DW and I are heading there on Thrusday. Any pointers, pro or con? I will use it as a base for Taos and Sante Fe. Maybe do the Enchanted Circle. Hope to get out of this Texas heat a few days before the Cowboys start pre-season. I'm bringing my own wine.
Tell me about Albuquerque, NM
- Thread starter Eagle43
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Michael Moore
Recycles dryer sheets
The city museum, botanical gardens and the US Atomic Museum are pretty nice for a town of that size. Be sure to ride the Sandia Peak tram. Le Chantilly in Hoffmantown Shopping Center (the 2 or 3rd that went up in ABQ in 1951) at the intersection of Menaul and Wyoming in the NE Heights is a wondddddderfulllll pastry shop with tasty lunches. We probably eat there more than anywhere else when we go to ABQ to visit friends/relatives. Right behind Hoffmantown is the Prospect Park public library that has a very nice rose garden.
ABQ has grown/sprawled a huge amount since I moved away after graduating from UNM in 1976. Places that I used to go dirt bike riding are miles within the suburban housing developments. Eat lots of real New Mexican food - it isn't hard to find. Sadies out on North 4th is a possible location, but it was very busy the last time we went there. Powdrells has good BBQ.
cheers,
Michael
ABQ has grown/sprawled a huge amount since I moved away after graduating from UNM in 1976. Places that I used to go dirt bike riding are miles within the suburban housing developments. Eat lots of real New Mexican food - it isn't hard to find. Sadies out on North 4th is a possible location, but it was very busy the last time we went there. Powdrells has good BBQ.
cheers,
Michael
BigMoneyJim
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
IIRC you're a Texan, and personally I think it's important for Texans to be briefed on chili vs. chile when going to NM. NM puts red chile (hotter) or green chile (milder) on everything; this is a chile pepper stew/sauce and has no meat in it. Good stuff, just don't get your mouth set for chili.
Santa Fe and Taos are closer than ABQ if you're coming from Texas...why start there?
I just came back from Sapello, near Las Vegas NM which is NE of Santa Fe. It's hot up there, too, but not as hot, and it actually cools down at night! Had a bear in a tree 10' outside my window, though. It was thin and eating birdseed...poor thing.
Santa Fe and Taos are closer than ABQ if you're coming from Texas...why start there?
I just came back from Sapello, near Las Vegas NM which is NE of Santa Fe. It's hot up there, too, but not as hot, and it actually cools down at night! Had a bear in a tree 10' outside my window, though. It was thin and eating birdseed...poor thing.
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brewer12345
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Dunno about ABQ, but we much preferred Taos to Santa Fe. Make sure you see:
- the Millicent Rogers Museum
- Taos Pueblo
- the Enchanted Circle (very pretty)
I didn't have the time/freedom to do so, but I am told that there is excellent fishing in northern NM.
If you/your DW is into hot springs, try Ojo Caliente, between Taos and Santa Fe.
Be prepared to deal with the altitude. When we took the King's Road (at least I think it was called that), there were a few spots where we were quite uncomfortable because living at sea level then going to 11,000 feet of elevation is ugly.
- the Millicent Rogers Museum
- Taos Pueblo
- the Enchanted Circle (very pretty)
I didn't have the time/freedom to do so, but I am told that there is excellent fishing in northern NM.
If you/your DW is into hot springs, try Ojo Caliente, between Taos and Santa Fe.
Be prepared to deal with the altitude. When we took the King's Road (at least I think it was called that), there were a few spots where we were quite uncomfortable because living at sea level then going to 11,000 feet of elevation is ugly.
Coach
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Eagle, I really liked the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in ABQ. I'd also recommend taking what they call "The High Road" between Santa Fe and Taos. Folks in either place can give you diirections. Parts of it are like stepping back in time.
Coach
Coach
ronin
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Eat at Sadie's!
Zipper said:Mrs. Zipper's Aunt and Uncle live in Albuquerque.
They are retired and have lived there for ~ 30 years.
They say the crime rate is among the highest in the U.S.
Why would that be??
Where did they get their data? Spot checking a few cities with comparable populations, Albuqueurque doesn't look too bad compared to, say, Cleveland or Tampa, not to mention Washington, DC.
Thanks for all the inputs. We're off early in the a.m. First stop is Amarillo, where you can buy, I am told the cheapest gas in Texas. DW needs to be there thru Saturday, so I will check out Palo Duro Canyon and the Cadillac Ranch, etc. Then, on to New Mexico. Dunno when we shall return, but hey, I'm retired, no hurry!
HFWR
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West Texas: Miles and miles of miles and miles...
unclemick
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Have a great trip.
heh heh heh
heh heh heh
You might think of staying a night or so in Red River, it's one of my favorite places in New Mexico. It's always cooler in the summer. It has a small town, unspoiled, western feel about it still. There are plenty of places to stay and lot's of great food. The Sundowner has the best NM style mexican food in town. There is a place called the Lodge that we also like. And of course it's on the enchanted circle and just a few miles from Taos. My husband has to stop in Eagles Nest, NM as we pass thru on the drive from TX. There are some great little hole in the wall places there.
You might check out the town of Cimmaron also. Lots of history there. The old St. James hotel is a fun stop.
We are planning a short trip to Red River in August. These 100 plus days here in N TX are getting a little old....
Have a great trip.
You might check out the town of Cimmaron also. Lots of history there. The old St. James hotel is a fun stop.
We are planning a short trip to Red River in August. These 100 plus days here in N TX are getting a little old....
Have a great trip.
REWahoo
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give
Eagle, since there isn't much else to do in "Yellow" Texas, you might drop by the Big Texan Steak Ranch for their free 72-ounce top sirloin steak dinner. Of course to get it free you have to eat all of it (including a baked potato, salad, dinner roll and shrimp cocktail) in under an hour. If you don't, the meal is a mere $72.00.
Impossible? According to their website, 8000 people have done it, including a 69 year old grandmother and an 11 year old boy. No information is available on how long they survived after the meal.
Impossible? According to their website, 8000 people have done it, including a 69 year old grandmother and an 11 year old boy. No information is available on how long they survived after the meal.
Rich_by_the_Bay
Moderator Emeritus
Scrooge said:
Very true. We researched this each time we moved and always came away perplexed. Some of the most secure-feeling places we have lived had high crime rates, and vice versa. I think it has to do with how crime is localized within the city.
For example, we learned that car theft is quite high in our zip code, only to discover after moving here that there are two giant shopping centers within 3 miles, and virtually all that car theft occurred in their parking lots. If you wanna steal a car, I guess you go where the cars are.
Same with burglary and violent crime: predominantly in areas that are generally known to be high crime neighborhoods. Years ago we lived in Milwaukee which had a very high murder rate for quite a while, yet it had a reputation for safety. Later information confirmed that, being a highly segregated city, almost all the murders occurred in two well-known, poor, mostly black ghettos and was usually black-on-black crime. Tragic to be sure, but added little to our personal crime risk.
Seems that personal crime risk in areas like that are a matter of choice of locale.
Rich_in_Tampa said:
This is often true in highly segregated cities. Years ago, when DC was "the [per capita] murder capital of the nation", the murder map had a few dots in the predominantly white quadrant and one big blotch in the ghetto area.
There is usually some spillover, but it can be quite limited.
audreyh1
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Just spend 4 days in Albuquerque last week and had a blast! Even though 2 of those days were spent on the Cummins Rocky Mountain service lot. (1 day annual enginge/chassis service, 2nd day due to oil leak found - fixed under warranty).
It's a really nice city. Tons of nice restaurants. Good grocery shopping (Whole Foods Market!). Reminded me of Austin.
Awesome eats!
New Mexican style Breakfast and El Charrito on SW Central Ave (I think). So good had to go back another morning.
Awesome New Mexican food and very romantic restaurant - Casa Benavidez (sp?) on 4th street near Paseo Norte.
Old town in the downtown was fun too. Had supper at the Seasons - upper terrace. Very nice.
Drove up the back side of the Sandia Mountains - cool and lovely. Did some hiking. Only went as far as the turn-off to NM 165 which is a gravel mountain road and really fun going down.
We're in Moab now - having a blast in spite of temps hitting 106 by mid-afternoon.
Audrey
It's a really nice city. Tons of nice restaurants. Good grocery shopping (Whole Foods Market!). Reminded me of Austin.
Awesome eats!
New Mexican style Breakfast and El Charrito on SW Central Ave (I think). So good had to go back another morning.
Awesome New Mexican food and very romantic restaurant - Casa Benavidez (sp?) on 4th street near Paseo Norte.
Old town in the downtown was fun too. Had supper at the Seasons - upper terrace. Very nice.
Drove up the back side of the Sandia Mountains - cool and lovely. Did some hiking. Only went as far as the turn-off to NM 165 which is a gravel mountain road and really fun going down.
We're in Moab now - having a blast in spite of temps hitting 106 by mid-afternoon.
Audrey
BigMoneyJim
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Last minute warning: Last week there were two or three really smelly stretches along 287 and 40. I guess it's time for cattle slaughter or something else that gets them to gather all the cattle in one spot and stink up a few miles of highway.
I'm not sure what's practical to be done about it, but at least you're warned.
I'm not sure what's practical to be done about it, but at least you're warned.
audreyh1
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
That stretch along 287 is ALWAYS smelly. Permanent feed lots - peeeeeeuuuuw!!!BigMoneyJim said:
We tend to drive in to NM via I-10 to Fort Stockton, then 285 through Pecos, Carlsbad to hit I-40 at Clines Corners. I think we miss the feed lots on that route. Of course we're starting from Kerrville TX so that route works well for us.
Audrey
REWahoo
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give
BigMoneyJim said:
audreyh1 said:
BMJ, Audrey. That's just "high plains perfume". Where do you think those 72-ounce steaks and Gucci handbags come from?
audreyh1
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Yeah, I know.
I don't own a Gucci handbag (OK, my car seats are leather), and I try to buy grass fed free ranging beef when I can - not feed lot corn fed. Corn-fed beef is disgusting.
Audrey
I don't own a Gucci handbag (OK, my car seats are leather), and I try to buy grass fed free ranging beef when I can - not feed lot corn fed. Corn-fed beef is disgusting.
Audrey
Well, we're back. Went to Amarillo, Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taso. Stayed 2-3 days in each.
Amarillo: Well, it's a place to stop and rest. The Palo Duro Canyon is best thing there. Went to see the outdoor stage play "Texas" and loved it. Had horses and shootings and fireworks and was well-directed. Worth the ticket price. It's been running over 30 years. We drove right past the Cadillac ranch and the smelly stock yards with hamburger on the hoof. I’d seen both previously.
Albuquerque: Nice. Still hot though we saw our first rain and lightning in awhile. We did the hike up to see the Petroglyphs, which is a national monument. We went to the Balloon museum and park which is cool. On Oct 6th, there's an international hot air balloon event in which 800 or so balloons take off (at the same time they said). It took us about 2 hours to go thru the place. Old Town is nice, but touristy. Speaking of ER, I met a 79 year old guy in a book shop who told me he'd retire the day of his funeral. We rode the Sandia Peak tram, billed as the world's longest passenger tramway and then hiked 3 miles roundtrip at the peak. Also met a couple of other older gents and one lady, still working, all of whom had a great, positive outlook on life. We ate at the Dari Thai in Albuquerque and in Taos. I recommend it. Also recommend Tito and Mary’s Mexican restaurant on 4th street. Tito is dead, but 76(?) year old Mary is, you guessed it, still working. We drove up to Sandia Peak for a twilight picnic; saw a rattler lying in the road, stopped just as one of a couple of young ladies jogging downhill managed to step on the snake’s tail. Rattle, rattle.
Santa Fe is too rich for my taste and a definite tourist trap. I’ve seen it before. Lots of artsy places, museums, etc. BTW: The Catholic Church seems to own New Mexico. They’re everywhere. I can recommend the India House buffet in Santa Fe for eating, although Mexican restaurants are abundant. On the plaza, the Indians hawk art and jewelry. Went to the famous Loretto Chappel, http://www.lorettochapel.com/, with its famous staircase, http://www.lorettochapel.com/stair.html . Although a tourist trap, it is a functioning church, performing services and weddings. Another old guy, still working, sold us tickets. We went to the state capitol, where there are several million dollars of artwork inside the capitol building.
Taos. Took the ski lift to Snow Valley (not much there in the summer). Then went rafting, using Los Rios River Runners (recommended). Went out to the 650 ft deep Rio Grande Gorge; in fact, the rafting was in the Rio Grande. Left Taos heading for Cimmaron. It was 59 degrees when we left and 103 degrees just south of Amarillo.
I was struck by the liberal attitude of the citizens. A blue state, par excellence, with utter hatred for GWB. I saw a car up on Sandia with bumper stickers, like: "Yee Haw, is not a foreign policy." and "Let's not elect him in 2004 either." When we left Sante Fe, citizens were demonstrating on the Cerrillos Road, with no war signs, and honk for peace. I uttered expletive deleted, much to DW’s chagrin. If I master the skill, I’ll post a coupe of pics.
Overall, I recommend the State, if just to avoid the Texas Heat. It is beautiful in the mountains. I was struck by the apparent reality that people do things outside, like Hawaii. Texas’ heat keeps people indoors. Watch out for the trucks on interstate 44. They drive about 85 mph. Somebody told us that New Mexico has oil, lots of it. First I ever heard of that.
Amarillo: Well, it's a place to stop and rest. The Palo Duro Canyon is best thing there. Went to see the outdoor stage play "Texas" and loved it. Had horses and shootings and fireworks and was well-directed. Worth the ticket price. It's been running over 30 years. We drove right past the Cadillac ranch and the smelly stock yards with hamburger on the hoof. I’d seen both previously.
Albuquerque: Nice. Still hot though we saw our first rain and lightning in awhile. We did the hike up to see the Petroglyphs, which is a national monument. We went to the Balloon museum and park which is cool. On Oct 6th, there's an international hot air balloon event in which 800 or so balloons take off (at the same time they said). It took us about 2 hours to go thru the place. Old Town is nice, but touristy. Speaking of ER, I met a 79 year old guy in a book shop who told me he'd retire the day of his funeral. We rode the Sandia Peak tram, billed as the world's longest passenger tramway and then hiked 3 miles roundtrip at the peak. Also met a couple of other older gents and one lady, still working, all of whom had a great, positive outlook on life. We ate at the Dari Thai in Albuquerque and in Taos. I recommend it. Also recommend Tito and Mary’s Mexican restaurant on 4th street. Tito is dead, but 76(?) year old Mary is, you guessed it, still working. We drove up to Sandia Peak for a twilight picnic; saw a rattler lying in the road, stopped just as one of a couple of young ladies jogging downhill managed to step on the snake’s tail. Rattle, rattle.
Santa Fe is too rich for my taste and a definite tourist trap. I’ve seen it before. Lots of artsy places, museums, etc. BTW: The Catholic Church seems to own New Mexico. They’re everywhere. I can recommend the India House buffet in Santa Fe for eating, although Mexican restaurants are abundant. On the plaza, the Indians hawk art and jewelry. Went to the famous Loretto Chappel, http://www.lorettochapel.com/, with its famous staircase, http://www.lorettochapel.com/stair.html . Although a tourist trap, it is a functioning church, performing services and weddings. Another old guy, still working, sold us tickets. We went to the state capitol, where there are several million dollars of artwork inside the capitol building.
Taos. Took the ski lift to Snow Valley (not much there in the summer). Then went rafting, using Los Rios River Runners (recommended). Went out to the 650 ft deep Rio Grande Gorge; in fact, the rafting was in the Rio Grande. Left Taos heading for Cimmaron. It was 59 degrees when we left and 103 degrees just south of Amarillo.
I was struck by the liberal attitude of the citizens. A blue state, par excellence, with utter hatred for GWB. I saw a car up on Sandia with bumper stickers, like: "Yee Haw, is not a foreign policy." and "Let's not elect him in 2004 either." When we left Sante Fe, citizens were demonstrating on the Cerrillos Road, with no war signs, and honk for peace. I uttered expletive deleted, much to DW’s chagrin. If I master the skill, I’ll post a coupe of pics.
Overall, I recommend the State, if just to avoid the Texas Heat. It is beautiful in the mountains. I was struck by the apparent reality that people do things outside, like Hawaii. Texas’ heat keeps people indoors. Watch out for the trucks on interstate 44. They drive about 85 mph. Somebody told us that New Mexico has oil, lots of it. First I ever heard of that.
