Visiting ABQ in 2 weeks! (and more questions) (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: apartment, lease)

[abqsunport]

vegaspilgrim, check out one of the pretty recent forums about that (but trust me, that question is going to give you the most complicated and contradicting series of answers)

None the less, here are my reccomendations:

Sadie's
El Patio
Papa Felipes
The Frontier (for just plain everything!)
El Pinto (for a tourist)
Gardunos on 4th or Montgomery

[kensgirl]

Originally Posted by mortimer

Once you decide to leave Santa Fe, don't take I-25 all the way, but take Rt-285 > Rt-68 > Rt-522 > Rt-159 > Rt-160

You'll go through Taos, Questa, Ft. Garland, La Veta pass to Walsenburg. You'll get some fabulous views of the Sangre de Cristo's behind Taos and parts North as well as some really kick-butt views of the Spanish Peaks.

If you don't know what those are, you will after you make that drive.
This bypass will add a couple of hours to your Denver trip.

OK, I have to agree with Mortimer on this route north. It takes me 4-1/2 hours from Questa to the Denver airport, if you want timing. But the ride north, thru the Rio Grande Gorge, the Enchanted Circle and then thru the La Veta pass to Walsenburg is so beautiful. And if you come thru Questa, PM me and I'll tell you where to get a good lunch!

As to ABQ restaurants, for sure, Sadie's on 4th. But, it is busy on the weekends. I also love going to Flying Star for coffee and dessert. The Range Cafe is also great for breakfast! I like the one in Bernalillo.

[mortimer]

kensgirl added some miles to my original suggestion:

> ... the Enchanted Circle ...

My original suggested route goes from Taos to Questa and further North on Rt-522.

The Enchanted Circle drive takes you East to Eagle Nest and Angle Fire, but will take an hour to drive if you haul-butt and pass agressively and *don't* take time to enjoy the scenery.

If you are on your way to Denver, I recommend *not* driving the Circle and putting it on your list for doing it some other time.

[Malainie]

vegaspilgrim, my husband lived 20 years in Fort Collins, CO, and I was there the last 12 with him. His job, along with 3000 others went to India in 2002. The Colorado economy tanked and we ended up, where I knew I'd come back, to my native New Mexico. The job market is much better here. Plus I've met a lot of transplanted Coloradoans here in ABQ. I had lived in Littleton for 12 1/2 years and left there when I graduated Metro State. I returned to Colorado 8 years later and could not believe how huge the Denver Metro area had gotten. I wouldn't live there on a bet...although my oldest daughter lives in Littleton. (Of course, I couldn't believe how big the ABQ area had gotten, either! LOL )
I sure don't miss those cold, snowy March days when I was longing for spring and just got more snow, either!

[Pintada Kid]

Check out Old Town in Albuquerque and as for Mexican Food try all the Mexican Food Places most have very good Food. Gardunios and Anitas i guess is the name have always had great Mexican food. If your in Moriarty N.M. on your way to Madrid or Santa Fe check out for a Red Concession Trailer across from the Park or at the Flea Market on the east end on weekends they have Great Burritos there and meet the locals from the Area. The East Mountains is my favorite area with little towns everywhere and lots of trails for hiking and exploring, friendly people and close to Albuquerque and Santa Fe and i would think the motels are cheaper in Moriarty. At the Moment theres a big fire out in that area hope my favorite places dont burn down from Mountainair to Tajique to Torreon, Manzano. pintada kid at webtv dot net

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by Malainie

my husband lived 20 years in Fort Collins, CO, and I was there the last 12 with him. ... I had lived in Littleton for 12 1/2 years ...

I sure don't miss those cold, snowy March days when I was longing for spring and just got more snow, either!

Amen. VIVA Albuquerque!!

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by Malainie

vegaspilgrim, my husband lived 20 years in Fort Collins, CO, and I was there the last 12 with him. His job, along with 3000 others went to India in 2002. The Colorado economy tanked and we ended up, where I knew I'd come back, to my native New Mexico. The job market is much better here. Plus I've met a lot of transplanted Coloradoans here in ABQ. I had lived in Littleton for 12 1/2 years and left there when I graduated Metro State. I returned to Colorado 8 years later and could not believe how huge the Denver Metro area had gotten. I wouldn't live there on a bet...although my oldest daughter lives in Littleton. (Of course, I couldn't believe how big the ABQ area had gotten, either! LOL )
I sure don't miss those cold, snowy March days when I was longing for spring and just got more snow, either!

Thanks for the post, Malaine. So you think ABQ has a better job market than DEN? Was your husband's job in a high-tech field? It seems like that's happening everywhere, with high tech jobs going to India just so the big corporations can save a buck or two. It's a crying shame, if you ask me. Believe it or not, the snow and cold is not an issue for me-- after four years of living in Phoenix I am sick of the heat, and I miss the icy cold and snow! Fortunately, ABQ at least gets a taste of winter, and their summers aren't as extreme as Phoenix. We had this conservation before on one of my last threads a while back. And unlike Phoenix, real mountains are a lot closer to where you are. For me, the size of the metro area really doesn't matter; the issue is whether or not there are enough jobs that match the cost of living, and what the city has to offer-- not how big or small it is.

I think it's pretty cool how Albuquerque is still small enough where on some other threads here, people were talking about specific establishments on certain intersections, for example, something about landscaping on Tramway Blvd, and everybody was on the same page, knowing what they were talking about. When a city gets too big, like Denver, or Phoenix, or the gargantuan sized Los Angeles, the metro area is so big that people lose the ability to keep track of what's going on throughout the whole city; it becomes too big to comprehend, so people just focus on the area within a few square miles from their home, and are completely ignorant about the other parts of town.

I'll look up those suggestions for food. Thanks a lot!

[vegaspilgrim]

I just got back home to Denver late last night, and stopped through Albuquerque on the way back home! Unfortunately, I was only there for a day, because moving out of my place in Phoenix took longer than we expected and I wanted to get back home. I only saw a quick grab bag of stuff, just a few snapshots, but I think I have a much better idea of the city now than I did before. First thing I noticed, locals were very friendly. People could tell I was obviously a tourist passing through, but gave some great locals suggestions of places to go (unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to try much out). Here's what I thought: I stayed in the Balloon Park area-- nice golf course there, cool looking museum (didn't go in though). The north end of the city along I-25 looks like it has a little mini Tech Center-thing going. I noticed a big Northrop Grumman building-- is that area where a lot of the major employers are? I saw a Rail Runner station by Paseo del Norte & I-25. If I were to ever live in ABQ, I would seriously investigate the possibility of using that. In Denver the light rail along I-25 is great.

Downtown Albuquerque did not blow me away, I'll admit. It actually looked like more of an historic, intact downtown than dt Phoenix, but it did feel kind of depressed there-- except for one n-s pedestrian street (what was that called?) I've seen Old Town before, but didn't get a chance to go there this trip. UNM looks like a beautiful campus. I like how they actually have an architectural theme there, unlike my alma mater Arizona State. I thought Nob Hill along the old Route 66 was a fairly impressive area. It reminded me a lot of Melrose in LA-- a lot of funky establishments, coffee shops and places to eat. There is nothing in Phoenix that compares to Nob Hill, IMO. Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood along Colfax is similar, but ABQ's Nob Hill is more college-town like and less freaky than Colfax, IMO. I'd give Nob Hill a big thumb up. I did a quick cruise around some of the old neighborhoods in the vicinity of Lomas/Carlisle. Not sure if that's considered a good or bad area, but I thought many of the homes there were beautiful, with the stereotypical New Mexican pueblo/neo-adobe style. I liked how many homes there had a lot of cactus and prickly pears, etc, which I love (like Phoenix, Tucson, etc), but also a lot of leafy trees, too (like Denver). It seemed like the best of both worlds. Sandia Mountains were gorgeous, as always. Unfortunately, we did not have time to do the tramway. Another reason to come back.

On the way out, I saw Uptown. I was a little disappointed, expecting it to be some really cool urban place. I think the phrase "Uptown" made me have some unrealistic expectations. It was basically an outdoor shopping mall with some hotels nearby, a couple of old office buildings and a brand new mall (Winrock?). Nice, but I wouldn't call it "Uptown." I thought the walkable outdoor mall area by the Borders was nice, it reminded me a lot of a new development in Lakewood, CO called Belmar. Only thing is those hanging overhead lamps were downright ugly.

It still felt fairly hot there though, and I'm starting to really get burned out of the heat. At night though it get cool very fast, which I like. I followed the suggestion of heading to Santa Fe via I-40 and NM-14, and my, was that a gorgeous drive! Unfortunately, it looks like that area has been "discovered," with a lot of semi-rural golf course community development going on. (cough) Paako (cough). I thought Madrid was pretty neat. Next time I go back there (which is next month), I plan on stopping in Madrid and exploring. Overall, I liked what I saw, but I didn't leave town with a burning desire to want to move there. I am having second thoughts though if Albuquerque is the right place to be for me starting my accounting career. I'm wondering, even if I would prefer to work for a small business and live in a smaller city, is it best to live in a small city now, or down the road when I want to settle down? ABQ is still a potential possibility, but now I'm very unsure. Part of the problem is people in Phoenix (and Denver) were always talking trash about Albuquerque every time the name of the city came up. I don't want to believe them and start second guessing myself, but sometimes I don't know who to believe!

[penelopelp]

Thank you for your review!! It is very detailed and interesting. I agree that people are very friendly here. I haven't even checked out the Balloon Park area yet. I think the Railrunner has some way to go in terms of scheduling, but it is a start in the right direction. I would use it if I ended up with a job far away from where I live (like Bernalillo or Rio Rancho).

I agree that UNM is beautiful, and that Nob Hill is funky in a good way. You will have to come back and check out the tram!! It is quite the experience, and worth the time/money.

I'm hoping that Uptown will continue to improve. From what I understand, they've just finished Phase I, and are starting on Phase II. I don't know how many phases there are. Maybe things will improve once Trader Joe's gets there. I know that would be enough to bring me to the area.

One day is not very long to make a judgment about a city. I think that Albuquerque is a great place to settle down. There are lots of families here, and there seem to be a lot of activities for families.

My suggestion is to avoid listening to the "trash talk." People seem to have some mighty strange ideas about what goes on in Albuquerque. I, personally, don't think I'd ever want to live in Phoenix, so I wouldn't really trust their judgment. (Disclaimer: I have never been to Phoenix, so those who love the place can ignore this last comment.)

[abqsunport]

Great Post and Great Questions Vegaspilgrim!

First, the area where Northrom Grumman is called the Journal Center. Alot of higher end offices are located here, however, this isn't where the bulk of the industry and businesses are.

Our downtown is very small, but it is growing. Condos, Bars, and an eventual Arena are all in the works. It is constantly being revitalized, so give it time. There is still growth going on over there.

Uptown is only on phase two (and the term really only refers to the outdoor shopping center and the juxtapose areas). There are still more phases with condos, office, and more retail. Winrock is actually a really old mall that at the moment is pretty much shut down and closed. It is supposed to be being rennovated but those plans are on a hault...so we shall see what it becomes. However, that area is up and coming!!! Check back in two years and you might be pleasantly suprised (especially if you saw what it was like two years ago!) Mesa Del Sol (google it) might meet your idea of what you expected Uptown to be.

Why is there so much wind in New Mexico? Because Arizona Sucks and Texas Blows!!!!

Albuquerque is more related toward Tucson and El Paso than it is to PHX, so naturally Phoenicians are going to talk a little bit of trash about Albuquerque. Albuquerque is a very clean beautiful city, and in Colorado and Arizona we seem to get a bad rep...I have no idea why. Its funny because Texans and Okies are constantly trying to take over Santa Fe and Ruidoso. I always figured Arizona and Colorado were peeved that Senoma and Boulder could never beat Santa Fe and Taos as world class destinations where Billionaires decided to have second residences.

Anyway, best of luck in all of your decisions. I am sorry you are having second thoughts... Albuquerque is only going to be what Albuquerque is...you can't expect a 3 Million + atomosphere with a population of 850,000. That is just the way it is... You need to evaluate what is important to you.