101+ Reasons That I Miss Albuquerque
Most of the regulars here know "my story", however, for those that just are new to the CD Forums or are occasional lurkers, I am a male in my early-30s; married with two young kids. Regular business-type of fellow.
I hailed from the Milwaukee, WI area and lived here much of my youthful life. My wife and I craved a warmer, sunnier area to relocate to, and after much, much exhaustive research (and friends / family in the Denver and Phoenix areas), we settled on Albuquerque as our firm relocation destination. In 2003 we ended up in Albuquerque - extremely happily! - and lived there for 4+ years.
We (very foolishly and regrettably) ended up relo'ing back to the Milwaukee area in 2007 after we'd had two kids, thinking that the pull of family and extended social networks up here would be too important for us. Boy were we mistaken. We don't hate it up here (again), but we yearn for, crave for, and miss our beloved adopted hometown of Albuquerque incredibly much.
My wife and I regret the hell out of leaving the town that we loved so much in the first place, and now, despite being here only since 2007 (and being amongst family), are targeting trying to be back in ABQ against all odds (jobs and houses be damned!) within the next year. Hopefully.
Anyway, I am compiling a list of 101+ reasons why that - I PERSONALLY - miss the hell out of Albuquerque. It is therapy for my soul, and hopefully opens some thoughts to prospective new ABQeans on what they might be interested in moving to ABQ for.
Largely, I want to convey to those possibly considering ABQ just how many thigns ABQ has going for it - all of wich I miss incredibly much about ABQ.
THESE BELOW ARE THE FIRST 41 ITEMS I MISS about ABQ. They are in NO PARTICULAR order.
I wanted to throw these first 41 up (again, in no particular order) right now. Within this week, I will throw up the other 60+ items as well in subsequent posts.
If this is brainless - or not valuable in the least to you - please accept my apologies in advance, and move on.
Here are the first 41 items I wished to post - on the topic of "101+ Reasons That I Miss (Incredibly Much) Albuquerque!":
REASONS # 1 - 41
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).
2. Seeing hot air balloons on the silky, smooth bright blue West Mesa sky nearly every morning – often in mass quantities – throughout the year, especially in fall and spring
>What a great view / way to head into work on your morning commute?
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!)
5. Isotopes baseball games.
>I hail from a Major League City, however, I preferred the Triple A ball games of the Isotopes.
1. Everything is so much more affordable / cheap, including free parking
2. Isotopes Stadium is as “world class” as a minor league ballpark can get; what a beauty (with an amazing view / vista)
3. You see the young, hungry ballplayers as they are still minor leaguers, yet, you still get the chance to see the MLBers of nearly tomorrow, with Triple A being the level right next to the Bigs.
4. What on earth is better than a day game at Isotopes’ Stadium (playing hookey from work) in May under an 82 degree burning high desert sun and chugging down a couple of ice cold (and unbelievably good) Isotopes’ Slammin’ Amber beers? It doesn’t much get better.
6. University of New Mexico basketball games:
1. The Pit is one of the most legendary / historic / great arenas in all of sports anywhere in the US; such a fun place in which to watch a ball game!
2. Albuquerque just loves UNM basketball and gets so behind the program. Wintertime in ABQ is UNM hoops time, and there is nothing better than when the boys are going good. I love ABQ sports radio abuzz over the Lobos every day during the season.
7. The abundance of fruit trees (peach, pear, plum, nectarine, bing cherry, apricot, apple, etc.) that all do so well in ABQ’s zone 7 climate zone, and which blossom all so beautifully from late-February until early-April!
8. The lilac bushes all blooming in late March, early April and producing a nice additional smell throughout the city.
9. Running in the gorgeous Sandia Mountains up the La Luz Trail…just you and miles and miles of empty, so quiet mountain air (you and the animals).
>There is nothing more calming to the soul than running from a 91-degree temperature at the base of the mountains, up the La Luz Trail several miles into cool, crisp mountain air, and hearing only your breath, the wind, etc., and overlooking a bustling city of ABQ miles and miles up and away – everything down low so quiet, so serene, so peaceful. You and the mountain, the gorgeous, gorgeous mountain.
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. Golf if a year-round sport in ABQ. 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.
13. The golden hues of the cottonwoods surrounding the Rio Grande / bosque every autumn in late October.
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!!
15. The quirky local or regional burger chains such as Blake’s Lottaburger, Griff’s, Bob’s, and Mac’s Steak In The Rough
16. Breakfast burritos!! Especially The Frontier’s and Garcia’s (or course, insert any other local New Mexican favorite of your own as well);
>the only non-disputable items: gotta be loaded with queso, papas, green chile, carne of some sort (ideally bacon), a thick tortilla…and did I note the green chile?
17. Hot tortilla stew, green chile stew, or posole loaded up with chile on a rare cold winter day
18. 4 inches of snow on your backyard at 7am in February. None under 61 degree skies at 3pm.
19. The Big I – the meeting of two major US interstates (I-25 N and S and I-40 E and W), crisscrossing in essentially the heart / middle of Albuquerque;
>really looks better and better as the landscaping progresses, and I have always loved the pink overpasses!
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
23. Going to the High Finance Restaurant for cocktails on a winter’s day;
>53 degrees at the base, 36 with snow on the ground at the peak. So beautiful at the peak, can play in some snow, and warm up with a cocktail indoors
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?…
26. The laid back, “manana” type friendly attitude of the citizens
>Some hate this about ABQ…I love it. Let everywhere else have cut-throat, ultra-hustle and bustle and chaos and stress. I love the “smell the roses”, calming approach of the city of ABQ.
27. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
>The world’s most photographed event. And for good reason. When I moved to ABQ and heard all of the hubbub over the Fiesta, I thought, “what is a straight, guy’s guy like me that cares no rip about hot air balloons going to really give a rip over the Balloon Fiesta?” However, then I experienced it…10 or 11 days of balloons in legions (gorgeously) littering the landscape of the West Mesa sky in droves every morning – great commuting to work! Seeing the balloon chasers tear all over the city to chase their balloons. Running into good-hearted folks from all over the nation for 2 weeks, in for the Fiesta.
There is nothing quite as neat as waking up in the pitch black cool autumn high desert air at 4am, packing into the car with a sweatshirt, half asleep, and heading off to the Fiesta Park. Getting to the already-alive and bustling Fiesta park with tons of activity all around the vendors. Seeing the “Morning Patrol” balloon filling the dark night air with a little beacon of light. Then, seeing the magic of God / nature filling a glowing golden orb in bright yellow radiance over the Sandia Mountains. Then…seeing the incredible bustle (and amazing sites) of literally hundreds and hundreds of unique hot air balloons – all up and close – filling the sky in droves in the very early morning sun as the multitudes snap their photos. Of course, you do this over a breakfast burrito (whose proceeds benefit weary kids in Juarez, Mexico) with tons of chile, queso, carne, and papas goodness combined with a hot hot-chocolate! By the time the balloons wrap up, you are under a 68 degree warming 9am sunshine, tired, weary, and filled with joy and goodness. Ready for a nap, and then a chance to watch afternoon (on Saturdays) Notre Dame and/or UNM football! J
28. The Albuquerque International Sunport
>How unique is it to have your town’s airport branded a “Sunport”?? And deservedly so! The Sunport has been so uniquely structured with a heartily New Mexican / Southwestern motif which is outstanding (combined with of course the gratuitous smells of NM cuisine in many of the corridors); also, it is so manageable and accessible, it is such an underrated airport in the US! Of course, the new landscaping outside is pretty impressive as well.
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!
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
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
34. The University of New Mexico’s gorgeous and distinct campus
35. The ability to grow cold hardy palm trees throughout landscaping in the city; you will find cold hardy palm trees scattered throughout the town (including some that are quite old)
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.
37. The Rio Grande River
>How fortunate for a desert town to have this gorgeous river flowing through the middle
38. Golf
>ABQ’s “metro” area is blessed with tremendous seasonal year-round sunny, dry, and relatively mild weather, and it has a shockingly high amount of very nice golf courses for the size of the populace. Golf is relatively affordable and very gorgeous – year round! – in the Albuquerque area.
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
40. The close proximity of ABQ to a town I really have an (admittedly somewhat unconventional) appreciation for – El Paso, TX, along with Las Cruces, NM – and the stellar winter weather that Southern NM / El Paso offer
41. The close proximity to inlaws / family in gorgeous Denver and the stellar summer weather it offers, along with the close proximity to Phoenix along with the stellar winter weather it offers
Last edited by EnjoyEP; 07-14-2009 at 08:59 AM..
|
Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with 700,000 other registered members. User profiles and some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your free account you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 15,000 posts/day about local topics and you will see fewer ads. 
. If I had come in the summer, I am sure I would have liked it better, but I didn't.
Linear Mode
