Utah: Ogden
A century ago, this little mountain town was the connecting point for railroads going from east to west, and was filled the sort of drifters, grifters, and prostitutes who have since made Florida famous. The ghosts of those outlaws persist in Ogden, where the 25th Street main drag is lined with neon-lit bars and clubs, including the Beatles-themed City Club and an underground speakeasy at Zucca Trattoria. As the city has grown, Ogden’s opened restaurants doing creative things with local meats like Hearth on 25th, making the best yak meatball sandwich you’ll ever find. Ogden sits smack between two of the state’s best ski resorts — Snowbasin and Powder Mountain — both quilted in famous Utah powder but without the Park City scenesters. Ogden is still the rowdy little brother to its buttoned-up neighbors, but that’s exactly why it’s the most fun city to visit in Utah. — Matt Meltzer
