Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report A Few Days in Albuquerque

Arrived Albuquerque just before lunchtime. We have been here before, and decided to try some new things. THANKS to the FODORITES for helping plan this trip with your great suggestions.

We visited the NM Museum of Natural History and Science (www.nmnaturalhistory.org). The kids enjoyed "TimeTracks" exhibit featuring the dinosaurs. BUT, best by far, and worth the visit alone, was the "STARTUP" exhibit tracing the history of the micro-computer. Well mounted. Bill Gates' chair, the first video game, first Apple, etc. Don't miss the movie -- and go ahead and go in the theatre before the movie begins -- you can play PONG on the big screen before the movie starts! "The journey is the reward." - Bill Gates, and other quotes begin and end the exhibit. If you go, don't miss the movie -- it really ties everything together nicely.

We then dragged the kids across the street to the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History (www.cabq.gov/museum/). DH and I viewed the "A New Light on Tiffany: Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls" temporary exhibit. I am not a huge Tiffany lamp fan, but, the dark gallery, black walls, fantastically lit Tiffany shades (and some windows) made for a spectacular exhibit. We toured the balance of the galleries, but my favorite was the outdoor sculpture garden with great beauty & variety & the pleasing water feature.

At this point, we were all HOT and HUNGRY so we headed to Duran Central Pharmacy for a quick bite before checking in to Hyatt Place Uptown. Everyone enjoyed what they ordered -- I had the chicken enchiladas - but I must say the waitresses were extraordinarily pleasant & appropriately talkative and we really enjoyed our visit. We were the only tourists there. (www.durancentralpharmacy.com)

Having enjoyed the format/room layout at several Hyatt Places in the Midwest this year for tennis and hockey tournaments, I chose the Hyatt Place Uptown for this visit. Clean, fresh, great lobby service, near restaurants & shops.

Had a quick drink "downstairs" at Zinc with great Buffalo Sliders & DUCK EGGROLLS - YUM. Solid happy hour menu, solid waitstaff, kids allowed, just DARK! :) (www.zincabq.com)

From there we headed to Cosmo Tapas (www.cosmotapas.com) for dinner. Loved the vibe -- greeted graciously, offered patio or indoor seating (we chose indoor--still HOT!). Congenial service. Excellent variety on menu. Kids (aged 18 to 12) all LOVED what they had and enjoyed sharing plates. I would be embarrassed to tell you how many dishes we ordered...but suffice it to say they were all good! :) The owner stopped by our table and chatted, and invited us to stay for the (gratis) salsa dancing class later in the evening. All in all a great evening. Always nice when the whole family enjoys themselves!

Got up early the next morning and headed to the Bosque! We met Rick of Bike Smith, LLC (www.thebikesmithllc.com) at the Montana parking lot where he provided us with high end bikes, helmets, locks, and great trail maps and suggestions for exploring the city on bike. We headed down the Bosque Trail, stopped at Tingley Beach, saw elephants at the zoo, admired the botanic garden and all in all had a great ~20 mile ride. Highly Recommend Bike Smith. We could have done more -- tons of bike trails in this city! Maybe when it cools off in the fall! :)

Headed to Frontier for late lunch. DH wanted to check out the food. He was amazed at the efficiency at which they take orders and deliver the food. Good experience was enhanced by running in to an employee in the alley as we left who had two full "tall bakery carts" of fresh tortillas! Such a gorgeous site! He let me take his picture and told me he was getting ready to package them & ship them out. (www.frontierrestaurant.com)

Again, against the kid's wishes, we headed across the street to the UNM Art Museum (www.unmartmuseum.edu). I was hoping to see the permanent collection, which sadly is closed until Fall, but, we did enjoy both the Eva Hesse and Antoine Predock exhibits while the kids played on the iPad in the Student Union.

After another swim and some downtime, we went to Seasons for dinner. The family enjoyed Zinc previously and Seasons is their "sister" restaurant just off the Plaza. We ate at the more formal downstairs venue and again, everyone enjoyed good service and good food. They even brought down Buffalo Sliders from the upstairs menu for my son since he had loved them @ Zinc. Loved my bleu-cheese-encrusted steak and the "everything" (garlic, bacon, cheese) coarse mashed potatoes were incredibly rich and delicious. Good wine list. Walked the plaza afterwards, but the earlier torrential rains had chased off the crowds and we had the place to ourselves. (www.seasonsabq.com)

We were hoping to hike up top of the Sandia Tramway, but the trails were still closed, so the next morning we headed for Taos, where our adventure continued...

Again, many THANKS to the FODORITES for helping me with my selections for this trip!