Vacationing
Hubbie and I are taking a little vacation for my birthday to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Having never been to the southwest, I automatically assumed I should be packing shorts, t-shirts, maybe even tank tops and a swimsuit. So imagine my surprise when weather.com's forecast for today was:
Yikes! What is this, the north east?! I thought we were done with winter on this side of the country!
Not to worry, wonderful readers, I've got some posts all set up for next week while I'm away.
Any travel tips for Santa Fe or Taos?
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5 comments:
have a great time, rachel! and happy birthday!
Happy birthday!
And put those shorts back in the suitcase. As with much of the SW, those temps were just spring, kidding around with you. We have a foot of snow here in Denver, but it will be 75 degrees on Wednesday. You will have similar temperature fluctuations in SF.
Drive down the hills to Madrid, NM. It is an old hippie town with some great craftspeople still there amongst the rich.
Go out to Lamy and visit Bishop's Lodge. Reread "Death Comes to the Archbishop" by Willa Cather. Bishop's Lodge is his casa - look in the tiny chapel there that was built for him. I was married there in 1985 by a Greek Orthodox Bishop.
Visit 10,000 waves - an incredible spa. Visit the Taos Pueblo. Visit Georgia O'Keefe's home in Abiquie (I can't spell this morning). I'd say visit the square, but it has become so Californicated it looks like a poor imitation of Walt Disney's idea of a Spanish square. If you want to see something more real go down to Albuquerque and visit their square. Also shop down in Albuquerque for souvenirs - the prices won't kill you like those in Santa Fe.
Eat Mexican food at the Pink Adobe or the Shed in SF. Great, great, great food. I especially recommend the guacamole and the red chili (also called enchilada sauce other places). There is an excellent restaurant on the square in Albuquerque, too, whose name escapes me. It is one of the original buildings from the 1700's.
If you are there on a Sunday drive up to Espanola and check out the locals with their cusomized low rider cars. They are incredible - the cars and the people. They deck their cars out, chopped and channeled and take the whole family for a cruise on Sunday after church. Most of them welcome you to take photos - it is a culture not to be missed.
Walk up Canyon Road and check out the galleries. Check St. Michael's church - an original spanish mission. Keep in mind that the road through the oldest part of town is the Santa Fe Trail. Yes, the original, travelled by Kit Carson et al all those centuries ago. The oldest house in SF was built in 1624! There are still remnants of the old city under the Californicated veneer of wealth and privilege. The plaza, where the Shed is located (restaurant) has an original spanish style courtyard in the center.
Have fun!
I forgot to mention the altitude. Don't overdo and drink a lot of water. Since you live a lot lower altitude sickness is unpleasant.
Also, if you want to experience the country around SF drive to Arroyo Seco and take a walk down the dirt roads. You will get a glimpse of the corporate mansions tucked back in the woods, but it is lovely in the spring.
http://santafeschoolofcooking.com/Cooking_Classes/
http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nm/nmtaos.html
http://www.thefayway.com/design/
http://www.millicentrogers.org/
Have fun
thanks for all the Wonderful suggestions! these were fantastic!
i just got back, and have to get settled back into reality and catch up on about a bazillion emails, but I'll write a little post on my trip soon!
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