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Old 07-12-2009, 10:19 PM
 
Location: Albuquerque, NM - Summerlin, NV
3,435 posts, read 6,961,753 times
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Las Vegas heat and Albuquerque heat feel the same to me.. maybe like 3-5 degrees hotter, if even..
Albuquerque has been pretty humid the past couple of weeks... I guess I dont mind it becuase I got so use to florida humidity.
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Old 07-12-2009, 10:56 PM
 
Location: New Mexico
923 posts, read 2,411,817 times
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I agree that EP should write a book. Great list! Now I really have to go get a stuffed carne adovada sopapilla from El Modelo (#64)! My glands are watering just thinking about it.

And don't forget the to-die-for cinnamon rolls from the Frontier (#45). 1500 calories of buttery-cinnamon bliss. We stopped in there a couple of months ago for dinner and the guy who took our order worked there when I was in high school & college. I asked him how long he'd been there and he said 30 years. They must treat their employees like gold!
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Old 07-13-2009, 10:41 AM
 
Location: Metro Milwaukee, WI
3,198 posts, read 12,678,044 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lobo View Post
Now I really have to go get a stuffed carne adovada sopapilla from El Modelo (#64)! My glands are watering just thinking about it.
In a turn of brilliant fortune, I decided late last week to place financial prudence to the wind and book a trip for the family and I to the Duke City for the Balloon Fiesta in OCT; as I type this, I am already compiling my list like this you note on El Modelo, lobo, for "can't miss" restaurants / food items while there!!! I believe a swing through El Modelo will be up there, as will definitively a chicharrone burrito at Barela's (I am having to use a napkin to sop up my drool just imagining one of those burritos...they are simply incredible)...
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Old 07-13-2009, 01:25 PM
 
Location: Metro Milwaukee, WI
3,198 posts, read 12,678,044 times
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Default Reasons #76 through #101+

Reasons #76 - #101 +

#76 - Teriyaki Chicken Bowl & Mac's Steak In The Rough
>Not that I necessarily love eating at these places (although I don't necessarily mind it either! ), but only in a town like Albuquerque will you get so quirky (some might call them quite cheesy - no offense of course to fans though out there!) chains. It is semi-head scratching to go to the town in the middle of New Mexico, in the tip of the Chihuahuan Desert, filled with New Mexican cuisine all over, and to stumble across a chain of "Teriyaki Chicken Bowls"...just not something you'd really expect in a town like ABQ, where teriyaki doesn't exactly have a major foothold!

Mac's is a quirky ol' drive through too. Just seems like the places should've closed down in 1971, however, someone forget to tell the employees, and they keep showing up. Bizarre mascot, aged looking buildings, but hey...pretty decent greasy grub!

#77 - The "Bandito Hideout" restaurant on Central Ave.'s "mascot":
>How can you not love cruising down a main thoroughfare at lunchtime during the workweek and seeing this guy just standing stoically (just pointing to the south side of the road but otherwise not moving) in the middle of the median with a) a Mexican wrestling "luchador" mask on, and b) a sandwich board on him just telling you to get something like a 1/2 chicken lunch w/ Tecate for an amazing price (something like $3.99). I am telling you people...you only find stuff like this in ABQ!!!

#78 - Full moon rising over the Sandias
>Granted, many of my "reasons" have to do in some regards with the Sandias. I just think they are just such a treasure, and their proximity (eg: access) to the city makes them so valuable! How can you not be dazzled when you see that H-U-G-E, glowing moon just sitting seeminly a couple of inches above the Sandias when it is in full moon? Against a purple early-evening sky...just breathtaking...

#79 - How the Sandias look when they get snow dumps even though the city doesn't
>I love those November, December days, etc., when the city of ABQ west of Eubank is in the 40s, 50s, or 60s, but the night before a huge dump (or just a modest dusting) of snow nails the mountains. You are so used to seeing the Sandias in their standard variance, however, look up at the mountain and see a purplish/whitish coat of white all over 'em! You know you are in for an extra-special treat at sunset that night...and have a perfect opportunity for a coffee liquor drink at the High Finance with a quick jaunt up the hill...

#80 - Knowing if it is going to be a rainier / cooler / stormier day than the norm for ABQ...if those clouds are "sitting over" or "sitting on top" of the Sandias in the morning
>Being an amateur weather fan, I always found it really fascinating that in general, you could often tell if a day would be cooler / rainier than what is the "norm" in ABQ by that coating of clouds that would blanket the mountains' top in the morning - if it were there. Certainly this "look" as an amazing beauty all of itself as well.

#81 - Driving up Tramway Blvd. - south-east bound - off of I-25 South's exit - in a long, sweeping loop of vast open glorious beauty...and seeing a herd of buffalo grazing nearby!

#82 - Lighting shows on the West Mesa
>When my wife and I made our initial "exploratory" jaunt out to Albuquerque, we'd already been gradually falling in love with the town. However, the "clincher" was from our hotel room (hotel now known as the "Nativo" on I-25 and San Mateo), sitting out one hot summer night on our patio watching nature's special treat...a New Mexican lightning display over the vast, open nighttime desert sky. Lightning in New Mexico is nothing to take lightly, however, from a safe spot, it is simply awe-inspiring...

#83 - The Rio Grande Zoo
>Sure, every city seems to boast a zoo they are quite proud of, however, I find ABQ's zoo to be very underrated and quite nice - this coming from a fairly non-zoo type of a fellow. I love the palm trees and yucca landscaping all over the grounds, and the brilliant climate of ABQ makes zoo-going a very fun endeavor most days of the year.

#84 - The running / biking / fitness nature of the town
>Coming from Milwaukee, I was always amazed that most any day of the year, when I was driving to work, you'd see so, so, so many people of such varied ages, etc., out running / walking / biking, etc. ABQ is such a fitness-oriented town (and for good reason with the weather and the topography and scenery) and it is great to see such a high quantity of people partaking. With some of my most enjoyable experiences of my life coming in various Albuquerque-area marathons / races, etc., I would be remiss to overlook just how great ABQ is for running and the like.

#85 - Mark Ronchetti's weather forecasts
>I grew to really enjoy the zany, semi-cheesy ABQ local newscasts on the various stations, and the quirky or unique or colorful characters that filled them (local standbys like Dick Kniffing, Tom Joles, Steve Stucker, etc.), however, once Ronchetti began weathercasting in ABQ again, he became a personal favorite. Very colorful and excitable about New Mexican weather, I especially embraced when ABQ might be actually getting some "weather"...such a rarity...Ronchetti would get really, reaaalllllllyyyy excited to be able to hype a "big incoming storm!"...

How can you ever tire of seeing a state-wide Albuquerque weather forecast (for the entire state of NM)? In December, a common reading: Chama - High of 38, Low of 8!, Albuquerque - High of 55, Low of 27, Carlsbad - High of 73, Low of 45...just such a diverse, massive state...

#86 - Albuquerque area politics
>People are so extremely (and uniquely) connected to their community in ABQ - in much, much higher numbers than most cities I am familiar with - and there is such a wide, divergent amounts of opinions and political beliefs. Seemingly everyone in the town has a "take" as well - and people always are striking up talks and takes on the timely "hot button" political issues.

Politics in Albuquerque - and New Mexico for that matter - may have some history of corruption, etc., but it is for better or worse very engaging and extremely interesting.

#87 - Tailgating at UNM football games
>I come from a tailgating hotbed of the US - Milwaukee, WI, and I know good tailgating. While Lobo football may be overshadowed by the hoops team, the football team has a solid, loyal following, and it is always a fun atmosphere and time in the lots around University Stadium (a nice venue to catch college football) before the game

#88 - The UNM v. NMSU rivalry
>I once was wearing a Lobos' t-shirt with an Aggies' hat (unintentionally) and I had to get some to change ASAP, I was catching so much good-natured ridicule from the citizenry (I deserved it). Certainly they could tell I was a dopey transplant. I love how the town gets fired up with the 'Cruces boys come calling north on I-25!

#89 - The bright, yellow "Zia" New Mexico license plates
>OK, I am biased. But I love the look of the yellow "Zia" plates, and even when not in New Mexico, get a thrill when I see one out and about on a car!

#90 - Don Schrader (aka "The Naked Guy") on public access TV
>Don't get me wrong, I don't subscribe to many of ol' Don's anecdotes and off-the-wall opines (although I find myself - a complete polar opposite of Don's - agreeing with a relatively shockingly high proportion of his instructions for life), however, he is just Character #372 on the endless list of colorful aspects so distinct to Albuquerque, NM...

#91 - In the very late fall, going for a walk at sunset / dusk along Tramway Blvd. on the north-east edge of the city (oh, say, near the County Line Restaurant), overlooking the sunset to the west fading on the West Mesa, smelling the billows of pinon firing up in the fireplaces enveloping the smell against the crisp high desert air; all of this as the legions of city lights are flickering along the city below, the soft sounds of the city at dark take shape along the quiet emptiness of the Sandias to the east. The Sandias, darkened and looming, tower over you to the east, and the adobe homes of the foothills fill with inviting, warm glows as people settle in for the evenings.

Folks, it doesn't get much better than this!

#92 - The voice of Mike Roberts calling Lobos' games through the dark, empty fall and winter nights on a drive outside of the city on the 50,000-watt 770 KKOB.
>Yes, I know Mike doesn't call Lobos' games anymore, however, this is still a cherished memory, and even now, having the occasional Phoenician be able to call into a Lobos' post-game show because they can pick up KKOB and are long-time Lobos' fans is something neat.

#93 - Seeing massive dark clouds / thunderstorms over one slice of the city while the rest of the town glows in powerful, warm sunshine

#94 - In late October, using the heat in the car on a crip 48 degree morning on the way into work, and throwing on the A/C on a warm 83 degree afternoon the same day when driving home from work.

#95 - Having plentiful birds of some varieties around year-round
>To those not familiar with living in northern or cold-weather states, they take for granted something like hearing a bird chirp commonly even on winter mornings!

#96 - Xeriscaping
>Not only can landscaping with a desert slant be strikingly beautiful (in ways many easterners and northerners and southeasterners simply cannot appreciate), and not only can it be so fun to utilize various cacti and yucca and the like, but who can complain with not having to mow a lawn every weekend for months on end?

#97 - Being able to grill out / have an afternoon picnic nearly any day of the year
>With virtually no concerns over a "rain out", excessive airborne insects (such as mosquitoes, flies, ticks, etc.), extreme cold, etc., it is very satisfying to know that almost any day of the year, you can have social times outdoors.

Especially impressive are the outdoor patios / "kitchens" that are designed for those with bank accounts to support their developments...and why not? With the climate being so conducive to these, it is a tremendous opportunity to spend gobs of outdoor time.

#98 - Houses with Spanish-styled front courtyards
>I always liked how houses commonly have the fenced-in courtyards in their fronts, to provide yet another area for folks to be able to - in semi-privacy - be able to lounge out and about in the splendor of the ABQ outdoors.

#99 - That extra-space Editorial section of the Albuquerque Journal on Tuesdays that allows for so many people to "sound off" and opine, both on serious, more controversial political topics of the day, but also on fairly comical areas such as "hey, for that jerk that was driving the black Lexus on Tramway last Wednesday and threw through 3 lanes of traffic to make a left hand turn from the right hand lane, thanks alot for missing me you nitwit!" This is obviously a minor thing, but I always looked forward to reading the comments for comical value alone.

#100 - The vast numbers of rose bushes in ABQ
>While I am not a huge "gardener" per se, I was always struck by how lovely the many rose bushes look in desert landscaping (their coloring seems to be so especially striking and beautiful in contrast with all of the brown adobe / stucco, xeriscaped rock, and bright sunny blue skies); they also really thrive and do so well in ABQ's climate when properly cared for and last for such a long chunk of the year versus northern or colder climes.

#101 - The culture
>For better or for worse, when you are in Albuquerque, you know you are somewhere so very different.

Of course, nearly every big city in the US has *some* major identifiers, or distinct aspects to them. However, in today's day and age of corporate efficiencies, bigger chains, high rises, etc., biggish cities have more and more started to blend...taking on similar looks, and more importantly, similar feels. As the nation becomes more mobile and transient, regions are losing somewhat their cultural identifiers, and to a certain degree, this causes me sadness.

I love that when you are in Albuquerque, however, you know that for better or worse, while you are still in America, you are somewhere so very, very different than "Any City USA".

The New Mexican culture is so markedly unique and different. Certainly, the "New Mexican culture" in Santa Fe is different than it is in Las Cruces than it is in Gallup than it is in Clovis, etc. But the New Mexican culture really seems to hit a sweet spot in ABQ.

The overused descriptor of ABQ and New Mexico being a blend and convergence of Hispanic, Mexican, Anglo, Spanish, and Native American cultures certainly does ring true, however, over the years, this has morphed into a truly distinctive culture.

Anglo Air Force retirees of 20 years live harmoniously side by side with native New Mexicans whose roots in the state of New Mexico can go back literally hundreds of years. A transplant retiree from New York City or Philly co-exists happily with one of the few residents of Rio Rancho in the '80s. The Sunport is filled with the cowboys of Portales along with the artists of Taos. Streets and last names are littered with historic Spanish and Hispanic tags, but Anglos know specifically how items like "bosque" or "Juan Tabo" are pronounced correctly.

Sure, there are jerks in ABQ, and there are conflicts on a daily basis. However, for the most part, people are so unique and distinctive to their equally rare city, and they are supportive to their fellow ABQean.

#102 - Albuquerque, my home

I find it so rare how Albuquerque - a semi-large city in the middle of the vast state of New Mexico - elicits such passion and emotion out of people in a way that most other cities do not. The same can be largely said of the state of NM itself. People can easily - and in such high numbers do - "fall in love" with the city of Albuquerque or the "Land of Entrapment". Surely I am living proof.

I really like a bunch of other cities in the US a great deal - Milwaukee, my hometown, along with towns like Denver, Tucson, Orlando, Phoenix, etc., etc., etc. - but none elicit the visceral and emotional subconscious response and love like Albuquerque does.

It has been often said to me that Albuquerque is a city that "either you get it, or you don't", and I couldn't agree more. To some, they bristle at the town and everything in it and about it. To them, living in this quirky, desert city isn't appealing in the least for varying reasons. Albuquerque surely is a polarizing place.

However, to those that are firmly entranced with the Duke City, we couldn't be happier that many "don't get it", as it saves the city and what we love about it for ourselves, for our own.

We get it for sure, and that is why dolts like me can write several-thousand word love sonnets to a city itself.

While it has been since mid-2007 since I have last lived in Albuquerque with only one (way too short of a week back), and I have not lived nearly the bulk of my life in Albuquerque, to my soul's purest essence, the thing I most miss about Albuquerque is the most simple aspect that I only came to fully appreciate about it once I left; to me, Albuquerque simply is...home.
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Old 07-13-2009, 06:11 PM
 
Location: west of Milwaukee, Wi
105 posts, read 356,277 times
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68. Watching Packers’ games over a brew or two at the Horse N’ Angel Pub on Sundays
>As a sports / football fan, there is something quite fun about living in a town where there is no *local* team.
It is also of course heartening to – after the game – step out into warm sunshine, instead of “back home” where they’re enduring a cloudy, chilly, windy gray day."


I am a Packer Fan, and am heartened to read #68!
We live about 45 minutes west of Milwaukee now, and I am tired of the 6 months of winter!
We have to wait until the right opportunity to transfer comes along, but it could be Albuquerque or it could be Colorado. That is how I found this site...starting to research the various choices.


Excellent post, and very fun to read!
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Old 07-13-2009, 06:52 PM
 
Location: New Mexico
923 posts, read 2,411,817 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EnjoyEP View Post
In a turn of brilliant fortune, I decided late last week to place financial prudence to the wind and book a trip for the family and I to the Duke City for the Balloon Fiesta in OCT; as I type this, I am already compiling my list like this you note on El Modelo, lobo, for "can't miss" restaurants / food items while there!!! I believe a swing through El Modelo will be up there, as will definitively a chicharrone burrito at Barela's (I am having to use a napkin to sop up my drool just imagining one of those burritos...they are simply incredible)...
That's great that you're coming for the balloons. Come hungry! You could swing by El Modelo right after you leave the airport. That's our last stop before a flight and our first stop when we get back. If you've never eaten at Abulita's on Isleta SW, you must add that to your list, as well.
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Old 07-13-2009, 06:57 PM
 
Location: New Mexico
923 posts, read 2,411,817 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EnjoyEP View Post
[b][u]While it has been since mid-2007 since I have last lived in Albuquerque with only one (way too short of a week back), and I have not lived nearly the bulk of my life in Albuquerque, to my soul's purest essence, the thing I most miss about Albuquerque is the most simple aspect that I only came to fully appreciate about it once I left; to me, Albuquerque simply is...home.
Now your getting me all teary-eyed! Loved your list! Start looking for a publisher. Seriously!
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Old 07-13-2009, 07:18 PM
 
362 posts, read 1,714,883 times
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I'm glad I'm not the only one amused by the tv weather guys. I believe Stucker always had some animal in the corner of the news cast. I also recall a "storm" event where Rnchetti had these pictures of armored tanks colliding on the map to depict the storm front moving through. Fabulous!

Somehow I missed the Bandito Hideout mascot, but it is now on my must experience list when I get back to town
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Old 07-14-2009, 08:03 AM
 
Location: Metro Milwaukee, WI
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Quote:
Originally Posted by catfeathers View Post
I am a Packer Fan, and am heartened to read #68!
We live about 45 minutes west of Milwaukee now, and I am tired of the 6 months of winter!
We have to wait until the right opportunity to transfer comes along, but it could be Albuquerque or it could be Colorado. That is how I found this site...starting to research the various choices.
Thanks catfeathers!

Good luck to you! Where in CO would be the possible option? The reason I ask is depending upon the town (and the mountainous altitude of it), while the winter / cold / snow is a "different" kind of winter / cold / snow than an Upper Midwestern one, if it is winter you are hoping to avoid, you might be semi-let down in a good chunk of CO. CO is a gorgeous state with many sunny, bright, beautiful mountain towns, however, winters do still swirl in many portions relatively strongly.

On the other hand, while there are a few scattered chilly winter days in ABQ in the winter, you'd be thrilled - just absolutely thrilled - over the incredible difference.
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Old 07-14-2009, 08:10 AM
 
Location: Metro Milwaukee, WI
3,198 posts, read 12,678,044 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lobo View Post
You could swing by El Modelo right after you leave the airport.
Good call lobo, although I actually have a traditional spot myself - dating back to advice a dining critic for either the ABQ Journal or old ABQ Trib gave me back before my first-ever venture out to the Duke City...she indicated a list of 10 different great "must trys" for me, and I initially upon departing the airport hit up the Garcia's on San Mateo and Cadelaria for a breakfast burrito (one of their incredible thick, warm tortillas with a healthy dose of potatoes, eggs, queso, bacon, and lots and lots of green!). I now, every time I venture in from the Sunport, must stop there...and she's never disappointed!

However, I do think you are right...El Modelo will be in my future in OCT as well!

(I actually once was offered a job in a professional capacity with a company very near to El Modelo...turned it down, however, good Lord, you could smell El Modelo quite strongly from the office, and that would've assuredly added about 30-pounds to my frame working there! )...

Quote:
Originally Posted by lobo View Post
If you've never eaten at Abulita's on Isleta SW, you must add that to your list, as well.
Is that related to the Abulita's that was - at least in 06-07, etc., on approximately 4th and Montaño? We'd always hit that Abulita's and really loved it. However, never hit the one (if even part of the same family) on Isleta, so thanks heartily for the tip!!!
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