Prior to the trip, I was worried that there wouldn't be enough to do to fill up 10 days. Then discovered that 10 days really wasn't enough time. Also discovered that New Mexico (or at least this part of it) is one of the friendliest places ever. Met genuinely nice and interesting people everywhere.

Arrived early evening and spent first night at Wyndham at Albuquerque airport. Next day drove Turquoise Trail to Santa Fe. Enjoyed a stop in Madrid along the way.

Stayed at the Eldorado in Santa Fe. Our room was large, comfortable and quiet. Lots of artwork and artifacts in the public areas. Very gracious, top-quality service. The only disappointment was the rooftop pool but since it was a little too chilly for swimming , I ended up not minding. Also, ended up getting so much exercise from walking, I was able to forgo the swimming. Would not recommend it to serious swimmers, though, as it's about the size of a large envelope. The rooftop hot tub didn't look so hot, so we passed on that as well. The rest of the hotel, though, was fine.

Found that almost all the hotels in the Plaza area are well-located - everything is pretty much within walking distance of everything else. Spent a fair amount of time just walking, exploring, shopping, absorbing. Visited the Museum of Fine Arts, SITE Santa Fe, Museum Hill (Amer Indian Museum and Folk Art Museum), Palace of the Governors. Saw about half of Canyon Road in a period of about 3 hours - we stopped into a lot of the galleries. Generally had excellent meals - places I'd recommend: Ristra, The Shed, Guadalupe Cafe, Zia, Plaza Cafe.

Traveled on to Taos for 2 nights. Note for those with fear of heights: The High Road to Taos is not at all scary. I have a huge fear of heights and had been concerned about this drive. Turned out that I was not the least bit bothered by any of the route. There are no sheer drop offs or white-knuckle sections. There are also a number of drives that I think are more scenic than this one.

Spent 2 nights/2 days in Taos, which is a little more that we probably needed there. Walked around the Plaza area and quickly realized that unless we were in desparate need of tee-shirts or beaded belts, this was not the place for us. There are some shops selling art/jewelry/crafts by local artisans but overall, not that interesting an area. Worth seeing but not worth lingering. Stopped to see the Kit Carson Home and then drove north in search of Taos Cow ice cream in Arroyo Seco. Found lots of nice scenery but no ice cream as the Taos Cow people are in the midst of relocating. Took in the Millicent Rogers Museum on way back into Taos. Had really good meals at The Apple Tree, The Trading Post Cafe, and the Guadalajara Grill.

From Taos we headed to the Tamaya Resort near (in?) Bernalillo for 4 nights. Really enjoyed staying there - spacious, peaceful, relaxing ambience. Might be hectic when it's more crowded, but we felt that we had plenty of space to ourselves - encountered no one else on the hiking trail, lots of available chairs at the pools. Restaurants were so-so - twice we ended up driving into the downtown area of Bernalillo for dinner at the Range Cafe.
Spent one rainy day in Albuquerque - walked around Old Town and then visited the National Atomic Museum. Had lunch at La Crepe Michel - needed a break from enchiladas and chili. On our last day the hotel allowed us a late check out - we had time to kill before our 4:30 flight so we just spent time at the pool. By the way, here's a warning to anyone returning a rental car at Albuquerque airport - the is no nearby gas station. Apparently the nearest place to get gas is on Gibson Blvd. We found a few other people with rental cars there when we finally located a gas station.

All in all, we very much enjoyed this trip. Many thanks to everyone who had posted information and hotel & restaurant recommendations. I didn't have to ask questions because so much info was readily available here.

Nice trip report, spring212--glad you enjoyed a good trip. We've only been there once, several years ago, and would love to return--your trip report brought back some very nice memories. One of my favorite parts of the trip was the scenic drive between Santa Fe and Taos--did you happen to make it to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge?

Sounds like a great trip! What did you think of SITE Santa Fe?

dcepedes - unfortunately, we didn't make it to the Gorge Bridge. We had initially planned to drive across and visit Ojo Caliente Springs but found we didn't have enough time. Also, I had trepidations about the height. Please let me know if it's not as scary as I've been led to believe and I'll include it next time. I really regret, though, missing out on the chance to plaster myself with mud at Ojo Caliente.

Jayne - I very much liked SITE Santa Fe and made a point of going there, having read about their current exhibit: DISPARITIES AND DEFORMATIONS: OUR GROTESQUE. Their curator had previously been at the Museum of Modern Art (NYC) and I thought he did a great job putting this together. Also, I liked the fact that they had knowledgable and friendly docents all around the galleries - they were fun to talk to, not at all "lecture-y." Did you see this exhibit? I realize it's not for everyone but I really enjoyed it.

spring212--
I wanted so much to see SITE Santa Fe when I was there this summer, but my friend was recovering from a broken ankle and had walked so much she didn't think she could handle it. I really regret missing it! Glad to hear it would have been good if I did get to see it!!

Jayne - the GROTESQUE exhibit will be on into January - just in case you have a chance to go back to Santa Fe by then. If not, they will probably have an equally interesting show the next time you are there. I'm not a super-serious art connoisseur, but I do like interesting contemporary exhibitions and I was impressed by SITE Santa Fe.

Hi spring212--we actually parked the car and walked across which a lot of people do as there are parking lots on either side of the bridge. I have a fear of heights and was a little wigged out being on the bridge--the thing that bothered me most was feeling the bridge move when a large vehicle (truck, rv) crossed it--I know the bridge was built to do this but still... The view from the bridge was fantastic but I didn't stay long! If you drive across just don't look down and put the petal to the metal--the bridge and road are flat so if you look straight ahead...you should be okay

Oooops, petal should read pedal

I've always wondered why New Mex isn't asked about more on this board. I love it there. Does Arizona outshine NM?

spring212, Hit reply too soon. I enjoyed your trip report. Madrid is a fun stop. I like a number of the restaurants you mentioned but freely admit I haven't met my fill of green chiles. Ever.

Hi dcespedes - thank you for providing the gruesome details - I never would have made it onto the bridge. Glad now that I didn't drive all the way there just to turn around.

Obxgirl - I think AZ is more popular mainly because of the Grand Canyon. Have to admit that I traveled there years before I ever even considered NM. As to the green chiles issue - I just heard about a cooking school at the La Posada Hotel in Albuquerque where you can take a weekend class in New Mex/Southwestern cooking. Just in case you have to take matters into your own hands in assuring a never-ending supply of green chili delights.

spring212-
Thank you for your help with Priceline. Great trip report! I see you recommended Ristra. Would this be a good spot for a birthday dinner? I'm looking for something not too fancy with great food/ambiance.

winegirl - could be good for a B-day dinner depending on whether you are looking more for a lively, festive kind of place or more of a fine dining experience. I think Ristra is more the latter - upscale and a little formal but by no means stuffy or overly fancy. Service was friendly and gracious. The food was excellent. Dinner for two came to about $110, including tax and tip.
You can take a look at their website (www.ristrarestaurant.com) to see sample menus and pictures.

There are so many good restaurants in Santa Fe - way more than we had time to try. It's really hard to narrow down the choices.

Just returned from a week in SF. Had a fabulous meal at Geronimos and the manager there recommended Ristra for dinner the next night. Ristra was the worst restaurant I've ever encountered - food was horrible, barely edible, service obnoxiously quick - we had three courses and were finished in 35 minutes! (Think they wanted to turn the table???) Would definitely not recommend it