Santa Fe/Albuquerque, New Mexico

[Philadisney]

Have you been there? I am going for a long weekend in November - not much time to do anything, I know. We'll be arriving on a thursday afternoon, leaving on Sunday morning. Will have a rental car. I am so excited as I have always wanted to go to NM, but I don't know anything about the area. any suggestions would be much appreciated!

 

[NMAmy]

I used to live in northwestern NM. If I were in Albuquerque for a long weekend--I'd probably hit Old Town and the zoo. I have fond memories of that zoo--I used to take dd there occasionally when she was a little girl. It's not a major touristy thing, but it is a nice zoo.

I'd also recommend going to Santa Fe and checking it out. I remember a beautiful church there. It's a beautiful city.

Be sure to eat some New Mexican food. I highly recommend the green chile!

 

[geffric]

and don't forget Los Alamos outside of SanteFe for the Bradbury Science Museum http://www.lanl.gov/museum/ and Bandelier National Park. http://www.nps.gov/band/

The church in Sante Fe is http://www.newmexico.org/MEDIA/PDF/BROCHURES/nm-loretto-chapel.pdf

 

[TigerBear]

My DH proposed to me while we were in NM! It still is his favorite trip we have ever taken. We stayed at the Hyatt Tamaya Resort (halfway between Santa Fe and Alburquerque) and it was fantastic!

http://tamaya.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

We definitely prefered Santa Fe to Alburquerque. The shops and art galleries are amazing- you feel like you are not in the United States.

I hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[perdidobay]

I agree, Old Town In Abq
http://www.albuquerqueoldtown.com/

and also the Zoo.
http://www.cabq.gov/biopark/index.html

Sandia Peak to ride the tram and take in the view is fun too.
http://www.sandiapeak.com/



Santa Fe- I like to visit the Palace of the Governors
http://www.palaceofthegovernors.org/

Also on the Santa Fe plaza are great shops and dining http://www.santafenow.com/links/april99/

Saint Francis Cathedral and Loretto Chapel http://www.lorettochapel.com/

If you want to take a day long scenic drive, take Interstate 25 north from ABQ and then west on 550 to San Ysidro and Highway 4. This will take you past and thru several Pueblo Indian reservations. Stop at Jemez Pueblo for some wonderful fry bread and tamales. Then continue thru the village of Jemez Springs and stop north of the village at the Springs and view the mineral formations. Continue to go north (and up in altitude) thru the national forest to Valle Grande, a huge volcano crater which is a beautiful National Preserve. Continue east on 4 to Los Alamos and visit the museums geffric posted.
From Los Alamos take 502 to Highway 84 to Santa Fe. Then pick up 25 south back to ABQ. it's a beautiful drive you won't regret.

 

[LindaR]

Where are you staying? ABQ or Santa Fe???? I hope you've made ressies already if you're staying in Santa Fe. Hotels get booked solid AND the prices are sky high at certain times. If you are thinking of staying in Santa Fe, research the hotels carefully. Many, many places have standard rooms that barely have room for the bed and they are very expensive. The further away from the Plaza you stay, the better chance you have of it being somewhat affordable!

Old Town in ABQ is nice. Of course, Santa Fe is all about art and galleries and you need to be prepared for lots of walking. I can't remember how many galleries are on Canyon Road.....but that is THE place to sightsee.

Give more details and you will get more info!

 

[NMAmy]

Oh, one more thing! Northern New Mexico is not hot in the winter time. Check weather.com for the temps before you go. It's cold at night--sunny during the day. Last time I went back, I had a late flight into Albuquerque and stayed at a local hotel before heading up to Farmington the next morning. The hotel shuttle driver and I were snickering at the tourists who were wearing shorts in January. It was about 35 degrees and they were a little shocked that it wasn't hot.

 

[LindaR]

BTW, Philadisney..........I'd love to trade places with you!!!!! We visited Philly at the beginning of last month (trip to check out several colleges) and absolutely LOVE the City of Brotherly Love! We stayed right downtown and walked and walked and walked and had the best time.

 

[MI mom of 3]

My DH proposed to me while we were in NM! It still is his favorite trip we have ever taken. We stayed at the Hyatt Tamaya Resort (halfway between Santa Fe and Alburquerque) and it was fantastic!

http://tamaya.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

We definitely prefered Santa Fe to Alburquerque. The shops and art galleries are amazing- you feel like you are not in the United States.

I hope you enjoy your trip!

The Tamaya Resort is fabulous Hubby had a conference a few years ago and all of the spouses were included. I loved it. We went into Sante Fe a couple of times, I loved it. The shopping at the Palace of the Governors was amazing.

 

[goldcupmom]

Don't forget the Casinos if you're so inclined. Sandia now has a very nice hotel attached.

If you take the tram, which I highly recommend, you can eat at High Finance restaurant at the top. I think you still get a discount on the tram if you eat up top. Eating there at sunset is the best.

Just west of ABQ is fire & ice - a volanic ice cave. Also west are the indian ruins/pueblo - Acoma I think - very neat to visit.

A balloon ride is always an ABQ thing to do, but pricey.

Zoo is good, especially if you have kids.

Not sure what events will be in town. Are you coming for an event, or just a visit? Many events will have discount offerings for different things to do.

Old Town is interesting as is the Plaza in Santa Fe. If you're not into the artsy stuff, the shops will probably get boring fairly quickly.

In Santa Fe there is the church with the unsupported spiral staircase that is carved. Legend says that the nuns prayed and a carpenter came & built it & that it was Joseph. (I'm tired tonight, so I'm not remembering the name of the church - I live N of ABQ and I've never been there, tho. It's on my TD list!)

If you're inclined to do a scenic drive, the drive from ABQ to Taos & around the loop is beautiful.

If you want to shop, the only real mall is Cottonwood on the West side of town.

El Pinto is a good NM restaurant as is the original Gardunos on 4th street.

If you have any ?? feel free to ask or PM me. I can find them out as I'm local.

The weather should be great, just be aware that if you go up the tram, it can drop 40degrees. Where I live it's almost 6k feet and it's usually low 50's night(or less) to upper 60's day. But there can be snow on the mountain in november - sometimes in October!!

 

[SetzKitten]

Take a ride on North 14 from Albuquerque to Santa Fe instead of the highway. You'll pass a couple of pretty unique towns and the scenery is unbelievable. If you go to the church in Santa Fe with the staircase, pop across the street to the art gallery. They have an amazing collection of bronze statues. So beautiful. My favorite place is the zoo in Albuquerque. I miss it so much. Old Town is fun too.

 

[LindaR]

Hey Goldcupmom!!! We spent weekend before last in ABQ. We love to shop get away from home (Alamogordo) so ABQ is one of our frequent getaways. We love Cottonwood Mall!

 

[perdidobay]

In Santa Fe there is the church with the unsupported spiral staircase that is carved. Legend says that the nuns prayed and a carpenter came & built it & that it was Joseph. (I'm tired tonight, so I'm not remembering the name of the church - I live N of ABQ and I've never been there, tho. It's on my TD list!)



El Pinto is a good NM restaurant as is the original Gardunos on 4th street.

The church is the Loretto Chapel..it's beautiful.

Amen to the two restaurants goldcupmom mentioned. Don't miss these two... I never do on my trips to ABQ.

Edited to add...the Sunday brunch at El Pinto is esp wonderful... eat on the covered patio and listen to the live music while the pinyon burns in the outdoor fireplace....I think I'll go cry now.....I'm wanting to go now!

 

[cuterlt]

Local here too. Suggestions to do the zoo and Old Town are good. If you're staying in Albuquerque, I can help with hotel suggestions. Depends on where you want to stay.
The drive to santa fe is only about an hour, so if you want to visit, it makes a nice day trip, shopping on the Plaza and enjoying the culture.
I second the suggestion of El Pinto - beautiful restaurant. There's also Sadies, which has good New Mexico food, if you want authentic.
The tram is a good bet, and the weather will probably be good for it, although it will be cold up there. I believe you can get a AAA discount - I think it's about $14 a person, but very cool.
Please feel free to PM me if you have specific questions or need recommendations for hotels.
You can get some great deals on priceline for Santa Fe hotels. And I've done it with very little advance purchase.

 

[Philadisney]

wow i can't believe all the responses I got! you guys are great I did hear about Old Town & Canyon Road but couldn't tell if they were 'tourist traps' or something locals would also be into - glad to hear that they're recommended! and I love churches & parks so those are great things to know about too. i really know very, very little about the southwest. TigerBear, we are staying at that same Hyatt! Thank you all also for the restaurant tips - my family are big foodies so its great to have suggestions from the locals.

Thank you so much for the great tips!!!!

 

[Philadisney]

BTW, Philadisney..........I'd love to trade places with you!!!!! We visited Philly at the beginning of last month (trip to check out several colleges) and absolutely LOVE the City of Brotherly Love! We stayed right downtown and walked and walked and walked and had the best time.

glad to hear you liked it - I love living here! I grew up outside of NYC but that city always felt too overwhelming and crowded to me - Philly feels much more unpretentious and contained. and the city parks here are beautiful!

 

[Philadisney]

Thanks for the tips everyone, I had a wonderful time! It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen I would move to Santa Fe in a heartbeat.

We did make it to Old Town, the churches in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, and had a lot of wonderful food and drinks. We also climbed a mesa at one of the national parks in Albuquerque. Here are some of my pics!

church in Albuquerque

church in Santa Fe

our amazing view!

climbing up the mesa

thanks again for your tips!

 

[perdidobay]

Great photos! I'm so glad you had a great trip
I see you made it to the Loretto Chapel.
I've had lunch with my parents at the Tamaya Resort, it's a beautiful place, isn't it.

 

[Philadisney]

Great photos! I'm so glad you had a great trip
I see you made it to the Loretto Chapel.
I've had lunch with my parents at the Tamaya Resort, it's a beautiful place, isn't it.

it was unbelievable!!

 

[Goofyluver]

Our wonderful state is a diamond in the rough!