Information about moving to Albuquerque (transplants, system, good)

[Towanda]

Originally Posted by rybert

ABQ is perfect to me.

Oh oh ... you're gonna get busted for that "way-too-happy-and-upbeat" post.

[AlisonL]

Originally Posted by rybert

ABQ is perfect to me.

Add me to the list, and I am not a city person by any means. And, I only shop when its absolutely necessary...the only exemption is going to Old Town.

[toby19]

Also moved to Rio Rancho and it is a good town. If you've never seen grafitti, you will in Albuquerque. Stay well North of Central Ave. Yes, prices are low, in fact during the recent downturn have held up well. Still a buyers market. Watch the property taxes, only about 2/3 of your real estate tax bill is necessary. In the last year we are now paying to build University of New Mexico university campus, a Central New Mexico campus (Even though their Albu campus is 10 miles South of the new one), a railrunner tax for the train system, and the latest is to help build new hospitals (whether they take your insurance or not). They also have built a 6 thousand seat arena which taxpayers have paid 1.5 million of tax money towards. If they build it, you will have higher real estate taxes (and no, the increased tax revenue hasn't come). Also, 1/4 of people in Rio Rancho rent, a very high number, with rent very cheap. Good luck...

[Cade]

Just b/c a person enjoys shopping and high-end places does not make them a snob. Rybert, I'm sorry to say man, that you sound a little bitter and jealous. I don't know what a trustifarian is, unless that is a "trust-fund-baby". I am not one of those to be sure.

I shop at WalMart once a month to buy bulk things like paper towels, household cleaners etc. I adore Target...excuse me, Tar-jay! They have some of the cutest clothes and trendy home decor. BUT, sometimes I DO crave the items I used to buy back in California. I do know what you mean and have purchased my share of "designer" clothes that didn't last any longer than something I bought at Target. However, generally speaking, the clothing I have purchased at GUESS, Nordstrom's and other high-end retailers many times have extra details and is of superior quality than something bought further down the food chain. I have some very special things that always get compliments, and which I've owned for years.

I'm sorry some of you really seem to be bothered by those other of us who enjoy shopping. I happen to despise sport hunting, which I see all the time here with these people wearing their camis and their pick-up trucks covered with pro-gun/pro-war bumper stickers. But I don't go around and verbally bash them or key their trucks b/c I don't agree with them.

You can take me out of California, but you can't take the California out of me. Those of you who don't like us who care how we look, who enjoy shopping, and who crave expensive stuff sometimes, well, I'm sorry, but we're coming here...every day, and we will be bringing these things we love with us. ABQ Uptown is a perfect example of that. There is no stopping it either. You can complain and pine for the good old days but, we're coming.

One last note about food:

1. I've been meaning to try Frontier. I hear they have great cinnamon rolls

2. Las Vegas has tons of extremely pricey restaurants. We went to a place called Aquaknox and spent $200 on dinner and dessert for two and it was fabulous! There's a steak restaurant there whose name escapes me with similar prices that was also amazing. However, there's a place in Las Cruces/Mesilla called Double Eagle, and according to my sister-in-law, the 'best place in that area' and pricey (about $50 per dinner) and we found it not worth it at all. People haven't been exposed to as much here and thus the standards are not as high. Don't chafe now, it is just a comment, and nowhere is going to equal New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and London, in terms of quality b/c it isn't necessary. Anyone who has been to these places like I have, will know what I am talking about.

I am hoping that more things will come here. There's a PF Chang's here so that's a start. Bravo Italian Kitchen at Uptown couples their wonderful food with outstanding service I've heard about a steak restaurant here and the name escapes me, that is supposed to be excellent (but pricey).

To close, if you think ABQ is perfect, then that's wonderful and I'm happy for you, but you must understand that we're not all going to feel the same way. You would hate Cali, whereas I wouldn't find it as intolerable. The difference is that I know what I don't like about the place and am willing to say so; and I don't get my little feelings all hurt if someone else says something disparaging about it.

[Towanda]

Originally Posted by Cade

You can take me out of California, but you can't take the California out of me. Those of you who don't like us who care how we look, who enjoy shopping, and who crave expensive stuff sometimes, well, I'm sorry, but we're coming here...every day, and we will be bringing these things we love with us. ABQ Uptown is a perfect example of that. There is no stopping it either. You can complain and pine for the good old days but, we're coming.

That seems kind of unecessarily confrontational.

And maybe that is part of the problem.

And just my two cents but I care how I look too -- but I don't feel like I need to shop at Nordstroms.

[Towanda]

Oh and I guess I missed this part:

People haven't been exposed to as much here and thus the standards are not as high. Don't chafe now, it is just a comment, and nowhere is going to equal New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and London, in terms of quality b/c it isn't necessary. Anyone who has been to these places like I have, will know what I am talking about.

That's pretentious.

Sorry. If you are going to insult us, I feel like we have the right to critique you as well.

[P2B702]

I think Cade did not try to offend anyone though. She just tried to point out some good things about places that she had lived. She did make good points about those places. Shopping at high end stores does not make me or her snob. It's just that I do enjoy what life can offer me. I will get back to this forum and tell you about my living in ABQ.

Thanks guys for all your opinions.

[AlisonL]

I, for one, will not go spend $200 for a dinner for two. That is just me. I'll spend that $200 on groceries to make many meals.
I enjoy what life offers me, and that's not upscale stores and restaurants. I guess to me its a waste of hard earned money. Must be my small town backwoods Maine roots showing.
My upscale clothes are my Wranglers and sweatshirts. You won't see me in a truck with pro hunting stickers as we do not own a truck. Where I came from hunting was not a sport, it was a means to put food in the freezer.
To each their own. As I said before I am not a city gal or a shopping gal. I much prefer to be outside horsebacking riding.

[Cade]

And just my two cents but I care how I look too -- but I don't feel like I need to shop at Nordstroms.

Didn't I just get done saying I shop at Target? But sometimes I do like Nordy's and places like that. I'm sorry if you feel I am pretentious on what I said about the food, but what I said is true, and food critics have even stated as much: away from the big cities, it is harder to find excellence in food prep. It's not an insult, it is just a fact.

Also, I meet nothing but people when I am out and about in ABQ who do nothing but tell me how boring it is here; how the food can't stand up to more cosmopolitan places; that people here are hicks or, the word they used which I'd never heard before: podunks.

I swear, you guys bash your own city (quite meanly I might add) but when I or someone else comes in here to this forum and says something mild it's like declaring war.

I have done nothing but try nnd offer an honest answer to something I know about, and that is shhhhopping! I made no putdowns to anyone here so stop taking everything personally. I gave an answer that I would want were I considering entering the area. I make no apologies for being honest.

[Cade]

Originally Posted by AlisonL

I, for one, will not go spend $200 for a dinner for two. That is just me. I'll spend that $200 on groceries to make many meals.
I enjoy what life offers me, and that's not upscale stores and restaurants. I guess to me its a waste of hard earned money. Must be my small town backwoods Maine roots showing.
My upscale clothes are my Wranglers and sweatshirts. You won't see me in a truck with pro hunting stickers as we do not own a truck. Where I came from hunting was not a sport, it was a means to put food in the freezer.
To each their own. As I said before I am not a city gal or a shopping gal. I much prefer to be outside horsebacking riding.

Well, we went to that place for my birthday - a special occasion - we went there to see Phantom Las Vegas and have a nice dinner and for my hubby to take me shopping for clothes It isn't a lifestyle, you know?

I like the outdoors too, to a point. I am not a backwoods gal. I am a city gal who enjoys the theatre, the symphony, nice clothes and food. My upscale clothes are jeans too...it's just that they're my Guess Jeans by Marciano, and they are $200 or thereabouts. I too have regular old Levi's.

I can't fault you for your preferences but neither can you fault me. I wasn't raised here, nor was I raised in Maine. I was raised in LA, and it's a different world and I am a product of it, and most happily so