March 8-10 Weekend plans for Santa Fe, NM

Old Jan 12th, 2013, 07:40 PM
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March 8-10 Weekend plans for Santa Fe, NM

I am meeting two friends in Santa Fe for the weekend. We only get to see each other every few years, so we do spend quite a lot of the time just talking and catching up. However, we do have to eat and sleep and should at least see some of the town.

Here is the general outline. Happy to hear any of your input. We will not have a car, we all like walking, visiting art galleries, shopping, good food but not fancy.

Travel--we are flying in to ALB and will take the Sandia Shuttle to Santa Fe

Hotel: Inn on the Alameda http://m.innonthealameda.com/ It looks to be easy walking distance to the Plaza. We were able to get two adjoining rooms.

Dining: Breakfast is included at the hotel and looks quite extensive so I have really only looked in detail at dinners. Right now I am thinking Friday night at Cowgirl BBQ and Saturday night at Amaya. Cowgirl BBQ for sure has live music that night, but Amaya doesn't have their schedule up that far in advance:

http://www.cowgirlsantafe.com/

http://hotelsantafe.com/amaya-restaurant/

Activities:

I really want to visit the Georgia O'Keefe museum and it has been suggested to me that a shop called Origins just off the main square is not to be missed.

And we will be walking and talking and shopping.

Oh, and I did put the above together by looking through posts here as well as general research, so thanks!

Any other input, thoughts?
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Old Jan 13th, 2013, 05:29 AM
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Sounds like a good plan and lots of relaxed fun with friends. I visited several years ago so my info may be out of date but from my notes and memory, here are a few suggestions.

Because my last trip was with kids I didn't make it to a spa but I've read that several are strongly recommended. You might consider taking some time to visit Ten Thousand Waves day spa and retreat.

I really enjoyed a demo class at Santa Fe School of Cooking:
(505) 983-4511
www.santafeschoolofcooking.com 505-983-4511 (upper level of Plaza Mercado, 116 W. San Francisco Street)

We ate a wonderful dinner at The Old House 309 W. San Francisco Street, Santa Fe 505-988-4455. We enjoyed the quiet, cozy wine room.

A couple of other restaurants that were on my list but I don't specifically recall (and may now be closed or declined so research):
Blue Corn café (Microbrewery and very close to cooking class): 133 Water Street 505-984-1800 (combo menu recommended, good for kids);
Dave’s Not Here, 1115 Hickox 505-983-7060 (burgers, chocolate cake);
Sage Bakehouse 535 Cerrillos Rd. 505-820-7243

We visited a church with a mysterious staircase and great story: Loretto Chapel
http://www.lorettochapel.com/staircase.html

I know you said no car but one of my favorite parts of our Southwest tour was visiting several Pueblos and buying pottery, and exploring the ancient Anasazi sites like Bandalier. So for another trip or for others following this thread, here are two day trip suggestions:

Bandalier National Monument is less than 15 miles south of Los Alamos along NM 4, this National Park Service area contains stunningly preserved ruins of the ancient cliff-dwelling ancestral Puebloan culture within 46 square miles of canyon-and-mesa wilderness. It was a great loop drive that also took us past Valles Caldera and some gorgeous scenery.

We also visited the Petroglyphs National Monument 3 miles North of Albuquerque on I-40 at Unser and Western Trail. Stop at Visitor’s Center, get map. Drive to Boca Negra are for trailheads, consider Mesa Point Trail (uphill, 30mins, many petroglyphs and outstanding views of Sandia Mountains). If you head that way, enjoy lunch at Range Café, 925 Camino del Pueblo (North of town in Bernalillo, meatloaf recommended, also Salmon over fresh chipotle, organic ice cream for dessert). We also had fun shopping in Old Town ABQ and visiting the zoo and biosphere on this day trip.
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Old Jan 13th, 2013, 07:22 AM
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Thanks very much for your input. I had looked at the cooking school before, but I think maybe the calendar wasn't up. There are two classes on the Saturday we are there, so I have sent to my friends as a suggestion. And I would definitely like to visit the chapel, thank you!

The out of town activities will have to wait for another trip, but do look enjoyable.
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Old Jan 13th, 2013, 08:04 AM
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You have chosen a nice spot for lodging which puts you close to many things. And, yes, they put out quite a breakfast spread. But, I would have to skip out for one morning of New Mexican food. (Tia Sophia's or Cafe Pasqual's, also The French Pantry at La Fonda is very good but not NM food.)

Up Canyon Road for dining you have The Compound and Geronimo for a nice dining experience. The Compound is open for lunch and would highly recommend it. Great salads and yummy desserts, too. Also on Canyon Road we like The Tea House (salads, sandwiches, afternoon coffee). El Farol for a cocktails and snacks.

Staab House at La Posada for cocktails is a great spot to chit chat and enjoy the cozy bar.

The bar at Anasazi is cozy and perfect to enjoy a glass of wine with friends.

Bistro 315, La Boca, Il Piatto, Andiamo, Galisteo Bistro or La Casa Sena for dinner. Cowgirls is ok for a casual spot but if it's bbq you want go across the street to Whole Hog.

Check out other restaurant recs here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...m#last-comment
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Old Jan 13th, 2013, 09:51 AM
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I was thinking of Cowgirls more because it had live music. Live in KC so BBQ I've got ;-)

I did check that thread, will go back and look to see if there are updates since I last looked. Thanks for the additional tips on breakfast, lunch, and of course cocktails! An important part of any girls weekend.
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Old Jan 13th, 2013, 10:03 AM
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Love Canyon Rd and tapas at El Farol. very much enjoyed Cowgirls - very good fish taco.

Did not like La Casa Sena - perhaps because it was close time wise to the burning man ceremonies.

Not sure if the outdoor markets will be open then. If so, you may enjoy.
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Old Jan 13th, 2013, 10:09 AM
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I have realized that I was not actually looking at the more detailed thread BeachGirl, so thank you for the link.

Thank you Cybor! I suppose I will have to let DF#1 and DF#1 do SOME of the planning, so will show them this thread.
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Old Jan 13th, 2013, 10:32 AM
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Zozobra is a crazy time in town and I would like to think that was the reason for the off performance at La Casa Sena. We ate there Christmas Eve and while the food was good the service was off. Other visits have been good ones, though.

Glad to hear about the fish tacos at El Farol. We usually just have cocktails and appetizers there. Next time you come out try Bumble Bee's fish tacos. Very casual spot but good food.
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Old Jan 13th, 2013, 10:50 AM
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The Folk Art Museum is one of my favorites, not to be missed imo.
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Old Jan 13th, 2013, 01:23 PM
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Dave's Not Here has closed. In its place is the excellent Tune-Up Cafe. http://tuneupsantafe.com/ It's casual, and their food is delicious.

I'll second the Staab House recommendation. Usually we go to Vanessie for the piano bar, but we tried Staab House in December and liked it even more.

Lee Ann
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Old Jan 13th, 2013, 01:56 PM
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BG,
The fish tacos were from Cowgirl. We've only had very good tapas at El Farol. There's a wonderful women's clothing boutique across from El Farol that has great clothes. I got a great belt and skirt there that went nicely with my red cowboy boots.

I could spend a lifetime strolling Canyon Rd.
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Old Jan 13th, 2013, 02:12 PM
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Tune-Up is good, too, but, unfortunately it isn't walking distance for them. Toucan and friends said they won't have a car.

Oops, thanks Cybor! I will have to check out the boutique, too.
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Old Jan 13th, 2013, 04:26 PM
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Of course I meant DF#1 and DF#2 up above. Fish tacos might be a big temptation for DF#1...And I've made note of the potential shopping opportunity across from El Farol as well.
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Old Jan 14th, 2013, 09:15 AM
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Whoops! I missed that, BeachGirl. Good thing there are tons of good places to eat downtown.

Lee Ann
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