TDudette

Nelson, the Abiquiu tour is booked with Tom Gallegos. I never commented about your O'Keeffe; neither her works nor the desert inspire me. May that change after the visit. Thanks again.

So far, I'm going to let Monday and Tuesday be easy walking days. Might cab over to St. John's College Santa Fe campus. Wednesday will be the tour. Will look into Taos on Thursday. Mr. Gallegos does a Friday walking tour--will see how Monday and Tuesday go. Mr. G. mentioned daily walking tours from Fondo hotel--anyone done them?

sweetannie

I have not done a walking tour from La Fonda (note spelling) but we stay there and I have seen the groups. There is also some sort of open air riding tour that leaves from just outside the hotel.

Nelson

The desert is not everyone's cup of tea. One of my hiking buddies, who loves wild mountains, is not a fan of the desert. My wife and I have enjoyed it a lot over the years, in limited doses.

But if you are in Santa Fe, the desert is getting you down, and you are feeling the need for a hot chocolate fix, definitely go here:
https://www.kakawachocolates.com/

It's about a 15 minute walk from the plaza. DELICIOUS!

TDudette

Thanks again, sweetannie and Nelson. The chocolate store could be on my walk home from O'Keeffe museum!

obxgirl

I don't get supercharged by O'Keeffe's art either, TDudette, but nonetheless have made a couple of visits to the museum which is fairly small. I get more engaged by the story of O'Keeffe's life and the wide circle of talented artists she and Stieglitz ran in. Stieglitz was a bit of a narcissist, IMVHO.

A very short walk from the museum is one of my favorite shops, Todos Santos Chocolates.
Best Chocolate in Santa Fe | Travel + Leisure

Sounds like a fun trip!

TDudette

Oh my Stieglitz was a hound dog, obxgirl. I suppose that was more accepted then than now? He felt that artists must produce art no matter what. Selling it is not important. Obviously a man with money, eh? O'Keeffe felt to pull of the desert--it had to be difficult to live in upstate NY! They lived in NYC for a while first. Stieglitz put O'Keeffe's works up for sale without her knowledge or permission. Thanks for the chocolate link! Looks like another trip where I gain weight....

MoBro

I am leaving Santa Fe today, after staying four nights here, with four friends. I highly recommend the La Fonda Hotel. It’s gorgeous, and a virtual art gallery in its own right. Prices very reasonable this time of year. We only rented a car for a day-trip to Taos, from Hertz located at the hotel. We visited the Taos pueblo, and were lucky to see a ceremonial dance performed. We stopped in Chimayo on our way to Taos, to visit the church and the weaver’s shop. We took the ‘high road’ there, and the ‘low road’ back. It made a great trip for one day. We did not need to spend the night there. The restaurant at La Fonda is perfect for breakfast, and the fireplaces there provide great seating for end-of-day conversations. The best dinner we had was at Cafe Pasqual’s in Santa Fe, right near the hotel. We did not need a car for Santa Fe. Took Uber to/from the airport.

TDudette

Thank you, MoBro. Good to read you did Taos so easily. I will check about car rental at La Fonda and have added your info to my notes.

No Tom Gallegos, though, eh?

MoBro

Hi, TDudette. Tom Gallegos is a guide? No, we did not use any guides at all. Didn't feel the need.
Be sure to take the complimentary tour of the La Fonda on the Plaza, even if you don't stay there. Its history is interesting and its original art and architecture is stunning. I think two nights in Taos might be too much. When there, stop at Mante's Chow Cart, on the main drag as you enter Taos. Wonderful little family-operated place for homemade, authentic Southwestern 'fast food'.

wtm003

I wasn't a big O'Keeffe fan either, but we did a free docent tour at the museum in November and really enjoyed it. I can't find any info on their website, so call if you're interested. I would like to go to Abiquiú later this year.

We also did a restaurant walking tour with the Santa Fe School of Cooking. Good food and wine. I want to take a green chile class next time.
https://santafeschoolofcooking.com/

Another item on my to do list is taking a glass paperweight class.
https://www.liquidlightglass.com/classes/

When you hit your limit on enchiladas, Clafoutis is great for pastries, salads and sandwiches.

Take a stroll through the Santa Fe Farmer's Market.

I love Chimayo. Meh on Taos. Had a couple of good $2 tamales on the plaza.

Have a great trip!

TDudette

MoBro, I wrote a response and thought I posted it. Gallegos told me about the La Fonda tour so that is on my list. He is or was a teacher. I found a magazine article about him but no first-hand info from Fodor's folks.

Thanks, wtm003. Lots of info to add to my growing list.

TDudette

PS--just signed up for "Traditional New Mexican II". Thanks again, wtm003!

MoBro

Thanks, TD. There was a tour of the hotel, the plaza, and the surrounding area, that left from the hotel at 10:00. I think it was about $13/each. We did not do that one, just opted to tour the hotel itself. You could probably call the La Fonda concierge and inquire about it. I like O'Keefe myself, and enjoyed the small museum tour. There are videos which bring her to life. BTW, I had read that the Taos Pueblo sometimes closes to tourists without notice, for various communal reasons. I had been concerned we might drive all the way to Taos, and find the Pueblo closed, but we were lucky. One woman we talked to, who owns a small shop in the pueblo, mentioned that it's tough on her when the Pueblo closes and she loses business. She said they will close for several weeks coming up, but I don't know when exactly. Problem is, I don't think you can find out when it closes. I couldn't find a number or contact, anyway. So a heads up.

TDudette

Thanks, MoBro. Friday is the day to make that tour and go shopping!

The O'Keefe museum is on my list for Monday (Tuesday after cooking?). Hopefully, I'll be going into her home in Abiquiu and to the nearby inn with Gallegos. Have you read her biography? Very interesting life.

At this point, Thursday is my totally free day and, if I'm OK with altitude, I'm going to somehow get to Taos. If the pueblo is closed, can one still get close enough for photos? Good info. Thanks again.

wtm003

TD, please report back on the class. Carne adovada & chiles rellenos oh my!

sweetannie

Please be respectful of the rules around photo taking at any of the Pueblos.

TDudette

Thanks, sweetannie. I am chagrined that such a warning is needed. I know that people can be very insensitive to the cultures of others. That being said, can one NOT take shots of the exteriors?

Whenever we saw "Do Not..." signs on our trips, DH noted they were always in English.

MoBro

You cannot take pictures within the pueblo grounds. Period. They asked us not to even bring our phones onto the grounds, and we complied. Which makes sense in retrospect, because you naturally want to snap pictures while there. I suppose you could get some pictures from the parking lot, outside the grounds. But you have to be extremely sensitive to the restrictions and the fact that the residents do not want their pictures taken. You might just buy a postcard or two, to avoid any conflict.

ElendilPickle

MoBro

Thanks, Lee Ann! How did you find out?