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So i posted a month or so back about thinking about relocating from the Phoenix area to ABQ. I took a few days off of work and will be making the drive this saturday and stayl until Wednesday. I booked a room at Hotel Blue on Central NW (it had mixed reviews...fingers crossed). The plan for my trip is 2 fold...explore the sights (El Mapais, petroglyph NM, badlands etc) and also to explore possible rental properties (i was thinking the Nob Hill area). Unfortunately the weather forecast doesnt look so good and it will be cloudy/rainy the next several days. I am a single 31 year old male who works at home in the software industry. Being that I work from home, i can live anywhere. Does anybody have recommendations on apartments in that area for around 750$? The apartment reviews are incredibly mixed and no single property really seems to stick out. Maybe I should sign onto one of the apartment finder services in the area? Hopefully this trip will alleviate some confusion!
I would try using Craigslist, or something of that sort. If you have the time, you could also walk around neighborhoods where you're interested in renting, and look for "For Rent" signs.
There are lots of past threads on apartment complexes, but I'm not sure you'll find too many complexes, per se, in the Nob Hill area. What you may find are smaller rentals: casitas/guest houses, that sort of thing.
With fall semester about to start up, this is unfortunately not the best time to be looking for apartments, but your price range should give you some flexibility.
I stayed at the Hotel Blue twice, once when I visited Albuquerque the first time, and once when I moved here. I thought it was fine, though it's certainly nothing remotely fancy. Good mattresses though, and free cookies, when I stayed there anyway.
It is a GOOD forecast if it includes rain. When it does decide to rain it usually only lasts a few minutes. So it won't ruin your trip at all, unless you're standing in an arroyo when it happens.
In Nob Hill, look at the bulletin board at the La Montanita Coop (rear entrance off Silver), and the entrance to Flying Star Cafe, there are usually rentals posted there. But I agree with ApartmentNomad, with the onslaught of university students right now, everything will be heavily picked over.
Also browse through whatever local magazines you find around, like the Weekly Alibi.
If I were you I would choose some cooler sights to visit this time of year. El Malpais, Petroglyphs, and Bisti Badlands will be hot as blazes. Try heading to the mountains, like the Jemez Springs area and up to Valles Caldera.
So i posted a month or so back about thinking about relocating from the Phoenix area to ABQ. I took a few days off of work and will be making the drive this saturday and stayl until Wednesday. I booked a room at Hotel Blue on Central NW (it had mixed reviews...fingers crossed). The plan for my trip is 2 fold...explore the sights (El Mapais, petroglyph NM, badlands etc) and also to explore possible rental properties (i was thinking the Nob Hill area). Unfortunately the weather forecast doesnt look so good and it will be cloudy/rainy the next several days. I am a single 31 year old male who works at home in the software industry. Being that I work from home, i can live anywhere. Does anybody have recommendations on apartments in that area for around 750$? The apartment reviews are incredibly mixed and no single property really seems to stick out. Maybe I should sign onto one of the apartment finder services in the area? Hopefully this trip will alleviate some confusion!
You'd be better off staying in the Uptown area as there is more to do within walking distance. Hotel Blue is mediocre. Uptown has the Albuquerque Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Place, and the Sheraton Uptown. Downtown I would pick Andaluz first (great hotel but pricey), then Hyatt Albuquerque, then the Doubletree, and finally Hotel Blue. Just my two cents. The area around Uptown is nicer in general as well.
Unfortunately my room at hotel blue is already booked. As long as there aren't bullets flying by my window, I'll be OK. Thanks for the info folks. It was 117 last week here, I think I can handle a little NM heat at the badlands. Hopefully I'll find a neighborhood that suits me. Was also thinking RR, but that seems as if its a more 'family' type of community. I want to live near the nightlife but I prefer not to be surrounded by drunk college kids. We will see what happens this week.
I would skip El Mapais, I was sorely disappointed camping there last year. It's farther than you think from ABQ and it sucked, IMO. I would just check out the beauty of the Jemez area, soak in a spring, and also take a drive around the back of the Sandias up rt14 thru Madrid up to Santa Fe. That may be your best scenic drive bang for your buck. Btw I'm a 33 yo male (hopefully soon to be allowed to work from home ).
Rental apts are hard to find and true nothing stands out as " great". Lots of liars and crooks in my experience. I'm on my fourth place in 4 years though, pm me if you have specific questions about apts.
So far I'm loving my stay here, but haven't locked down an apt yet. Downtown seems pretty cool...lots of interesting night spots. The hotel is great for the money. I did notice a lot of panhandlers and homeless in the area. Is downtown safe to live? It seems artsy and laid back...I like it. I went up to ah shi sale pah wilderness study area today. Wow...place is incredible (and spooky). Took some great pics. I also did the turqoise trail to wants fe. I wasnt that impressed. It just didn't seem very photogenic to me. Wants fe also was a let down. It just seemed like all it was just a bunch of small retail outlets and some chains. I was expecting the art vibe of Sedona and possibly a fraction of sedonas scenic beauty..I didn't see either. Maybe I missed something? The drive to jemez springs on the other hand was beautiful...old towns, redrock vistas, and the soda damn was very cool. Same impression of the drive to Sandia crest...very pretty. The weather is great too! A welcome change from Phx weather. I have a few more days here..time to hunker down and locate some apartments for my move in December. Can anybody give me apt complex names in the downtown area for under $800 th
I lived downtown for three years. I think it's reasonably safe. I did feel vulnerable after dark, while walking in the area with all the office buildings, a bit north of Central. I was bothered there once. Nothing serious, but if I had been, I would have been fairly isolated and there wouldn't have been that much for me to do about being mugged or assaulted. Also, Central can get pretty crazy late at night, even with the heavy police presence on the weekends. There have been a fair number of shootings and stabbings there since I've lived here. But those are not normal all that random. It's generally people who know each other (or it's gang related in some way), but of course there is the risk of getting caught in the crossfire. Having said that, would I personally avoid going to something I wanted to go to downtown late at night? No. And I think the overall risks are fairly limited. Property crime is another matter and probably more of an issue. I didn't have any problems, but some cars at my apartment complex were broken into while I lived there, and at least one apartment was burglarized. This is nothing I haven't been exposed to previously, since I moved here from Philadelphia.
No comments on apartments but the next time my wife and I are in ABQ we will take the Sandia Tram and have dinner at the top around sunset.
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