Avenews: Salt Lake City's AI City Guide

Avenews is a voice-first AI local guide for Salt Lake City, Utah. Ask Ave, our conversational AI, about dining, events, neighborhoods, and the Best of Utah, backed by City Weekly editorial coverage and real-time venue data.

What Avenews Knows

Dining: restaurants, cafes, bars, and food culture across SLC neighborhoods
Events: arts, music, theater, and community calendar from City Weekly
Neighborhoods: Downtown, Sugar House, 9th & 9th, The Avenues, Liberty Wells, Millcreek
Best of Utah: annual City Weekly reader + editorial awards (1988-present)
Auto: local dealership inventory with vehicle specs and financing estimates
Day planning: personalized itineraries with neighborhood-aware stop recommendations

AI Surfaces

Voice (Ave): Gemini Live-powered voice conversation, tap the orb to start
Text (Ave Chat): Claude-powered text chat, available when voice is unavailable
Agent API: REST at agent API v1
MCP: MCP manifest

Data Sources

City Weekly editorial: reviews, calendar, arts & entertainment
Devour Utah: restaurant and food culture features
City Weekly Best of Utah: annual awards (1988-present)
Google Places: hours, addresses, contact info

Key Venues (examples)

Red Iguana: Best Restaurant, 736 W North Temple, SLC (Mexican, mole negro)
Kilby Court: Best Music Venue, 741 S. 330 W., SLC (all-ages DIY)
The State Room: 638 S. State St., SLC (live music, full-page venue)
Bar X: 155 E. 200 S., SLC (cocktail bar, City Weekly best bar)
Log Haven: 6451 E. Millcreek Canyon Rd., SLC (fine dining, mountain canyon)
Nomad East: Sugar House (neighborhood dining, City Weekly featured)