A Good Walk: Downtown

The impeccably landscaped grounds of the University of New Mexico surround a central area containing knolls, a duck pond, fountains, waterfalls, and benches. As you begin a counterclockwise route from the school's southeast corner, your first stop is for a map at the nearby Welcome Center. Then stroll north past the Student Union Building, then left into the plaza. Zimmerman Library will be on your right; stop in and take a look at the old section, yet another one of John Gaw Meem's memorable campus buildings. Directly ahead is the oasis-like Duck Pond. Loop around the pond to the west, and the Alumni Chapel comes into view. Just beyond it is the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, in the Anthropology Building on the western edge of the campus. Meander southeast now to Northrup Hall and the Meteoritics Museum within. A short distance farther east you will find yourself at the Center for the Arts, just across from the parking structure where you began. Stop in at the Center, heading past Popejoy Hall to the UNM Art Museum, which contains the Raymond Jonson Gallery. As you exit, turn right past the UNM bookstore (Lobo gear alert!), noting sleek and striking George Pearl Hall, which was built in 2007 to house the UNM School of Architecture and Planning, and cross Central Avenue. A half-block down on Cornell Drive is the Tamarind Institute. Detour nine blocks south of Central along Girard Boulevard (five blocks east of Cornell) to the Ernie Pyle Library. Back on Central, you're a two-minute walk from campus to the edge of Nob Hill, where you can shop, café hop, and admire the historic residential and commercial architecture.

Timing

Seeing the University of New Mexico could take as little as an hour or two for the basics, and a solid half-day if you visit all the museums. If you've driven here, park the car in the Cornell Parking Structure near the southeast end of campus; it's the side adjacent to Nob Hill and is the ideal place to start—and end—a loop around the university. Spend an hour strolling the grounds, maybe catching some rays by the duck pond. Allot up to an hour for each subsequent stop. All facilities are open year-round, but some are closed from Saturday to Monday. Save Nob Hill for late afternoon or evening, when this neighborhood really comes alive.