Seeing Downtown Provo Like Never Before

Having never walked the streets of downtown Provo before, I discovered many new things about the city I now call home. Something that genuinely surprised me was the amount of businesses that have permanently “closed-up shop.” I took a picture of a googly-eyed newspaper that watched me as I looked into one of the abandoned shop doors that had been covered with tabloids. A nearby colorful butcher shop or “Carnicería” reminded me of my mission to Argentina and suggested a significant Latino culture here in Provo. Later, as we walked past the Provo City Temple, we saw a Latin-American festival which confirmed this observation. In addition to the different cultures, I learned that downtown Provo is home to a myriad of churches other than the LDS faith. An uplifting quote by Martin Luther King Jr. outside the Community Congregational Church was worth snapping a photo of. In a more sketchy part of town, I noticed some boards with the painted words “Provo Police” next to a brick building that I thought were interesting. They suggested to me that police enforcement in that area was more prevalent, which made me steer away from the shadows and walk more quickly away. However, my favorite part of my downtown Provo tour was a sign labeled “Kissing Point” that gave me an excuse to make my wife blush. Downtown Provo is a fascinating place and there are lots of new things to discover for the person who is willing to stop and pay attention.