Santa Fe

Part of me wishes we moved to Santa Fe over Albuquerque. (just spelled it wrong again -grr!)   Luckily it is a short drive away (50 mins) and we can go visit it often.  It is such a beautiful town.  The downtown has a European/Western feel. It feels like a time warp or like you just entered another country. It has tons a rich history, which I have been reading about in Death Comes to the Archbishop. (I am hoping to be reading more about the History of NM since my coworkers/lunch buddies recommended some good NM books this week - THANK YOU!) There is so much to do in Santa Fe that it keeps us coming back for more.

1st stop:

Santa Fe Brewery - Chris loved it.  I was driving so I thought it was ok. He'll have to drive next time. :)  It was $5 a person, which included a pint.  Chris did some talking and got my pint exchanged for this.  I think he got a good deal.  

We will definitely take visitors to this Brewery or Mable or La Cumbre (Summit in Spanish). Santa Fe Brewery uses the Zia symbol from the Zia tribe.  It's not a sun it's a Zia.  It's one of the major NM symbols.  Here is some cool info on the meaning of the Zia. 

2nd stop:

A late lunch at Maria's where they have great New Mexican food.  It's not Tex-mex nor Mexican. Trust me don't make that comparison. You'll offend someone.  They are fighting words.  Maria's also has a 12 page margarita list.  The food and drinks were great!

                                                              

3rd stop:

We were planning on going to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, but we were running a little behind.  We would have had 30 minutes in the museum.  Oh well, next time

4th stop:

We checked into our hotel

5th stop:

The mandatory walk around Old Town/The Plaza. The shops are really expensive in Santa Fe so we always window shop.

6th stop:

Dinner at El Meson.  We were happy to find another El Meson, which was one of our favorite restaurants in Minneapolis.  We had paella and churros con chocolate!  I was very pleased. It was a nice Spanish restaurant. It wasn't the best paella I've ever had, but it was pretty good.

7th stop:

The next morning we went to a french crepes places.  We both ordered quiche. I wish I would have gone with the crepes. I guess I was a little scared of trying something new.

8th stop:

Church at the Basilica in Santa Fe.  It is a beautiful church that has Spanish, Native American, and Mexican influenced art/design. Warning - mass runs long here about 1 hour and 20 minutes.  They love to sing - at least they sound good and it's bilingual.  The dress code is super casual - duh it's New Mexico. 

9th stop:

We stopped by the Outlets just outside of Santa Fe on the way back to Albuquerque.  They were just ok.  They didn't have any real good deals, but it was fun to look around. 

I almost forgot to mention the mountains!  Santa Fe's mountains are so much more beautiful than our Sandias.  Also Santa Fe is almost 2,000 ft higher than Albuquerque.  If you go there to visit drink lots of water and bring a warmer jacket.  It is cooler and they get more snow there!