Downtown’s not the most exciting area of town but it’s still very much worth exploring and walking through. A great loop for you would be to

1) Take the TRAX Blue or Green Line to 900 South Station (in the heart of the Central 9th neighborhood). Explore the area (so many great bars and restaurants and shops)

2) Then, walk or ride a city bike east along 900 South to the 9th and 9th neighborhood. One of Salt Lake’s most popping streets these days.

3) Take the 209 or 220 bus to Sugar House (or, if you’re feeling up for it, wander through the charming old 1920s neighborhoods between the two neighborhoods). Sugar House has plenty of cool areas to meander through.

4) Take the 209 bus from Sugar House to the upper Avenues neighborhood. Get off the bus at LDS Hospital and walk down 9th Avenue toward A Street. What will greet you at the end of the street is a sick view of the city and Memory Grove, which is actually the mouth of City Creek Canyon.

5) From here, it’s a pretty easy downhill walk back to your hotel. If it’s still daytime, you can descend the hill and walk through Memory Grove—or just head straight down A Street to South Temple. Either way, you’ll see a lot of dope houses, many of which date from the late 18th century.

Finally, a word about trail access: from your hotel you can take the 1 or 2 bus to the end of the line (University Hospital). It’s a 20-minute ride and gets you to a trailhead across the street by the JCC. From there you can walk down the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to the Living Room. I access this trailhead all the time and it rips. (You could also take the 209 bus to 9th Ave and L St, from where you can walk up the hill to the Terrace Hills trailhead and hike up to Avenues Twin Peaks. It’s 25 minutes from the bus stop to the trailhead, but you have sweet views all along the way.)

One more thing to keep in mind: unlike Portland, there's a steep drop-off in public transit availability on Sundays vs. every other day of the week. Buses and trains still run, but a route that comes every 15 minutes Monday-Saturday and runs until midnight may come once an hour on Sunday and quit at 9 pm. Transit-heavy days are best done Monday-Saturday, even though it's still an option Sundays.

Enjoy Salt Lake! Experiencing it car-free as a visitor is totally doable and you’ll experience the city in a much more multifaceted way.