Too Many Cars
By Tom Read

(Friday June 21-2013)  The weather in Sun Valley has been poor.  Clouds and rain.  It promises to get better by Sunday.  There are not a lot of cars in the Sun Valley Company parking lot but downtown Ketchum is a mess.

Ketchum was never designed for the number of cars, trucks, and large SUVs that arrive in Sun Valley in the summer.   You can't park and many of the streets are so narrow two cars cannot pass going in opposite directions.  Some side streets are so narrow as to be one way except they are not so designated.   I was trying to get into the USBank drive in area today and a huge truck started coming right at me.   Fortunately I was able to back up and since it was starting to rain, I just gave up about going to the bank.

The bloom is off Sun Valley in my opinion.  It is not as enjoyable as it was at one time.  Too many good people have left the Sun Valley Company.  My informants tell me that the move is still on to try to make Sun Valley more attractive to a younger crowd.  That is a narrow bridge to travel.  The money that is spent in Sun Valley is by people who own million dollar plus vacation homes here, not the rock and roll generation.  

The beautiful Lodge Dining Room is completely closed this summer.  Going to the LDR for Sunday brunch and for a quiet dinner-dance was one of the highlights of coming to Sun Valley.  No more.  There was always a personal dress code when you went anywhere at Sun Valley to eat, especially the LDR.  Men always had jackets and women often wore a nice cocktail dress.  No more.   Who wants to have a nice and expensive dinner sitting next to someone in jeans and tennis shoes.  So people stopped going to the LDR.   Casual is one thing, sloppy is another.

Remember, don't come to Sun Valley the week following the 4th of July as the Sun Valley resort virtually is closed down and taken over by the Allen Company from New York with their super silly security concerns.

More as I get around town this weekend.   The Elkhorn Golf Club dining room is serving food until 6pm and is a nice, quiet place to eat, but don't tell too many people.   We do not want to ruin it.   The Sun Valley Golf Club dining room also serves until 6pm and it is also one of my favorite early dinner spots.

Here is what I shared last year about the changes in Sun Valley.

The first thing you will notice this summer is that there are many changes at Sun Valley.   Some may be good, some you will not like.

The changes are a result of the "changing of the guard".  There is a new executive in charge at the Sun Valley Resort and he has been in Sun Valley looking things over and ordering changes.

It is rumored that the Holding children, Stephen and Kathleen, are in charge as their father's health continues to decline from his stroke.

The first thing you will notice as you drive into the Sun Valley Lodge is that there is a lot of construction going on to your left.   It appears many trees have been removed and flowers are being planted along with the construction of a wooden fence.   The idea seems to be to "open up" Sun Valley so more can be seen from the road.

The other consistent rumor being circulated is that if an operation is not paying its way or making a profit, it goes.  There must be some truth to that rumor.  Here is why.

The beautiful, historic LDR (Lodge Dining Room) is basically closed.   I reported last summer that it was only open to the public for the fabulous Sunday Brunch.   This year, that is gone.

Changes At Sun Valley

(July 2, 2012)  Last year I reported that the Inn breakfast buffet was the best place to have breakfast.  Now, that buffet is gone.  It has been replaced with a light, but adequate menu.   However, lunch is no longer served at the Inn.  So we can only assume that lunch at the Inn was not "paying its way".

Evidently buffets have lost favor with the new leadership and consultants.  The popular, locally attended lunch buffet at Gretchen's Restaurant in the Lodge is also gone.

It Seem To Me that the new menus at the Sun Valley Golf clubhouse and the Elkhorn Golf clubhouse are very light with few food choices.  However, both golf clubs serve a light menu until 7pm, which is nice.

THERE IS GOOD NEWS.  Both the Ram Restaurant and Trail Creek Lodge are under the same management as last year and are the two best places to enjoy dinner.  Their menus are good and the food is exceptional, especially the salmon.  Neither are open for lunch.

Trail Creek needs to have WiFi installed.   It is available at virtually every other Sun Valley restaurant and it needs to be added to the Trail Creek Lodge now.

The "boys from New York" start arriving the day after the 4th of July and basically take over Sun Valley, especially the Inn.  So the week after the 4th is not a good time to come to Sun Valley.

Read my analysis of the Allen Company event in Sun Valley last year by clicking on this line:  ALLEN AND COMPANY.  I will update after this years event is over in a week.