New Mexico
 

Hi,
I will be in Santa Fe May 5-14. anything going on?
Quilting, culture, food?
steel

Definitely the food! New Mexico style Mexican food is my absolute favorite. Visit the Old Town area (Santa Fe Plaza) - terrific shops, worth a visit even if you don't intend to buy anything. If you have a chance to get down to Albuquerque, be sure to visit Southwest Decoratives & Kokopelli Quilting Company. Their fabrics and patterns feature SW designs, and the quilts on the wall are inspirational.

The Georgia O'Keefe Museum is great. I never was really a fan of hers, but I really enjoyed the museum. We drove up to her former home then out to the ranch where she also hung out. Both were interesting.

Yes, a trip to Southwest Decorative & Kokopelli Quilting is worth it. Every time we go out to NM, I make sure to save time to visit there.

We lived there for several years and loved everything about it. Great museums and culture spots. There are several quilt stores. Enjoy.

I was there some years ago. I remember a nice quilt shop in town. The oldest house in America is there, and the Loretto Chapel with the mystery staircase are all walking distance from the town's plaza.

https://www.lorettochapel.com/info/staircase

If you feel like a drive in the country, take the Turquoise trail on the east side of the Sandia Mountains to visit the small mining town - Madrid (pronounced Mad Rid). The old mining town is filled with artists and a wonderful old tavern with good food called The Mine Shaft. No quilt shops, but the artwork can be very inspiring. We loved walking up and down the main street (the only street) visiting each old house filled with unique galleries and shops.

Madrid and Turquoise Trail was also the setting for Tim Allen's movie "Wild Hogs" although the cafe did not exist until the movie came out. http://www.visitmadridnm.com/things-to-do/all/

You can loop your way back to Santa Fe by heading south on the trail (14) to I-40 to Albuquerque and then north on I-25. You can take a detour from 14 by driving to Sandia Peak. It is a long curvy drive but worth the spectacular view of the ABQ valley. Or you can keep driving on 14 then take Tramway Blvd north (556) to Sandia Peak Tramway. The trams will take you to the Peak. My husband has a fear of heights, but was all right on the Tram ride.
http://www.sandiapeak.com/

Tramway Blvd will also let you bypass most of ABQ if you are wanting to get back to Santa Fe after driving Turquoise Trail. You will get great views of the valley on the drive and it connects with I-25 on the north end of ABQ.

If you are feeling adventurous with green chili, try a breakfast burrito from Golden Pride on Central Ave near Eubank in ABQ. You can order the green chili on the side if you are not sure about eating it. This Golden Pride has a machine making tortillas that customers can watch while waiting to order. Or you can go to the old Frontier near the UNM. For a unique take on NM pizza, Dions Pizza (located in Santa Fe and ABQ) has a green chili and pepperoni that is quite good and not spicy. Central Ave is also part of the old Rte 66 and will take you to Old Town.

BTW, if you are not use to high altitudes, drink lots of water and take your time when walking. You might suffer from low grade headaches so pack aspirins. Santa Fe is at 7200 ft, Albuquerque is 5000 ft and the Peak is 10,000. Enjoy!

Of course the food is wonderful. The museums in Santa Fe are great. One favorite of mine is the Loretto chapel. There was a movie about the staircase in the chapel but I don't remember the name of the movie.
https://www.lorettochapel.com/info/staircase
The premier quilt shop in ABQ is IMHO: http://www.swdecoratives.com/


If you are looking for a bargain in food and are over 50, the casinos offer wonderful $5 buffets.

Santa Ana Star in Bernalillo --just off I25 North of ABQ has one on Mondays
Route 66-on I40 west of ABQ has BOGO buffets on Mon and Tues
Sandia at I25 and Tramway has one on Weds.

Santa Fe is called the "City Different" for a reason. You might look at the history of Santa Fe before you go to better appreciate the city: https://santafe.org/Visiting_Santa_F..._Trip/History/

I hope you enjoy your visit to our lovely, unique state.

I am a native of NM and lived in Taos 10 years, I have been gone for almost 16 years and a lot can change, but it used to be what Santa Fe was years earlier. Santa Fe is very glitzy and touristy, so is Taos, except it is not glitzy. It is much more quaint, being an artist I loved it there, it would be worth a trip up there to check it out. The hiway goes along the Rio Grande River and some small NM villages.

Santa Fe is very artsy-as others have said - and very charming. Since you are there for the period of time you are, I certainly recommend ABQ as well. Old City is wonderful. Last time I was there (5-7 yrs ago) there were several quilt shops with awesomely unusual (to me) fabrics and very high quality. Don't have all the names at this point but do a google search and you will not be disappointed.

The Sandia Peak area is great! I've only been in the fall so I would think Spring would be awesome. Enjoy your trip!