will change from cook to cook, and it’s still a fried freaking pickle, so I’m just not concerned with it. The dipping sauce was a flavored ranch, which was fine and not a crutch, but the beauty of course is the pickle. Sharp, crisp garlic dill spear.
As part of my continuing series, “Tips to Help Your #Hustle,” here is another quick tip to help dominate in your working life. The sooner you conquer your career the sooner you can be free to start living the life you’ve worked so hard for. For me, that life happens up high in the mountains of Park City, Utah.
Have you ever wished somebody would hand you a key, an index, a magic formula for taking efficient notes that are useful later, one that would magnify your productivity, free up your creativity and ultimately lead to your being a total badass in your business?
Behold. The Bullet Journal Method.
This video goes very quickly, so plan to watch it a time or two but sometimes that’s what it takes for genius to unfold. My broker played it for us in sales meeting and we all sat with mouths agape. As a moleskin fetishist I can vouch for the brilliance of this system. It’s everything I ever wanted. The website is fabulous as well. Go. Go now. Order a moleskine–start with The Hobbit version because duh why wouldn’t you–start using it efficiently, and carry on taking over the world.
My Quick Location Video series addresses what I see to be a pretty common theme in real estate, rental, and tourism: the writer just assumes you know what the names are for all the areas and that you know what those names mean. I’m guilty of falling into that trap myself, so here is my attempt to absolve myself. These 1-2 minute videos will just give you a quick rundown of what you can find in the area and what some of the key features are.
Part of my Quick Location Video series, where I do a quick rundown of the different areas of Park City, Utah. Today I am on Rossi Hill Drive, talking about the Old Town side of Lower Deer Valley. Even though properties in this area are on Deer Valley Drive and on the way up to Snow Park, they are categorized as Old Town. I filmed this a few weeks ago when we’d had a long patch of sunny and warm weather, so this storm—while welcomed at the resorts—caught everybody by surprise.
To browse real estate in Park City, Utah, as well as Sotheby’s International Realty offerings worldwide, click here: kristinawatkins.com.
For my money, the Colony at White Pine Canyon is just spectacular. Generally 5 acre or larger lots, heavily treed with aspens and pines, tons of snow, and ski-in/ski-out at Canyons Resort, which is about to connect to Park City Mountain Resort and become the largest ski resort in North America.
So you know, no big deal.
The cool thing in the Colony is that often the homes are just spectacular. If you’re going to ask eight figures for a ski house, it had better be brilliant. I toured this land summer before last when it was just a little baby vacant lot with piles of lumber everywhere. Now it’s a full-grown ski home with 6 bedrooms, 9 baths, and some awesome fixtures. (This house has come off the market for the time being, so if you’d like more information on it please contact me.)
Holy cow, am I ever a sucker for Edison bulbs.
First and foremost, houses do not ooze. Or at least, for the love of all that is holy, they shouldn’t. Secondly, if this house did ooze anything, it would be charm.
Stop saying “ooze.”
Anyways, a historic home that has been nicely remodeled is a rare thing. And with a soul as old and heart as tender as mine, it’s difficult to connect with a remodel where the exterior is old and gorgeous and the interior could be any new interior anywhere. Yes you can have better storage and taller countertops and new appliances. And you must re-do all of the plumbing and electricity in older homes for safety. I’m talking about design here. Old doorknobs. Solid panel doors. Beautifully unnecessary moulding around windows, doors, floors. CHAIR RAILS, PEOPLE!
Well, after seeing a rash of homes come on the market in neighboring Heber City that were built in the early 1900s but then destroyed with cheap remodels in the 1990s, this house was as pleasant as a fresh spring breeze. (Which we had day before yesterday and then last night it snowed 4 inches. So maybe forget that metaphor.)
My Quick Location Video series addresses what I see to be a pretty common theme in real estate, rental, and tourism: the writer just assumes you know what the names are for all the areas and that you know what those names mean. I’m guilty of falling into that trap myself, so here is my attempt to absolve myself. These 1-2 minute videos will just give you a quick rundown of what you can find in the area and what some of the key features are.
Today I’m shooting from the area in Park City called Prospector. Prospector is about 7,000 feet in altitude (the ski mountains are about 1,000 feet up and up to 3,000 feet above where I’m standing). Prospector runs along the south side of Kearns Boulevard (Highway 248) and has a good mix of residential houses and condos, as well as commercial space: offices, restaurants and retail. As you can see, we’re in the midst of a lovely mild winter. The skiing is still really good, but we don’t have to fiddle with shoveling snow off the sidewalks every five minutes at the lower elevation of town and the surrounding areas.
Click here to search for Prospector-area real estate.
And to browse real estate in Park City, Utah, as well as Sotheby’s International Realty offerings worldwide, click here.
Victory Ranch is a golf, fishing, and ski country club community just outside Kamas, Utah, along the Upper Provo River. Sitting on 6,700 acres, the spirit of the development is a quiet recreational escape: 4,000 acres of backcountry, 18-hold Rees Jones golf course, fly fishing on the famous Provo River, mountain bike trails, shooting facility, fishing and swimming ponds, restaurant, and ski lounge on Main Street. Thursday I’ll be touring the facilities on-site, but in the meantime, let me take you on a quick tour of the owners’ lounge at the base of the Town Lift plaza at Park City Mountain Resort.
The key to Park City’s golf clubs is if they can really specialize with their amenities. Yes, you’re there for the lovely location, nice clubhouse, and great golf. But what else? What if somebody in the family isn’t a golfer? What if you just aren’t in the mood? Are you looking for anything else, such as tennis (Red Ledges), skiing (Talisker), family amenities (Promontory)? Victory Ranch is great at fishing, obviously, but their owners’ lounge right on Main Street at the base of Park City Mountain Resort’s Town Lift really ups their ski game.
Hi Mountain in Kamas, Utah, is everything you’d want an old-timey drug store to be. Main Street frontage. Impossibly vintage decor. Hard-to-find soda fountain beverages and milkshake flavors. AND FRENCH FRIES THE WAY YOUR GRANDMOTHER USED TO MAKE THEM GOOD GRIEF THEY ARE TO DIE FOR.
The Colony at White Pine Canyon is a ski-in/ski-out development adjoining Canyons Resort (and next year, should be accessible by Park City Mountain Resort as well). We have lots of lovely neighborhoods but for my money, Colony has always been on my A-List. Typically the lots are large, 5 acres or more, heavily wooded with mostly aspen trees, very very private. This is a particular price range: listed right now the median list price is $6.795M and the average is $8.673M, least expensive listing is $3.75M and most expensive is $24.6M. And in this type of price range, there can be a tendency to build bigger and bigger. More features, more rooms, more more more. The issue I run into is that it’s very difficult to find a buyer for a property that feels like a compound. Most people want a house that feels like a home, is livable and comfortable, and could accommodate the whole family at Thanksgiving if needed. Yesterday I toured a house that fits that bill and was just gorgeous. The full listing, while it lasts, can be found here: 79 White Pine Canyon Road, Park City, UT 84098
(For the full, gorgeous, Sotheby’s photos for this listing, click the link above. For hack pics of things I loved, see below.)
The living spaces and decor looked like they could have been from a magazine, MidMOD Quarterly or something (is that real? I’d subscribe to it.)
As part of my continuing series, “Tips to Help Your #Hustle,” here is another quick tip on ways to dominate in your working life. The sooner you conquer your career the sooner you can be free to start living the life you’ve worked so hard for. For me, that life happens up high in the mountains of Park City, Utah.
Most offices are moving towards a Kuerig machine versus the traditional coffee pot or kettle and boxes of tea bags. Easier for clients, easier for staff, everybody gets a version of what they prefer. It’s an amazing machine. But let’s say you don’t do the K-cup ordering. Or let’s say like me, you grind your own beans, use a French press most mornings, made the move to a Chemex, or–heaven forbid–want some caffeine but are just not in the mood for coffee come 4 PM. I wouldn’t say I’m a coffee snob, but I can’t deal with how over-roasted just about everything is right now. I’m also not terribly patient, so when I decide I need a hot beverage, I don’t want to just hang out for 5 minutes waiting for it to cool down. The last thing I want to do roll into the office and stick my face in a cup of scorched green tea or over-roasted coffee that somebody else chose AND have to wait for it to cool. And since I hate to take the time to grab a to-go latte with so much whipped cream that it cools down immediately, having a solution to hack your Kuerig supply in a pinch is a great way to get your go juice and not stop your hustle.
First? Punch open that K-cup like it insulted your momma.
Next, heat the water. Entertain yourself while you wait.
Combine the leaves and hot water. Stir. Completely ignore the instructions on the mug.
After your desired amount of brewing time–two minutes in this case for green tea–PLUNGE.
Is it perfect? No. But what’s a little fiber amongst friends?
However, after checking the leaves-in-my-teeth factor with the reverse cam on my iPhone 27 totally non-obsessive times while I was drinking it, I can assure you it’s not a big deal. Are you better off with loose-leaf tea or coarse-ground coffee? Sure. But for a quick desk hack to get a nice green tea or office coffee that’s not too hot, easy to drink, and with all the charm of doing it yourself and sparing the hassle of leaving your business to get your afternoon bump on?
Kristina Watkins, Summit Sotheby's International Realty 