Christmas Shopping Trip

Old Jan 4th, 2017, 09:21 AM
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Christmas Shopping Trip

My friend and I are looking for suggestions for a girlfriends' getaway in early December 2017. We would like a location between Iowa and California, near a major airport, have a good selection of hotels, restaurants and shops and offer Christmas music programs or other special events. We'll rent a car but being able to walk to shops and restaurants is also important. My husband suggested Denver as being easy for both of us to get to but I am afraid it could be cold or air travel could be impacted by weather (I am the Californian). I wondered about San Antonio but it has been decades since I was there. Would love to hear your suggestions and why you recommend it. Thank you so much.
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Old Jan 4th, 2017, 11:20 AM
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Santa Fe: routinely makes those "top ten western holiday destinations" lists. Great shopping, cultural stuff, etc. Also as easy to get to as SA, probably, although I don't know what your friend's home airport is. Just fly into Albuquerque and take the train to Santa Fe. And you'd have access to Albuquerque as well if you felt like a bigger city.

Never have been to SA, though, so if you liked it back then, go there. Denver wouldn't be my idea of fun either, that time of year, but maybe one of the ski resort towns would be fun. Cold, but seasonal and good shopping.
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Old Jan 4th, 2017, 11:25 AM
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Did you mean to tag Washington State?

Are you considering Seattle?
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Old Jan 4th, 2017, 12:06 PM
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Yes I did mean to tag Washington as a place we could both fly to relatively easily from Des Moines and Ontario (Calif). Could also fly from LAX but not as convenient.

Not interested in Seattle for a stay but wondered if there is somewhere else in the area. Wondered about Leavenworth but don't know enough about it.
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Old Jan 4th, 2017, 12:17 PM
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" Just fly into Albuquerque and take the train to Santa Fe."

The train is mainly a commuter rail and has trains primarily during peak/rush hour in the a.m. and p.m. It is very limited on Weekends.

IF it coincides with the flight arrivals and departures; that's great but likely it won't be.

There are shuttles to Santa Fe and Uber may get you there.

Santa Fe is magical during Christmas. You could rent a car or not; plenty to keep you busy. How long will the trip be?

For hotel recommendations, what is your price range?

Lots of great restaurants, shops, museums. The Plaza area and Canyon Road are quite walkable.

There can be snow, but that adds to the beauty. Days are usually sunny with blue skies and the sun makes it feel warmer than the thermometer indicates. Nights are cold, below freezing usually.
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Old Jan 4th, 2017, 12:23 PM
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Leavenworth is a great choice for what you are looking for. We have bene there literally hundreds of times and really enjoy it! Your best bet would be to fly into Seattle and then either take Amtrak over or catch one of the buses. Amtrak only goes once a day, I believe. A rental car would be risky as weather over the pass at that time can be anything, and with a rental you are not allowed to use chains. So that is why I made the other suggestions. In town, there are tons of shops, numerous wine tasting rooms as well as two very good breweries and a distillery. Plus some great restaurants. There are a variety of hotels, as well as VRBO's right in town. If you want to ski or something, you can catch a shuttle for that. The Christmas lights in Leavenworth are very pretty and people come from all over to watch the lightings on the weekends. The lights are on every day in December, but the weekend evenings they make a big deal out of the lighting. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask
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Old Jan 4th, 2017, 12:36 PM
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And certainly not limited to the states I tagged.
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Old Jan 4th, 2017, 02:24 PM
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http://www.luxurytravelmagazine.com/...rica-22044.php

From 2014 but still...
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Old Jan 4th, 2017, 02:43 PM
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Leavenworth shopping kind of sucks, though. And the food scene isn't awesome either. Maybe it's just me. But I'd only do Leavenworth if you wanted it for the scenery. If I'm not doing outdoorsy stuff, a full day is too much for there, let alone a weekend.
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Old Jan 4th, 2017, 02:57 PM
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MM--Granted, it isn't typical mall stuff, but the town has gotten much better shops and restaurants in just the last few years. Not high end dining, but some very good places. We were last there about 6 weeks ago, FWIW.
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