There is public transportation however it is a wait to get some places. If you are not packing much of anything you may get by with the buses. However, you may need to transfer a few times which can cause some headaches. The shopping in downtown can be done at either of the two malls there across from Temple Square. I would recommend if you want to spend as much time as possible at the FHC a rental would be best. There is a bus that goes from street North temple out to the airport if you can turn your car in and leave from there. The lower priced hotels/motels are not right downtown. Just a little farther out and not always convenient to the bus lines. Some motels have courtesy buses/vans but may not go exactly where you want to go. With all the construction on the highways it can get a lot slower going anywhere.