New Mexico Trip Report
 

Recently returned from a business/pleasure trip to New Mexico. Spent five night in Albuquerque to attend a conference, then two nights in Santa Fe.

Thanks to this board I had plenty of notes about what to do and where to eat. I had also purchased a few discount coupons on dine999 (or is it 999dine?)

Our flights from Orlando to Houston and then Houston to ABQ on Continental were very nice. I've pretty much abandoned Delta for Continental (and Jet Blue if possible) after too many bad Delta experiences. We were even fed on one of the flights!

Arrived at 1 PM on Saturday and picked up our Avis rental car. I had reserved it through Hotwire and the desk clerk was very obnoxious when we refused the Garmin navigator, the extra insurance, and an upgrade, and when I went to sign the contract I saw an extra $35 charge and questioned her. She had put on the upgrade anyway! She removed it immediately when I caught it, but it really annoyed me. Stay away from Cindy at the ABQ Avis counter!

We headed for the Hyatt downtown, where our convention rate of $99 was a great deal for the nice room we were given. Because I had joined the Hyatt Gold Passport club before making the reservation, we were on the 16th floor with a lovely view of the mountains (and hot air balloons), our room was ready early, and we had a refrigerator. It was a great stay.

We were settled by 3 PM and decided to catch a bite at the State Fair. It was a nice drive through Nob Hill. We agreed it was the largest, most diverse state fair we'd ever been to, and really enjoyed our time there. Everything we ate was delicious and watching the mix of people go by was lots of fun. Then we watched the horse races at the adjoining track and actually picked a winner, which was good for some dollars. (My luck continued at Sandia Casino later in the week)

We waddled our way back to our car at dusk, when the real crowds were arriving at the fair. We decided to try to keep on Florida time as much as possible, and were asleep by 9 PM.

The next morning we were at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center as soon as it opened, so we could tour it before driving to Acoma. We had a great meal at the Blue Harvest Restaurant there and I started requesting Christmas on the side with all my meals after having some on my enchilada. I can't deal with hot foods, but I'm convinced there will be plenty of green chile in heaven when I get there - so I can eat all I want! What great flavor!

I highly recommend the Blue Harvest Cafe at the cultural center. My husband's stuffed French Toast was delicious.

The trip to Acoma was punctuated my numerous highway stops due to construction, and at one point I even considered turning around. I am SO, SO glad I didn't! Acoma was the high point of the trip.

Just before arriving at the pueblo museum, as passed an enormous mountain of rock called Enchanted Mesa. It was awesome. We parked at the visitor center and waited about 15 minutes for the bus up to the pueblo 360 feet up on a mesa. (The snack bar at the visitor center had great food too!)

We had a great guide named Jerri and she gave us a great walking tour of this ancient pueblo with 50-75 full time residents. The others live in the town below most of the time, but live on the mesa on weekends and for festivals. (This is just a little smaller than Taos Pueblo, which has about 100 full time residents)

Buying pottery and fry bread from the very person who made them was a welcome treat in this souvenir store world. My husband was wearing a "Fear Factor" shirt and I was amazed that every person we spoke to asked him if he'd been a contestant on the show. One elderly lady even offered to find him some raw chicken so he could show everyone how the show worked!

These people were genuinely friendly, welcoming, and absolutely wonderful toward us. My husband of course managed to find a man to talk football with - and left with the man's handpainted Dallas Cowboy sign.

I spent about $100 on pottery, and just looking at it will remind me of the wonderful people who made it. We chose to hike down from the mesa on a trail cut in stone, and there was a rainbow over Enchanted Mesa when we left. How fitting.

We returned to ABQ with no construction interruptions, after eating at the Acoma Pueblo's Casino Buffet. There I got to try the things I was curious about such as posole and green chile stew. I liked everything I tried.

After parking our car in the hotel garage, we walked down the adjacent pedestrian walkway (more like a courtyard) to the 7-11 for bottles of cold water to bring back to the room, Another early night.

Monday I was attending the convention, which featured seven of the WWII Navajo Codetalkers as special guests. It was fascinating to mingle with these heroes for the next few days.

We took a lunch break at Central Park Deli, on Central between Downtown and Old Town, because I had a coupon. It was okay but nothing super special.

The weather was gorgeous (as it was our entire stay), so we drove to the Sandia Tram at about 4 PM and caught a tram immediately. The ride up was great and we walked around a little at the crest until I realized I had altitude sickness (nausea and headache) and my husband was having a little trouble breathing. So we headed back down and stopped off at Sandia Casino, where I made enough money for dinner and then some.

To Bumble Bee's in Nob Hill to use another coupon. This was one of my favorite places, with one of the most potent margaritas. It's a student type of place but my chicken green chile burrito was amazing, and somehow I managed to do my nightly two miles on the treadmill at the Hyatt health club without falling off!

At the morning convention sessions we were appalled to hear what had happened the night before at only 5:45 PM. A few members of the Florida delegation were eating at one of the outdoor restaurant tables in that courtyard area by the Hyatt and 7-11 when they heard a gunshot and then a young teenager went running by, taking off his shirt as he ran. The police arrived and ran down the courtyard after the shirtless boy, who they caught after three more people were stabbed in front of the 7-11. They were lying on the sidewalk covered with blankets.

They learned later that three died - a boy and two girls 14 and 15 years old. The boy who was stabbed survived. The police explained that the courtyard was the dividing line between two gangs' turf and that's what the violence was over.

That put quite a damper on the rest of our stay. We'd enjoyed walking through the park across from the hotel with a fountain and statues, and we thought nothing of walking two blocks to Bank of America. We stayed off the streets at night after this incident, and were a lot more cautious during the day.

Tuesday morning we ate breakfast at Flying Star on Central in Nob Hill. Our fruit tarts were divine.

For lunch we used another coupon at 66 Diner. Unfortunately this was by far the worst meal of our stay. The milkshakes had little flavor and the food was just okay. But we did enjoy playing hopscotch each time we walked by the board on the floor.

Another cool thing about ABQ was all the classic cars crusing Route 66. I think most of the old cars in the world are there!

We spent a couple of hours in Old Town after that, and I liked the friendliness and affordability of the shops there. I bought several things knowing Santa Fe would be more expensive.

Another place we shopped was Skip Maisel's on Central Avenue. His Acoma pottery was slightly cheaper than mine, but of course he buys it in enormous quantities so pays less. And I'd have paid even more if needed for the pottery I bought up on the mesa. Skill, Skip's is worth a look or two. We did buy very reasonable jewelry there.

Tuesday night we ate at McGrath's in the Hyatt due to another coupon. We waited a long time for our food (and the place was almost empty) but when it came, it was delicious.

That night I fulfilled a longtime fantasy (and get your minds out of the gutter!) I rode a mechanical bull at a convention party! As I was getting ready to mount the "bull," the accompanying cowboy asked if I'd ever done it before. And I said, "No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night." Luckily, he got it.

I just made 8 seconds. It was getting faster as time went on and I don't think I would have survived one more buck or twist. And I have a sneaky suspicion I'll be in the convention newsletter!

Wednesday we returned to the Blue Harvest Cafe for breakfast and had magnificent blue corn pancakes. We were free at noon and we headed off on foot for the Gold Street Caffe. Yup, another coupon! It specified after 2 PM so we had to wait. Luckily they were filming an episode of "In Plain Sight" on Central Avenue so we amused ourselves watching that until 2 PM. Our food was very good at Gold Street Caffe. And If I'd been staying longer, I definitely would have tried the New York Pizza Deli which smelled wonderful.

From there we went to Casa Rondena Winery just north of ABQ, and this was really cool. The grounds are beautiful and we tasted several wines. Because we bought three bottles, there was no tasting charge. I really enjoyed the wines.

We had the farewell banquet that night and went back to pack, kind of sorry to leave the Hyatt but excited about seeing Santa Fe. We left Thursday morning and headed up the Turquoise Trail toward Santa Fe.

A few people have written the TT is not scenic. Well, if you're from a state that's mostly a foot or two over sea level, the TT is plenty scenic! Although we were totally unimpressed with Madrid - we did stop and speak with artist Jesse Shakespeare but lots of places were closed -we appreciated the old town of Cerillos and all the mountains we passed.

We arrived in Santa Fe at lunchtine and I drove up Cerrillos to check out what was there. My car kind of steered itself into a little storefront called Pollo al Carbon which smelled great. So we had a very tasty lunch for less than $15.

I had no trouble finding El Farolito on Galisteo Street, where we were staying two nights. Seven rooms are in casitas spread out on the property, but we stayed in the two room suite in the main building. This included a sitting room with TV, a bedroom with king bed, gas fireplace, TV, and refrigerator stocked with water, and a bathroom. I especially liked the skylight in the bedroom.

Wayne, the owner, and Rita, the housekeeper, made us feel very welcome. The dining and relaxation area of the main building was beautiful. We checked e-mails and relaxed as the afternoon cookies, juice, and lemonade were offered and accepted.

We took off to explore the Plaza area about ten minutes away by foot. At first we were visiting all the stores but soon we got tired of that. We couldn't afford anything we liked anyway!

So we visited a couple of the hotels and then went to see the staircase at the Chapel of Loretto. We needed a rest after that and ended up at the Inn of the Anasazi sidewalk dining area for dessert and coffee. Awesome.

My husband used a computer at the library while I power walked for 20 minutes so I cook eat more food at dinner! Our innkeeper, Dana, seconded my idea to go to Mariscos Le Playa for dinner since we love seafood, and it was a good choice. Very reasonable prices and excellent fish. Have to say the margaritas added to the flavor for sure!

Bed early and up early on Friday to a spectacular breakfast in the charming dining area. An egg dish with green chiles that I would eat every day for the rest of my life if I could it was that good. Also coffee, fruit, juice, tarts, breads, granola, cereals, yogurt - ahhhhh!

Left for Bandelier, where we had a great hike on a gorgeous day. Climbing the ladders was fun and informative. My husband wanted to go to Los Alamos but that's too creepy for me, so we headed up to Abiquui (spelling?) because that's where they filmed part of "3:10 to Yuma" and my husband is a movie addict. Pretty but nothing there, so we had to return to Santa Fe just to eat.

Luckily we arrived in time for drinks and cookies and cake, which held us over until dinner. We didn't want to drive anywhere, and Dana recommended Cowgirls. I knew the place had gotten mixed reviews, so I was hesitant, but they were having fun in the outdoor dining section when we got there, so I agreed to give it a try.

We were placed in a small, out of the way dining room and I saw immediately there would be no fun there. The specials menu included a bratwurst and sauerkraut meal (which my husband ordered) and a steak burrito, which I would normally not eat, being a chicken person, but I figured the special would be best.

We waited forever for our food. I heard a lady at a nearby table literally begging for the chips and salsa she'd ordered 30 minutes earlier. The drinks kept coming, but the ships and salsa took awhile longer.

When our food arrived, my husband's was "weird but tasty" and mine was completely devoid of any taste at all. I asked for green chile and even that was tasteless. The steak was overdone and no seasoning of any kind.

I wish we had gone to Bumble Bee's in Santa Fe, or the Zia Diner, or Tomasita's, or anywhere else in that area. Cowgirls was a huge disapointment.

The sunset was glorious and I was sorry we were leaving the next day, but as always at the end of a trip, I was also anxious to get home.

Our flights back were another pleasant experience. Long live Continental!

I am saddened to read that your trip was mared by acts of senseless violence. Although ABQ is a relatively small city, it has its share of big city crime and violence. I apologize for it, it hurts me that visitors have to witness such things.

I love ABQ and it -- along with all of NM and the SW -- has so many wonderful things to experience. Please don't let this stop you from coming back or others from coming to visit.

Debi

I'm glad you had a good time! Thanks for posting a report.

You may have caught 66 Diner on an off night - it's nothing fancy, but we always enjoy it, and have never had a bad meal there.

I hadn't heard anything about murders downtown - when did this happen?

Lee Ann

Hello Postal, it is sad to hear of the violent incident which took place during your visit to Albuquerque.

We will be in SF in a weeks or so and are staying in one of the casitas at the El Farolito. Could you tell more about how you liked the property itself? Proximity to the Plaza? Safe to walk to the Plaza, to restaurants and back at night?

WOW, you're so lucky to have spent time with the real codetalkers. i bet they had some great stories. did they tell of any that you remember?

at first i was shocked what avis cindy did to you, then the 7-11 incident... is this the same 7-11 you got your water from? i'm glad you made it home safely. i'm looking forward to my nm trip spr08. thanks for sharing.

Delighted to hear that Mariscos La Playa in Santa Fe is still open. I think the food is delicious and great value.

First of all, my husband and I LOVED New Mexico, and no, Debi, the incident will not by any means keep us from visiting! We loved all of it. The violence could have happened anywhere in any state, but I have to admit it was a little shocking for it to happen at that hour. Luckily it did not include passersby - even the girls were members of a gang. (I felt so sorry for their parents afterward)

No, none of the incident was in the paper because we checked each day. When I lived in Orlando (18 years), very few of the incidents that happened near tourists was ever reported in the local paper) One of the policemen said it was becoming more common.

The murders occurred on Monday, 9/10.

El Farolito is a gem and since my husband was done for the night once he'd parked himself in front of the TV after dinner, I walked alone on the two evenings we were there and had absolutely no problems. I walked all over the city and up and around Canyon (past the already-closed galleries) and felt safe the entire time. And that was by myself so I'm sure you have nothing to worry about.

Which casita are you staying in at El Farolito? The only thing I missed was our own little courtyard that most of the casitas have. You enter the property via a small driveway which is gated and locked after 7 PM. The casitas are mostly in separate little buildings along this driveway.

Your walk to the plaza is 7 to 10 minutes, just as they advertise.

The main house (where breakfast is served) is closed after 7 PM but it has a lovely patio with tables and chairs available at all hours. They also sell a wonderful homemade granola that reminds me of SF whenever I open the bag!

The property is not large and the people were friendly. The innkeeper (Dana) and the owner (Walt) are wonderful hosts and can tell you anything and everything you want to know about the area. The main house also has guidebooks and a computer for checking e-mail, printing boarding passes, etc.

The ONLY drawback to El Farolito is a cigar shop has opened next door to them and when there were people smoking cigars on the porch, we couldn't sit outside. But if you like the smell of a cigar, it won't bother you!

The codetalkers didn't speak to us as a group. They had a table and you were welcome to sit down and speak with them, buy their books, get an autographed picture, etc. With more than 1,000 people at the convention, it was difficult to get much private time so I really didn't hear anything other than their speaking the language when asked (and to each other at times) and shaking hands and saying hi. Although I know several WERE watching when I rode that bull!

Yes, that was the same 7-11 we'd walked down to for water, but I want to repeat this was basically still a very safe area and we DID do a lot of walking in the downtown area during the daytime after that. When all the business people left in late afternoon, though, a different bunch of people moved in and the gang presence was more obvious. No one ever bothered us personally, though.

Again, I highly recommend New Mexico for a visit, and both the Hyatt and El Farolito. We'll be back!

One more comment about SF and El Farolito - that wonderful smell you can't identify at first (and ISN'T) cigar smoke), is roasting/grilling green chiles! There is a Whole Foods market about half a mile from El Farolito where they roast them in the parking lot and I LOVE that smell! (Alas, they were too hot for me to eat, however!)

Thanks for the follow-up information, Postal. We are looking forward to our visit. Maybe we can pretend that the smell of cigar smoke is the fragrance of a fireplace or the roasting/grilling going on in the area. It has been a long time since we have visited Santa Fe. My husband traveled there for business every month for at least a week at a time for quite a few years. I would go for special events like holiday parties or other things which called for me to be present. Lately, I have missed the feeling of serenity and calmness that seems to pervade the area. I hope that it is still present - I need that feeling in my life now. I am sure we will have a great time!

Thanks for you great trip report, Postal. I'm glad the 7-11 experience didn't mar your trip. I was happy to hear you liked Acoma Pueblo, it is at the top of my list of "must do's" this trip. All these years and I've never been! I'm very much looking forward to it and also getting my winter supply of green chiles to take home. YUM. :)

Thanks again for sharing your trip with us!
BeachGirl

Postal, thanks so much for the great ABQ and Santa Fe at Christmas, and you have provided so much good information.

How tragic that those young people were killed. I'm afraid I'd never get it out of my mind.

I'll be in Santa Fe for 5 nights and ABQ for my last night, and want to do so much.

I had decided to go to Taos Pueblo, but after reading your report, Acoma sounds great too.

Did you find the coupons for restaurants were worthwhile? By that I mean, would you have gone to these places without the coupons? or did the coupons dictate where you went? Also, were they 2 for 1 or an actual discount. I'll be on my own , so 2 for 1 wouldn't work. DId you get them off the internet? I'll check out the website you mentioned.

Why was Los Alamos creepy to you? I'd like to know before I go there!!

And the food!! it all sounds so delicious. I can't wait.

kodi - 999dine.com is the website. It is not 2 for 1. It does however require 2 adults at the table to use the certificate, so it won't help you unfortunately.

FYI to anyone else --

What it is: you buy a "dining" certificate which is like a gift certificate. For example -- you buy a certificate for lunch at "ABC diner." The certificate is valued at $15. You pay a % of that [the % varies by restaurant]. Let's say that ABC is at 60% discount. You would then pay $6 for the certificate. You would then be able to spend $15 at the restaurant and give them the certificate to pay bill. It can be used for meal and drinks but not towards tip or tax.

There are many restaurants in ABQ, SF and Taos that participate. The website also shows you info on each restaurant and typical menus and prices so you know what your are getting.

There are lunch and dinner certificates.
We use them a lot and they are great.

Debi

Thanks, Debi. Too bad I can't use it.
I am really looking forward to the food. Mmmmm.

kodi, if you're going to Taos Pueblo, I wouldn't worry about going to Acoma, too. Several people told me they're very much alike, except fewer people visit Acoma.

Oh, by the way, kodi, Los Alamos (the laboratory, not the town) seems creepy to me because of what was created there. My husband was fascinated by the bomb, but not me.

Ah, thanks Postal. I thought that's what you meant, but I wanted to make sure there wasn't another reason... one that I should know about.

Acoma and Taos pueblos aren't alike at all. Not in setting, not in culture, not in history, not in number of visitors, not in views.

This actually holds true for all the pueblos (they are all different)but these were the two mentioned. Look at the differences between Acoma pottery and San Ildefonso pottery for example.

These differences are what make New Mexico so completely fascinating.

What a great report! I'll be in NM in less than two weeks time. I will try to do some of the things you noted!