101+ Reasons That I Miss Albuquerque

[MariahViva]

Hi EnjoyEP,
Thank you so much for your response, which I will copy and keep for reference. My husband and I are both from Pennsylvania but have been living at Lake Texoma, north of Dallas, Texas, for the last 23 years. We have spent some time in New Mexico, Santa Fe, Taos, and Red River. I also went to Albuquerque once, a few years ago, for a continuing education course. I didn't see much of the city though I did get to Old Town and walked through the downtown area.
Currently, we live on 2 acres of rocky, hilly land, overlooking Lake Texoma. We have numerous trees over 50 feet on the property, a pool, a 4 car garage, another 2 room outbuilding, and a 3000 square foot home with two decks. It is very lovely here but we are saddled with maintenance. We've learned that whether we hire professionals or do it ourselves, it is time consuming, stressful, and expensive. We are 56 and we want to have more fun in our lives. While I've enjoyed our riding lawmower, grass has delighted me enough. I am still a tree lover, but I can adapt to a xeriscape environment. I also have arthritis. Even though we live in Texas, the winter dewpoint (humidity) from October through March leaves me feeling like I'm 10 years older. In summer, I thrive. My research of the Albuquerque area suggests temperatures similar to Lake Texoma but dry.
Another reason I'm enticed by Albuquerque is the culture.....we live in rural Texas and are looking for a little more political balance and tolerance of differences.
I have actually thought about building a small home designed for retirement, though I don't want to live in a retirement community. We, hopefully, don't want to move again and will want to stay in our own home as long as possible. We have grown daughters in Pennsylvania and Houston, but we don't want to live in either place.
I was amazed to get this interview....it was a fluke....I found an opening online and shot off a curriculum vita. Who would have guessed there would be any interest, especially in this job climate?
Well, thank you again, for taking the time to help. Once again, any ideas are very much appreciated.

[rwjoyak]

I've been a reader for about 18 months but this is my first post. Just had to respond to EnjoyEP's list and give my perspective. As others have already said eloquently, what a great job. Your reasons for missing ABQ not only provide a solid list of things to do, see, taste and smell in and around the area, but they also evoke - at least in me - a strong positive emotional response, even though I don't currently live there. Your love for ABQ shines throughout your list; what a huge draw for anyone contemplating a move to the area!
My background - my wife and I grew up in Fairbanks, Alaska, and spent our first 38 years there. Left for a consulting job in Sacramento, California, where we lived for the next 16 years; another job switch brought us to our current home in Louisville, Kentucky. Also visited many many places across the US during my 16 years as a consultant, so I think I have a decent sense of the pluses and minuses of many areas, although all is of course colored by my personal opinions and biases.
One opinion, in response to Las Vegas Drunk's comment, "I did not hate the city, but I cannot fathom how anyone would say the winter is nice." When you grow up in a place where it commonly hits -50 to -60 (that's below zero) in the winter, I'd say ABQ's winters are great! It's all about perspective.
My wife and I started looking about 18 months ago at possible places to slide into retirement. Living in Kentucky has confirmed to us we don't like (actually hate) humidity, and due to some health issues we need to be a place where it doesn't get too cold in the winter. But we also really like 4 seasons - living in California taught us that. My wife can't take it too hot plus there's just too many people for us in Arizona, so after checking out several possible spots we've honed in on ABQ. Visited there 3 times now and have loved it. Another strong plus is that our son just moved there in July from Portland, Oergon, after getting a mechanical engineering degree. He's currently looking for a job but wants to put down roots there as well. (Anyone know any entry level job openings for mechanical engineers, particularly in aerospace?)
We currently have our house on the market here and I've worked out a deal with my company in which I'm going to half-time and can work anywhere there's an internet connection. We've identified the Alegria 55+ community in Bernalillo as where we want to relocate to and plan on moving as soon as our house in Louisville sells.
Like just about everywhere else the Louisville housing market is sluggish, although picking up recently. We've had our house listed for about 5 months now and I'm getting really antsy about wanting to move. Plus our son keeps telling us ABQ is just as great as he thought it would be. But I've learned in life that sometimes you just got to be patient, so we're going to enjoy the fall here and will hopefully launch toward ABQ sometime in the next 6 months.
I ran across EnjoyEP's list soon after he posted it. Whenever I get really restive about not being in ABQ yet, I hit the forum and reread the list, try not to drool too much on my keyboard and just bask in the anticipation of delights to come. Working half-time will give us lots of time to get out and enjoy all the wonderful enticements the city, area and state have to offer. Postings by EnjoyEP and others on the forum have really helped sell us on ABQ and NM, plus given us a great list of future adventures. Hate to call it a bucket list since we don't yet have a foot in the bucket, but let's just say we've got a long list of things we want to see and do when we get there. The hardest part may be choosing what to do first.
Thanks to all who continue to post great questions and responses. Besides EnjoyEP's list one of my favorites is the question about what you would do if you had 1 day off. For those of us who have fallen in love with the Land of Enchantment, whether we live there now or not, your postings help make our days.

[rybert]

Eclipse Aerospace has been accepting appliactions for employment. Maybe they can make the company work this time around.

[nichole.hopkins]

yo soy una burquena!!! moving to LA in six months. I sure will miss my city!!!

[maestro9]

Morning in the high 30's? IN the winter months? Are you kidding me? I'll take that anytime over winter mornings here in Chicago..!!
Well I guess it's all relative. But I am planing to move south and ABQ sounds more and more like my kind of place for the rest of my life..!!
Great original post, by the way.

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

I am from Phoenix and a friend I grew up with moved to Albuquerque to go to Sipi college. He ended up graduating and getting a job at Intel. He told me how great it was up there, so I moved in with him in January of 2005. I only stayed there for a month and about died, I ended up coming back. I did not hate the city, but I cannot fathom how anyone would say the winter is nice. The winter in Phoenix is nice, the winter in Albuquerque is brutal. I remember days only getting up to the high 30's, and lows in the teens. If I had come in the summer, I am sure I would have liked it better, but I didn't.

[iresfrank]

Very nice list. This is what my wife and I also fell in love with during several visits around 2005-2006. I drove through once during college (1979) and completely fell in love with the high desert mountains of New Mexico. So much so that 30 years later I own property there (albeit perhaps too much right now).

I agree totally with you. I'm from Sicilian ancestry and New Mexico offers a similar dry climate to Sicily although more cooler and more tolerable. Very nice list you wrote.

Now if I could only sell you my lots in Rio Rancho (kidding - )

[PanTerra]

I think I am going to have to reach for a tissue. I lived in Albuquerque my first six years. Lived in IIRC, the only house not with the adobe style roof, nestled up in the corner of Commanche and Eubank, back when there was nothing north of Commanche. Nothing between our house and the mountains but the mesa. Moved away in 1965. Even at that young age I can recall many on your list. There were a few that simply were not applicable being 6 years old. Thanks for the reminiscing!

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1. The smell of green chiles roasting that seems to permeate throughout the city’s air everywhere from September until early November;
>What is better than stepping out in a standard late October crisp 52 degree morning under a burning bright high desert sun, grabbing some pinon coffee, and smelling that chile warming your soul through your smell? (Then heading out that afternoon under a very warm 79 degree sun, still smelling that chile).

3. The almost daily (what, 350+ days a year?) occurrence of the deep, dark, gorgeous purple hues of “Sandia” for 10 to 20 minutes against the Sandia Mountains daily;
>Doesn’t matter how bad your day has been, you know that you’ll get a bit of artistic magic against those mountains every day near sunset

4. Seeing roadrunners prancing around nearly everywhere year-round; where else in the US do you see roadrunners bouncing around (my out-of-town guests always craved seeing roadrunners beyond almost anything else in Albuquerque!)


8. The lilac bushes all blooming in late March, early April and producing a nice additional smell throughout the city. We had a big one in our front planter. Years later (1992) on a drive through , my mother was able to transplant a piece of it at our home in Dallas.

10. The absolutely perfect year-round temperatures / seasons:

1. FALL: Possibly the best time of year in ABQ – it starts relatively late (late September) and ends relatively late (mid-November). Cool, crisp early mornings / evenings in the 50s and 40s give way to warm, high-desert sun-filled afternoons in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
2. WINTER: So, so underrated in ABQ. A few scattered “cold” days…generally you’ll see between 3 or 5 measurable snowfalls (most of which that drop about 2 or 3 inches on the ground and melt within hours) annually; average of 7 to 11 inches yearly. Most days though are so mild / warm in the afternoons compared to most areas of the nation – common to have sunny afternoons in the high 40s, 50s, and even low 60s. Winter will have cold / chilly mornings which give way to the sun in the afternoon. The unbelievably pleasant pinon smells of fireplace burning at night comfort any notion of being discontented with a 35 degree evening. The other good thing about winter? It is so short…Thanksgiving through late February.
3. SPRING: While many long-time ABQeans – I believe very misguidedly – lament the overrated “springtime winds” of the area, most do not realize that ABQ in springtime might just be the best time of the year in ABQ…comparatively to the rest of the US. Like fall (in reverse of course), spring starts relatively early (late February) and ends relatively late (mid-May). Cool, crisp early mornings / evenings in the 50s and 40s give way to warm, high-desert sun-filled afternoons in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Sure, a few days are windy, but that pales in comparison to the thunderstorms / tornadoes / hail / blizzards / fog / rain / clouds / freezes / etc. of the rest of the nation in spring. Nothing like fruit tree blossoms in late February and some 69 degree afternoons for grilling to get you revved quickly past a quick winter.
4. SUMMER: Its hot, but not “lower desert” hot. Depending upon your area of the city, the hottest temps are likely to max out at 100 to 105; the highest “official” temp in ABQ ever recorded was only 106. Also, due to the low humidities, nights cool off beautifully. Some of the best times of the year are early in the morning on summer days – when a 98 degree afternoon is headed on, but the morning boasts a gorgeous 77 degree temp.

11. Little-to-almost-no mosquitoes. I never received one mosquito bite in 4 years in ABQ.

12. That bright, bright, bright burning sun in the sky nearly every day of the year, and the biggest, brightest, most blue and vast open skies that these eyes have ever consistently laid eyes upon.

14. The cool, crisp, chilly autumn / winter evening air filling up with the gloriously and heavenly wafting of pinon pine burning in fireplaces and chimeneas city wide; what a smell!!

18. 4 inches of snow on your backyard at 7am in February. None under 61 degree skies at 3pm.

20. Cacti! I love having prickly pears, cholla, barrel, agave, cow’s tongue, Argentinan Saguaros, etc., all over the place

21. New Mexican architecture: I love the adobe styling and look all over the town. Yes, I recognize that most adobe now is faux adobe, however, the look is still so unique and specific to NM.

22. Seeing the vast, crystal clear nighttime skies – especially in fall, winter, and spring – with the most open, spacious looks at the sparkling stars abundant you’ll see anywhere:
>not only are the nearly-nightly occurrences looking at the sparkling stars so gorgeous, but peering off to the twinkle of the High Finance / radio towers on the top of the Sandia Mountains isn’t too darn shabby either, as well as looking from the east over the thousands and thousands of lights (the “airplane view”) over the valley of the city onto the West Mesa

Every once in a while we would take a drive up to the radio towers at night and look down over the city. Dad would aim a small spot light from our back yard up to the towers. We could pick it out from the towers easily, because, well, at the time there were no lights between it and the mountain.

24. The dry, dry, dry desert air
>How nice it is to go for a run in 95 degree heat and barely cracking a ridge of sweat on your shirt! You know when 35% humidity is considered “excessive”, you are in a pretty darn dry place.

25. New Mexican cuisine / comida
>Mmmm…let’s see. Chile. Chiles rellenos. Carne adovada. Breakfast burritos. Green chile chicken enchiladas. Chile. Frijoles y arroz y papas. Chorizo. Sopapillas w/ honey. Chile. Green chile cheeseburgers. Posole. Tamales. Chile. OK, now this is starting to really get me all riled up…did I mention chile?…


28. The Albuquerque International Sunport

The airport I remember is the old one where you had to walk out to the plane to climb up the steps to board.

29. Luminarias / faralitos at Christmas
>It is so unique in the US, and so gorgeous, to shortly after Thanksgiving see the litters of luminarias fill up all over ABQ’s nighttime views on buildings welcoming in the Christmas season; the “REAL” luminaries on Christmas Eve are especially super, super cool and very pretty

30. Old Town’s Christmas Tree Lighting Night during Christmas
>My wife and I took some out of town guests to this on our 3rd year in ABQ (hadn’t gone before), and how amazing an event this is! A mild ABQ winter night turning cool. Old Town filled with guests to the max. Christmas choirs singing (including mariachis all over the place!). Tamale vendors. All the shops open (of course) with free cookies, hot apple cider / coffee / treats, etc. People in good spirits…and of course the gorgeous Old Town splendor with Christmas décor, including luminaries – and of course, the giant Christmas tree!

This is where we started our family tradition of always eating mexican food on Christmas Eve. We would always eat at La Hacienda. it ws our favorite. However, choosing a place was a lot easier back then. The 2 years we lived in Chicago immediately following living in Alb was tortuous. We reinstated the tradition once we moved to Dallas in 1967.

31. Old Town
>I am not even a big shopper or a retail guy, but Old Town is such a gem. It is such a historical, unique area to a big city, and you can literally spend hours there just casually browsing / window shopping, as well as getting good eats and seeing historic buildings / sights. Certainly, for tourists (or shipping / gifting TO out-of-towners)…Old Town also offers an abundance of souvenirs / gifts with distinctly New Mexican / Albuquerquean oriented gifts!

32. The Volcanoes
>Always beautifully dotting the western vista landscape

Oh yes, I remember going out to the desert (we called it going out to the volcanoes - although they didn't seem any closer, to shoot rifles. I did it once. i can't remember what we were shooting, maybe rocks hehe.

33. Those warm days in February / early March that reliably come annually and hit the 60s, 70s, and even low 80s…they really give you life, and make you appreciate what it is to live in a warm weather city that still has 4 seasons v. the rest of the nation

36. The close geographic proximity to historic, famous Santa Fe
>Albuquerque is – in my humble (and biased) opinion – a better place to live, however, certainly Santa Fe is historic and famous. And gorgeous as well! How great it is to be within a 50 minute drive of the City Different, as well as a 50 drive within SF’s legendary cuisne.

I remember going to Santa Fe, but I always thought of it as pretty far, I was 5 or 6 so my world was my neighborhood and driving out to Sandia base Kindergarten.

37. The Rio Grande River
>How fortunate for a desert town to have this gorgeous river flowing through the middle

Don't recall that river much. However, we would go to the Pecos River and go camping. My sisters and I made our dad bring back three big rocks one trip and put in our back yard. Funny thing, I can go to google earth and still see the rocks in the back yard.

39. The view of Albuquerque’s underratedly nice Downtown skyline – pictured against the backdrop of the West Mesa – in a nighttime glance from I-25 heading northbound

THe skyline has changed a lot in 45 years.

My own additional reccollections:

Shooting off fireworks from our backyard, Remember, there was just the desert behind our fence beyond Commanche.

Eating at El Patio for lunch while out and about with Mom.

Going up to our cabin in the Mountains for the weekend.

Going to Kindergarten at Sandia Base.

[szupergipsy]

Two reasons: the weather and the food.