Visiting ABQ in 2 weeks! (and more questions) (Albuquerque, Las Cruces: real estate, condo)

[jrod2828]

VegasPilgrim,

I'm spending 5 days in ABQ the end of May. I'll post my experiences as well when I get back. Perhaps my review will make you want to spend more time there or perhaps it will make you glad you only spent 1 day there. We'll see. To be continued...

[yukon]

ABQ is not a city one can feel in a day. I learned that myself from experience. It wasn't until I was here for 4 days and drove ALL over the city that I realized how neat it is. Like any city of any size, you have to find the area that fits you best. If there is no area that fits, a city is not meant for you. I liked Aurora and parts of downtown Denver, but after 4 days there, it didn't seem to fit. So it came off my list. I think all cities are like that to an extent.

[EnjoyEP]

Awesome detailed account of your day in ABQ vegas, thanks! As always, you continue to be one of my favorite posters on the CD forums - very observant, very clear / easy to follow, very fair. Good info!

A few responses to some of your observations (some that others haven't already hit on):

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

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?)

Here is the perspective on Downtown ABQ. It is kind of odd for a Downtown, but odd in a good way.

I wouldn't call it "depressed" per se, although it certainly isn't as "high" or "massive" or "typical downtown" as a lot of Downtowns are.

It is weird, when I lived in ABQ and would go to El Paso, TX, I would go to El Paso's Downtown and was like "wow, this is a more convetional Downtown"!!! And most people think EP's Downtown is really small.

One thing about Albuquerque's Downtown is that it has an extremely high residential population. There was an article in the ABQ Journal a year or two ago about this (when speculating about a grocery store being built on Downtown)...and ABQ has an amazingly high ratio of residential areas (not just condos and lofts either) and people who actually reside Downtown. Thus, those areas somewhat supplant the more typical Downtown business districts.

Downtown ABQ surely is not large, massive, etc., and has a lack of skyscrapers.

However, I do find it very neat in many regards with a lot of hidden, cool spots (restaurants and bars). It is continuing to redevelop.

I am guessing the street you are referencing was near 4th Street and Central Avenue's intersection? That is the most "happening" area of Downtown ABQ in terms of bars.

I don't know...it isn't nearly as big as many / most Downtowns of similarly sized or bigger cities admittedly. But it is so very "walkable" (an overused term on the CD forums but it really fits here) and unique and cool. The Century movie theater down there is cool, being able to hop to bars and through the pedestrian / non-street laden walkways, etc., especially in the warmer months, is neat.

I like it a lot. I wouldn't say it is depressed for the most part, but I do see why you would have that perception and do see where you are coming from.

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

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.

Agreed 100% here, vegas. I think you are terribly perceptive to hit on this right away.

I know on my first stay in ABQ, (and was already very familiar with Denver and Phoenix), I told my wife the same thing...it is like here they took Phoenix and Denver, ground them into a blender, and out come something really in the middle of the road that combines the best of both worlds. (And climatically, that is somewhat loosely true).

You won't find the saguaros (outside of two or three amazing ones that have been used successfully and freakishly in landscaping) in Albuquerque or many palm trees (although if you know where to go you'll see some used successfully in landscaping) like you do in Phoenix, but you will see tons of neat cacti (prickly pear, cholla, cow's tongue, barrel, agave, century plants, etc.) all over as common as Phoenix, as well as yuccas, ocotillo, etc.

Tons of neat fruit trees (not the citrus that does so well in Phoenix) that do much better in temps like ABQ or Atlanta than they do in ultra-hot Phoenix such as pears, peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, cherries, etc.

But it is cool enough to support the leafy trees / pines, etc., that do well in Denver too. Tons of cottonwoods, etc.

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

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.

I don't know vegas, this is probably the one biggest area where my opinion would differ from yours.

I really like the Uptown area in ABQ alot.

I think one thing you have to consider is that you are kind of a "big city" guy, used to massive cities like Phoenix, Denver, and Las Vegas - truly, all three with their accompanying metro areas are massive cities - in that 2.5 to 4+ million range.

Albuquerque is a city that has only barely recently hit the 500,000 mark (with a metro recently approaching the 850K mark)...and even those numbers have severely gone up in the past decade. It is a rapidly growing city/area/metro, but no where near as big as Denver/Phoenix/Vegas.

It is kind of comparing apples to oranges.

The Uptown area has the beautiful new outdoor ABQ Uptown mall area (which again, while not a terribly uncommon thing to see in Denver for a similar project, ABQ is a completely different sized city with a much more recent growth history). Lots of office space, developing condos/residential units, actually some really, really gorgeous residential areas (neat homes and neighborhoods), restaurants and bars, etc.

The other "big" mall is the Coronado Mall up the road from Uptown. Winrock is right now virtually empty, its future up in the air. Yes, it is bizarre to me too that three malls would all be built within about a mile of one another.

And frankly, the Coronado mall would just be a dime-a-dozen mall in Denver at best. (And I am not "knocking" it...I love / prefer ABQ and I love the Uptown area, but again, we've got to compare apples to apples)...

As others have mentioned and know better than I still being "on the ground" in the city, ABQ Uptown is only through their first phase. Phase II (with a Trader Joe's and other similar developments) is going up, and there is to be a Phase III. It'll get there, but it'll happen slowly.

I have a soft spot for the Uptown area. I stayed at the Marriott there the first time I was ever flown into ABQ for an interview. I was hooked on the area since. It might not be big or as flashy as other cities yet, but it is accessible, affordable, and more than functional and fun.

I think part of your observation with it was similar to your observations from Downtown. They just aren't going to be nearly as "big" as Denver / Vegas, etc., huge and more long-established-as-huge cities that have tons of retail, etc. To me, all of that is great, but the good comes with the bad. It also is more crowded, congested, spread out, etc.

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

It still felt fairly hot there though, and I'm starting to really get burned out of the heat.

And this is a guy that is very used to the heat of Phoenix and Vegas (meaning you). The natives think I am nuts, but I am continuing to say, I think winter's daytime temps in ABQ are actually more pleasant than summer's. I agree with you jrod. Once you get into the 80s in ABQ, often times with that burning high desert sun beating down and the temps only sure to climb, I think daytime wise that is the toughest time in ABQ.

Now is the heat nearly as hot or unbearable as Phoenix, Tucson, or Vegas (or the Gulf Coast / Florida / East Texas)? Certainly not. But the heat factor in ABQ is not something to completely sneeze at.

I think ABQ has a nearly perfect year-round climate - just extraordinary weather - but I think it is best in the daytime high range of 50s through low-80s (winter, fall, spring).

However, as you say, the temps drop and cool very quickly and nicely in ABQ even in the warm months, so nights (summer nights) are extraordinary in ABQ. Very refreshing and nice. That is one factor that shouldn't "burn you out" of considering ABQ...unlike Phoenix's blasted hot and uncomfortable evenings, you'll never get that in ABQ...very comfortable evenings year-round (except winter, when they do get quite nippy often although nothing like Denver).

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

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.

Vegas, I know I told you this in a previous post or posts, but (and this is coming from one of the biggest Albuquerque ambassadors you will ever find), I actually don't think ABQ is *for you* right now, although only surely you know deep down how you feel.

Just reading all of your posts, I think you are still more in a "big city" mode and hey, I can respect that. Big cities offer things that more mid-sized cities don't. (However, that works both ways, but to a young, single guy with a good job / salary out of grad school, the big city to many of them may win out).

You know all that the "big cities" - Denver, Phoenix, Vegas - have in terms of amenities; they may have 20 "Uptown" areas in contrast to ABQ's one. They'll have 50 of a certain ethnic restaurant whereas ABQ will have 4.

To me, I prefer the charm and culture of an ABQ, the uniqueness, the "realness" (not big on pretention that you find in the bigger cities so commonly in the west). Like the lower cost of housing / living. Like the lack of severe traffic. Like the accessibility of everything. Like the cheap, delicious New Mexican food. Like the casual, laid back pace of life (unlike very high paced big cities). But those are just *me*. I can totally see the appeals for many for the bigger city (heck, here in Milwaukee, it seems like frigging LA compared to ABQ in many respects). I prefer ABQ, but I see why others like big.

Without having met you, etc., surely it is just a guess, but it seems like you are at a stage in life where you'd prefer doing a big city - at least for now.

In ABQ, I found (young 30s, wife and 2 young kids) that yes, it seems to be a city that appeals strongly to young families - or singles that maybe are more in the 30s, 40s range - than young single 20s folks. Not saying there aren't any young single 20s folks - there surely are and that is growing, but it just is a different overall demographic (and an overall different demographic calling to) than the bigger cities.

I for one think it would be a great city to live in no matter what your age or marital status, however, I will say that indeed, it is a great place for a young family (or single 30s, 40s person), and probably that is a niche of the city over singles in their 20s out of school looking for the fast pace, big city flashiness, atmosphere, and bustle.

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

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!

You know what? I have experienced this first hand TONS too!!

What in the h***??!! I have tons of family in Denver and have had some great friends in Phoenix, and yes, I heard TONS of, if not outright ABQ bashing (which I plenty of), then just somewhat putting ABQ down.

I have no idea.

Heck, if you go over to the El Paso forums (and given my user name you can tell that I LOVE El Paso and would like to live either there or ABQ again), and mention ABQ, as much as many there have an inferiority complex about their own city, they'll mock ABQ like it is the second coming of Gary, IN. When in reality, (again, I love El Paso), ABQ currently has much more "going for it" in a conventional sense and a much better national rep than EP does.

I think alot of this - EP example as well as Denver, Phoenix, etc., goes back decades previously where ABQ had some more rough-around-the-edges type issues and it forever painted stereotypes in folks' minds, thinking instead of ABQ 2008, it is still ABQ 1984 (although I am sure I would've loved ABQ in '84 too). Also, those folks probably still view ABQ as a "cow town" of sorts, not realizing how much it has grown (and more importantly) grown rather smartly / in neat ways over the years - especially the last decade.

Part of it though is just plain unfounded ignoranc / lack of regional awareness, combined with some silly geographic rivalries.

It is kind of like how many Chicagoans look on 1.7 million metro Milwaukee as some sort of a cow town - why would anyone live there when you can be oh-so-big, hip, cool, and sophisticated as Chicago? Well, the overlook the many quality of life type advantages: the ability to actually *afford* a home (without having to kill yourself 60 hours a week to make every dime) rather than just a glorified, cramped apartment, the ability to drive / get around places without being delayed for hours in traffic, the ability to have easy-accessed airports, etc.

I am sure that 4+ million populated Phoenix views ol' little ABQ as some sort of a hick outpost. However, ABQ is so much more accessible, real, manageable, affordable etc., with better weather and prettier vistas. They can have their 3-bajillion nightclubs. ABQ isn't about that. Denver can have their 250 malls and various upscale chain restaurants...that isn't what ABQ is about.

That isn't to *put down* Denver, Phoenix, etc. I could live in either of them, somewhat happily (especially Phoenix), but I easily would rather do ABQ. At least I could admit the virtues of living in a Phoenix or a Denver. The intelligent in those cities would do the same of the not-so-hidden-anymore gem of the desert Southwest - Albuquerque.

My good friend in Phoenix always noted that there were similar harsh words spoken about Tucson. Albuquerque is much more comparable (actually very comparable in many ways) to Tucson than to Phoenix. So if Phoenix residents are putting down Tucson (which again, is silly to me), I see why they would do it to ABQ. But lucky for ABQeans. Then Phoenix can keep their congestion, pollution, long distances, high prices, heat, etc., (along with the good things which are many as well), and ABQ can hang on to what makes it so great.

Anyway, great post vegas!!!

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by yukon

ABQ is not a city one can feel in a day. ... It wasn't until I was here for 4 days and drove ALL over the city that I realized how neat it is. ... I liked Aurora and parts of downtown Denver, but after 4 days there, it didn't seem to fit. So it came off my list.

Yukon, I remember (one of the cool things about the CD forum) when you were exploring and comparing Denver and ABQ.

I was a darn fool uprooting and moving away from ABQ, an idiot indeed, however, while admittedly super-biased (as so many of my relatives live in Denver), I was very happy to see you decide that ABQ was your choice!!

Not knocking Denver at all...actually, Denver is the city that first really significantly grew my interest in the region and I still love going to visit...but ABQ can easily more than hold its own.

I am glad to hear it sounds like you are happy with your choice?

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by yukon

ABQ is not a city one can feel in a day. I learned that myself from experience. It wasn't until I was here for 4 days and drove ALL over the city that I realized how neat it is. Like any city of any size, you have to find the area that fits you best. If there is no area that fits, a city is not meant for you. I liked Aurora and parts of downtown Denver, but after 4 days there, it didn't seem to fit. So it came off my list. I think all cities are like that to an extent.

You are absolutely right, yukon. I definitely need to go back there and spend (at least) 4 days and do it right. Unfortunately this last trip I was kind of at the mercy of what my family wanted to do (mainly vacationing in Arizona), coming out to see me for my graduation and driving back home. Everything was pretty rushed. By the time I got to Albuquerque, I was already tired out and "hotel-ed" out for the trip. But now as I type this I wish I could go back to Albuquerque just by myself and slow down, taking my time. For some reason I can't seem to get New Mexico off my mind. The number one question I'm trying to figure out right now is, the things that I really like about Albuquerque and the state of New Mexico-- can those same things be found in parts other cities-- in parts of Denver, Phoenix, Los Angeles, or a whole different city?-- or is Albuquerque such a unique place that you simply cannot get that experience anywhere else? In other words, on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being a completely generic Anywhere USA cookie cutter city, and 10 being a one-of-a-kind place that can be found nowhere else in the world, where does Albuquerque rank?

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

In other words, on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being a completely generic Anywhere USA cookie cutter city, and 10 being a one-of-a-kind place that can be found nowhere else in the world, where does Albuquerque rank?

To me, vegas, this is the thing that I love about ABQ probably more than anything else (although it is kind of a culmination of the many virtues of ABQ).

For better of for worse, Albuquerque, NM is *different*. It is unique.

And frankly, in this day of globalization, chains, keeping-up-with-the-joneses, etc., to me (and I am a fairly overtraveled fellow), so many "big" cities (metros ranging from 500K to 14+ million) just seem to all blend together nowadays...so "cookie cutterish".

Don't get me wrong. I know if you go to St. Louis you get the arch and the like. Go to KC and you get some awesome BBQ. Go to Denver and you get the Rockies and cool geography. If you go to Cleveland you get the RnR Hall of Fame, etc. So yes, every city surely is different and has their own pluses. Yet, in terms of everyday culture, pace, etc., as well as architecture (especially newish stuff), restaurants, way of life, etc. - so many cities just blend, roll into one.

When you are in Albuquerque - wow. For better or for worse, whether you love it or you hate it (and there are plenty who feel on both sides of this), etc., it is soooo *different*. This is a huge reason why I love El Paso too. Say you have been to 50 "big" US cities...and they all start to blend together (which they do)...then you get blind-folded and dropped off in either ABQ (or El Paso) without an announcement of where you are going or a familiarity of the city/(cities), when you get there and see around, you'll know that for better or for worse, you are somewhere absolutely, completely different.

For uniqueness, I give ABQ a 10. And that is with all bias aside. Again, you might hate ABQ, but it is completely unique and different. Denver and Phoenix? No. ABQ, absolutely.

(My wife and I always used to joke that walk down a long airport terminal with the various "destination" gates...everyone looks the same for the most part...Boise, Atlanta, Baltimore, Syracuse, Denver, Sacramento, Philly...check...check...check...then you get to ABQ, and even the folks heading there just look different.).

[penelopelp]

For uniqueness, I'd also give Albuquerque a "10." That's one of the main reasons why we are here!

[vegaspilgrim]

Wow, thanks for the advice, EnjoyEP! I just want to follow up on a couple of your points:

Originally Posted by EnjoyEP

One thing about Albuquerque's Downtown is that it has an extremely high residential population. There was an article in the ABQ Journal a year or two ago about this (when speculating about a grocery store being built on Downtown)...and ABQ has an amazingly high ratio of residential areas (not just condos and lofts either) and people who actually reside Downtown. Thus, those areas somewhat supplant the more typical Downtown business districts.

You know what, I admit, I probably did the most half-***ed job touring downtown you could ever imagine. The main reason I said that was it seemed like there were so many abandoned storefronts and "for lease" signs on everything. Next time I need to get out of the car, walk around, and explore. I don't think that the quality of a downtown area has anything to do with a city's size. For example, Phoenix metro has 4.1 million people, but downtown Phoenix is probably one of the biggest jokes in the USA imho. Downtown LA is also a joke when you consider that the metro area has something like over 20 million people. Downtown San Diego, OTOH, I loved. Downtown Denver is nice, although overrated (the 16th st mall is nothing but chains, and LoDo is just a bunch of grimy bars). One thing I will say, I know Albuquerque is often compared with Tucson, but downtown Albuquerque blows away downtown Tucson out of the water, hands down. I like Tucson, just not their downtown area.

The Uptown area has the beautiful new outdoor ABQ Uptown mall area (which again, while not a terribly uncommon thing to see in Denver for a similar project, ABQ is a completely different sized city with a much more recent growth history). Lots of office space, developing condos/residential units, actually some really, really gorgeous residential areas (neat homes and neighborhoods), restaurants and bars, etc.

When I realize that it's only in the early stages it makes a lot more sense. Interestingly, the one potential future employer that I have an interest in as of right now in Albuquerque is located in Uptown. And the truth is, I hate shopping malls, both indoors and outdoors. When I need to buy clothes I go straight to Kohls. I can't stand those ubiquitous pre-teen mall rats. I prefer walking around neighborhoods and commercial strips with individual property owners, not designated malls owned by giant property management companies, whether they are indoors or outdoors. That's why I really liked Nob Hill, and (from what I can remember when I visited there 7 years ago) Old Town. I also like the fact that ABQ is only an hour from Santa Fe, an extremely walkable city, not to mention dozens of interesting small towns spread all throughout central/northern New Mexico.

The other "big" mall is the Coronado Mall up the road from Uptown. Winrock is right now virtually empty, its future up in the air. Yes, it is bizarre to me too that three malls would all be built within about a mile of one another.

I must have got the names of the two malls mixed up. Funny-- I actually thought that one of them was an old mall that was getting ready to be bulldozed and replaced with a new one.

I have a soft spot for the Uptown area. I stayed at the Marriott there the first time I was ever flown into ABQ for an interview. I was hooked on the area since. It might not be big or as flashy as other cities yet, but it is accessible, affordable, and more than functional and fun.

EnjoyEP, I think you have a really good point-- accessibility. That may well indeed be the reason to live in Albuquerque. Los Angeles, where I'll be for the next year while I'm at USC, has everything-- everything you can think of under the sun. But who cares how much "stuff" a city has when you're stuck in traffic for hours and hours just to get around, and most of that high-fallutin "stuff" isn't even affordable? Accessibility is definitely something I will have to keep into consideration.

And this is a guy that is very used to the heat of Phoenix and Vegas (meaning you). The natives think I am nuts, but I am continuing to say, I think winter's daytime temps in ABQ are actually more pleasant than summer's. I agree with you jrod. Once you get into the 80s in ABQ, often times with that burning high desert sun beating down and the temps only sure to climb, I think daytime wise that is the toughest time in ABQ.

Exactly-- it's not the temperature per se, it's the intensity of the sun's rays. It's especially bad this time of year with the more direct angle of the sun. Even today in Denver, until about 4:00 in the afternoon, it felt mighty hot. But then a thunderstorm came in, bringing wind, clouds, some rain, and even a minor hailstorm! From what I can tell, Albuquerque's weather patterns seems identical to Phoenix in terms of the wet winter season, late summer monsoon season, and dry, endless sunny months in between, just about 10-15 degrees cooler in each season.

Vegas, I know I told you this in a previous post or posts, but (and this is coming from one of the biggest Albuquerque ambassadors you will ever find), I actually don't think ABQ is *for you* right now, although only surely you know deep down how you feel.

Just reading all of your posts, I think you are still more in a "big city" mode and hey, I can respect that. Big cities offer things that more mid-sized cities don't. (However, that works both ways, but to a young, single guy with a good job / salary out of grad school, the big city to many of them may win out).

I don't know-- you very well might be right, but then on the other hand, maybe I am an Albuquerque kind of guy, I just haven't spent enough time there and smelled the roses??? And I'll admit, for some reason the idea of taking a career path in a smaller city that might potentially bring less money makes me feel "guilty." Even though nobody, not even my parents, have explicitly said anything, I feel like I'm supposed to go to USC (okay, it's a done deal, I'll be there in one month and I'll study hard and enjoy the experience), I'm supposed to work for the "Big Four" accounting firms, I'm supposed to take the big league job in the mega city, otherwise I'd be an "underachiever." For some reason I feel like I'd subconsciously feel "guilty" for placing "intangibles" like climate, scenery, food, culture, geography, general "vibe" and "quality of life" over the city that happens to have the best economy (the NYC's, Chicago's, and LA's of the world). Now I'm not saying that's right or wrong, that I agree or disagree with the feeling, I'm just saying that's how I feel sometimes. And it's probably a messed up feeling. And part of the problem is I'm so young, just 22 years old, so I don't have much experience in the world to know which way is right. All I hear are conflicting opinions from the 'old folks.

In ABQ, I found (young 30s, wife and 2 young kids) that yes, it seems to be a city that appeals strongly to young families - or singles that maybe are more in the 30s, 40s range - than young single 20s folks. Not saying there aren't any young single 20s folks - there surely are and that is growing, but it just is a different overall demographic (and an overall different demographic calling to) than the bigger cities.

The singles population will definitely be a significant factor for me. Interestingly, according to this map, Albuquerque is one of the only cities in the western US with a majority female population. As stupid (or not) as it may sound, that map is one of the reasons I'm interested in Albuquerque. Do guys have a slight edge in the dating scene there? I know for fact in Denver and I'd imagine other western cities which have majority male populations, guys have a little more work to do when it comes to finding single women. And then to make things more complicated, I'm Jewish. I've done some research on the ABQ Jewish community and it seems like there are several synagogues there, but it's nothing like Denver, Phoenix, or especially LA, obviously. I'm not particularly religious and I consider myself an independent-minded person-- I'll be friends with just about everybody, but I'm aware that finding potential Jewish single chicks in Albuquerque might be like finding a needle in a haystack. The whole religion factor alone though would not be enough to turn me away from ABQ, but it's one of many factors to consider.

I think alot of this - EP example as well as Denver, Phoenix, etc., goes back decades previously where ABQ had some more rough-around-the-edges type issues and it forever painted stereotypes in folks' minds, thinking instead of ABQ 2008, it is still ABQ 1984 (although I am sure I would've loved ABQ in '84 too). Also, those folks probably still view ABQ as a "cow town" of sorts, not realizing how much it has grown (and more importantly) grown rather smartly / in neat ways over the years - especially the last decade.

I think you might have just answered the question. In terms of the Phoenix/Tucson rivalry (which I agree is stupid), a lot of that has to do with the rivalry between UA and ASU. I've heard ASU been referred to as the "scum devils," whereas ASU people refer to UA as "Nogales Tech." But it's not just Albuquerque that takes a lot of heat-- people all across the country, including in Phoenix, just 4-5 hours away, constantly bash Las Vegas like it's the devil incarnate.

EnjoyEP, if you don't mind me asking, why did you leave Albuquerque to move back to Milwaukee?

[yukon]

This discussion this evening is so timely. I was walking the dog at the park this afternoon, and thinking about how parts of ABQ remind me of the many cities I've lived in, and how it's good memories.

Example, when I walk over to a nearby park and see the foothill view behind those particular houses, it reminds me of the view of Camelback Mountain I used to have from my bedroom window as a kid. That particular neighborhood is also very similar to the neighborhood I lived in Phoenix decades ago, down to the alleys and cinderblock fences.

Yet if I walk the dog in a different neighborhood, but also near me, it has a look and feel of the parts of Dallas I liked living in most, around Preston Rd & Arapaho. Also a good feeling.

Then we go to a different park where there are plenty of pine trees, and hearing the wind thru the pines reminds me of many afternoons as a kid, playing in the windbreaks outside the base housing in 29 Palms CA. Yet another good memory.

Walking down Menaul and seeing the river pattern in the rock & gravel landscaping on the median? Reminds me of all the trips we made to Oak Creek Canyon. No, there's no water flowing on my median, but the feel is still there.

The newly developed westside reminds me very strongly of Brandon, a suburb of Tampa (that's not necessarily a good thing however, Brandon traffic is horrid) minus the palm trees.

Today, driving around downtown and seeing all the residences there, it reminded me of downtown Baton Rouge. That was one fun place to live, near the capital and LSU.

We'd visited family here over the years but never spent any time visiting the city. My first "official" visit to visit ABQ, I spent the weekend in the SW part of town. SW residents may hate me for saying this, but that has to be the ugliest part of the city. I was not impressed. However, the job market and weather were good enough that I was willing to give it a second look and a second visit, and I fell in love with the NE Heights the first day I drove around (it's SO much like old Scottsdale, in a good way).

It just amazes me how this city can be so like other cities, and yet so different.

[penelopelp]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

I'm aware that finding potential Jewish single chicks in Albuquerque might be like finding a needle in a haystack. The whole religion factor alone though would not be enough to turn me away from ABQ, but it's one of many factors to consider.

I can't really help you with info about the single scene for young, Jewish men; however, you probably should check out Albuquerque's Jewish Community Center. They do have singles events. Check out the Jewish Singles Bagel Brunch:Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Albuquerque - Events

There seems to be a pretty active Jewish community here. Have you checked the websites for the synagogues/temples? You can check out this website, too: JCC Jewish Singles of Albuquerque (Albuquerque, NM) - Meetup.com

My bf is Jewish, and we have just started to get involved. I'll try to keep my ears & eyes open.