albuquerque + santa fe

This year, my NCMPR Summer Board Meeting was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I didn't have any expectations, good or bad, and was just curious to visit a part of the country I have never experienced. And okay, I was a little worried about the extreme heat!

The trip started off on a bumpy note as my descent into Albuquerque literally made me nauseous. Apparently, strong canyon winds in the Rio Grande Valley, coupled with the warm air, create a lot of bumps on your landing. I am used to turbulence, but this literally made me nauseous. Unlike anything I have experienced in my prior travels.

Once my feet were on solid ground, I picked up my luggage and headed to my hotel, the Hyatt, which was located in downtown Albuquerque. Downtown Albuquerque isn't much to speak of as it is primarily a business downtown and is deserted on weekends and after 5pm. I witnessed this first-hand my first night there when Melinda and I went to get water at the local 7-11 and saw two people casually smoking crack outside our hotel. A little local flavor!

There was a section of downtown within walking distance on Central Avenue, which is part of Old Route 66. There were some fun bars and shops, but it could still use a bit of work. The history of it was fun to see though.

The main purpose of my visit was meetings, but we did have one free afternoon in Old Town Albuquerque, which reminds me of San Diego's Old Town. It was filled with a lot of gift shops and southwestern jewlery stores. We ate at the Church Street Cafe, where I sampled there Chili Cheese Frito Pie - YUM! Why can't more restaurants in California serve it? If you haven't tried it, you must!

My favorite part of the visit was the chapel located near the center of town. For those of you who do not know me, I am obsessed with visiting churches, which you may find odd because I do not attend church. However, I can't get enough of them and always feel at peace when I enter them.

On Sunday afternoon, the group caravaned up to Santa Fe, via the Turquoise Trail. It was a bit rainy that day, but even the dark, thundering clouds could not take away from how absolutely beautiful Santa Fe is. It was much more "authentic" than Santa Fe, and very green with the mountains towering over it. Like Old Town, the main part of the town was centered around a town square, complete with a gazebo. Toward the end of the afternoon, a group of us had drinks at a second-floor bar overlooking the town square. The rain had just stopped and as we looked out onto the gazebo, we could hear music playing and then saw couples taking ballroom dancing lessons inside the gazebo. It was almost magical.

Before we could shop or sightsee, we had to eat, of course! Debbie, a New Mexico native, took us to the Plaza Diner, where I had the most amazing burrito smothered in red and green chile - which the locals refer to as "Christmas-style." But the best part of the meal??? The HUGE sopapillas which you smother in honey. Literally to die for!

I spent the rest of the afternoon with Heather where we visited not one, but TWO, churches! The first was the Catholic Basilica and it took my breath away. I really liked it because it was named after St. Francis of Assisi, who happens to be my favorite saint.

After our stop at the basilica, we headed to the Loretto Chapel, home of the famous winding staircase (click here for the story). The chapel was much smaller, but still very beautiful.

My only regret was that I did not get to visit the Georgia O'Keefe museum as we arrived five minutes before closing. I hope to spend a weekend in Santa Fe when I return for the NCMPR conference this spring, so hopefully I will have a chance to explore it then!