Santa Fe area itinerary help
 

We have basically three days to spend in Santa Fe with another couple. We have been there several times but this will be the first time for our friends. I would appreciate any feedback on our plans; are we cramming in too much, etc.
We will pick them up at ABQ at 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 11 and head to Santa Fe on the Turquoise Trail. We don't plan to stop in Madrid because we want to spend as much time in SF as possible.We plan to have lunch at Casa Sena, we have always enjoyed going there & everyone we have taken there loved it. After lunch we plan to spend the rest of the afternoon on the plaza, St. Francis Basilica, The Loretto Chapel, the plaza itself, shops. The guys may go to the History Museum while the girls shop. We will check into our hotel at 4:00, freshen up and go back to the plaza for the evening. We love the Coyote Cantina for drinks and appetizers, then the Bell Tower Bar for drinks and sunset, then possibly one other place before calling it a night. Suggestions?
Sunday: We are considering Bandelier for the morning. I heard that there were wildfires in that area last year. Does anyone know if that has affected the scenery or anything else at Bandelier? We would most likely do the shortest loop, then return to SF, get cleaned up and go to the Hacienda Parade of Homes all afternoon. All of us enjoy seeing homes, decor, etc. My husband and I built a retirement home in Las Cruces so we love getting ideas.
For the evening we plan to have dinner at either Zias, Railyard Saloon, or La Choza followed by the piano bar at Vanessies.
Monday: We will leave around 7:00 a.m. and take the Low Road to Taos, see the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, then take the High Road back down. We figured it would be better to do it in that order because we plan to end up in Albuquerque by the late afternoon that day. If we left at 7:00 for the High Road first, some of the places along the way would most likely not be open when we were passing by. Would you agree with that assumption?
We would head to Albuquerque whenever we finished the HIgh Road and check into a hotel, grab a bite and then do the Sandia tram that evening for the sunset.
We discussed trying to go to Tent Rocks but it seems to be too much with this plan. We also wish we had more time to spend in the Railyard area, Guadalupe Street but since we are only allowing ourselves this amount of time, we tried to choose a sampling of the area based on giving our friends lots of choices of what is available and then planning around that. We are driving to our home in Las Cruces on Tuesday morning to spend the rest of the week there since spending time with us in our new home is the main purpose of the visit. We want to give them a taste of other areas of NM besides the southern part since it is their first time.
Thanks for any suggestions.

Boy, are you great friends to have! Any time you need company, my wife and I would be happy to come along :-)

The only part I am qualified to comment on is your low road/high road strategy, which I heartily approve for the reasons you gave.

We once saw a herd of antelope grazing just before the Turquoise Trail joins the main highway outside SF. Maybe you will get lucky.

Just as long as you see/visit Chimayo. :) http://chimayo.us/

Actually - we went early - before all the tour buses arrived, and more traffic slowed up that road. :)

Thanks for the replies. The tip about the tour buses is major. Chimayo is a definite stop of course. We have been there twice ourselves. Are there any other areas that are must sees on the High Road as far as having a few interesting shops or galleries?
Do you think it will take the entire timed I have allotted to do the low and high roads and get to ABQ (7:00-3:00ish)?
Thanks.

Here is the latest information on Bandelier, which was affected by last year's fire. Check this page again before you leave.

http://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm

I believe the Railyard Saloon is where we had the Santa Fe Fodor's GTG a couple of years ago; if so, it's no longer open. Something else might be in that space now. I'd go for La Choza instead, or you can check the Santa Fe restaurant thread in the New Mexico folder here.

We've been to Vanessie a couple of times for drinks and music - always fun. :-)

Make sure you remind your friends to drink a lot of water and wear sunscreen.

Lee Ann

Interesting information Bandelier. In April we were able to walk and climb to the top. I think it was 140 rungs on four wodden ladders. Tent Rocks was a great climb, but ir requires two-three hours. You mentioned two restaurants where coupons are accepted. www.restaurant.com Just key in the zip for Sante Fe. You do have to sign up, but no cost. For lunch at La Casa Sena you could do a $25 dollar coupon that costs $10 dollars. But you wait for discounts and can get it cheaper, depending on the discount. For La Choza you could do a $50 dollar coupon that includes alcohol and you must spend $100. Easy for four people. There is no downside to these coupons, all upside. Once you have a coupon, if you don't use it, they are easy to exchange at no cost anywhere in the US. We used coupons at these two restaurants in April. No problem. When I first started using them, I would call ahead to make sure they were accepted. There are restaurants throughout the US, but reserch is needed to select a decent one. Last year in Houston, I had a $100 dollar coupon for the 'Four Seasons'. Currently I have one for Alexandria in September. Have a great trip. Richard

Thanks Richard, I will definitely take advantage of the Restaurant.com offers.

Will alert you when they have discounts.

jet519; restaurant.com has a sale this week. Not their best, but a $25 dollar coupon, normally $10 is now $5 dollars. [A $50, usually $20, now $10]. If you have not been through the process, you have to sign up at no cost. Then, select what coupon you want and at checkout, it will still show the origional cost. That's where you insert the code word and the reduced price will show. This weeks code word is TRAVEL. Remember, you have to spend twice the amount of the coupon. Usually includes alcohol.

Thanks!

For the end-of-the evening spots to visit:

El Farol for a lively local's pot, and sometimes it has live music located on Canyon Road next to Geronimo
Anasazi Bar, either inside or outside on their front-side patio
The Palace Restaurant is open again if you want a nostalgic spot
Del Charro's Bar

Railyard Saloon is gone.

If it's a first-time visit for your friends I would suggest taking them to The Shed instead of their sister restaurant, La Choza. It has so much charm and character that La Choza doesn't have. After 20 years, it's still a favorite of ours and while we eat at La Choza when it's convenient nothing beats the charm and history of the original.

Also a thought. Rather than take Turquoise Trail on the way into Santa Fe, could you take it at the end since you are not stopping in Madrid? It certainly would get you into Santa Fe much sooner for your first dose of the day of chile and maybe a refreshing margarita. :)

<i>El Farol for a lively local's pot</i>

hahahah sorry, this is a good one! Almost as good as one I did several years ago, but mine was in the title.

We really listening to Ronald Roybal who plays flute in the lounge at the Hotel Santa Fe. They make a mean Prickly Pear Margarita at the bar. He's there most Friday and Saturday evenings <i>usually </i>at 7pm.

http://www.hotelsantafe.com/entertainment/native-flute/

http://www.ronaldroybal.com/performa...edule#post-966

<i>El Farol for a lively local's pot</i>

LOL! Whoops!

Thanks for all the suggestions. We will be there soon and can't wait!