Doing a week in ABQ and Santa Fe without a car? (Albuquerque: spring break, how much)

[Lparsons7981]

Hey everyone, I am going to be graduating from college in May, and a few weeks after graduation I would like to take a week for myself, and do something. I haven't been anywhere for the past 6 years, so I figure I am overdue (No spring breaks, no semester abroads or anything like many of my peers) This will be an extreme budget trip as well.

You might think New Mexico would be a weird place to want to go for a 22 year old, and i guess it is, but I am not like a lot of 22 year olds. I am big into the west/southwestern parts of the country, being a history major, it is an area i am fascinated by, historically and culturally. New Mexico looks like a place I'd like to at least see a few times, if not live when I'm older and set up ( I am going into teaching) I also have a cousin who spent a few weeks around N.M (ABQ, a day in Santa Fe, and the rest of the time with her friends family on Navajo land near Mt. Taylor) Her and her friend from N.M both swear by the place, and insist I go on my own, and then maybe later with them more long term.

However, I understand most cities aren't very easy to get along in without wheels. Being in Boston, a compact, tight city with good public transport this is not something I am used to, I do not have a car at the time, as I don't need/ can't afford one in my situation, is this a huge damper on going on a budget trip? Would there be enough to do for 5-6-7 days split between ABQ and Santa Fe without a car? As much as I'd like to return with a car, that will probably have to wait.

If it helps at all, my main interests are cultural/historic sites museumes etc. I also just like interesting architecture, sights, vistas, parks...........all that sort of stuff, not exactly looking for nightclubs or bars. (even though some good street food type stuff is important too, as is a little shopping

Thanks for your help!

[berncohomes]

Depends on your budget - Southwest offer one way to Boston starting at $104 if booked well enough in advance.

I think you could easily find enough things to do over 5 days here, to save money might be better to center your trip here in Albuquerque then take the Railrunner up to Santa Fe for day trips - you can buy tickets online and it is very affordable.

[violent cello]

You can get to the following places on the bus as long as you stay on/near a bus route:

Old Town
Albuquerque museum
Natural History Museum
Science Museum
Downtown: galleries, food, bars, shops
The bosque
Zoo
Aquarium
Botanic gardens
Uptown mall/restaurants
Coronado mall
Popejoy Theatre @ UNM
Maxwell Museum @ UNM
Plenty of funky restaurants in UNM area
cinemas
Nob Hill: shops, restaurants, bars, thrift stores (thrift some cowboy boots at Buffalo Exchange for 15 bucks!)
Santa Fe (bus takes you to the train)
Some really pretty local parks
Historic neighbourhoods
Jewelry stores

That's all on the main bus routes, and much of it is on Central Ave; there are smaller bus routes that take you literally all over. I moved here when I was 21 Without a car you can't see some of the really cool stuff like the Sandias and Santa Fe National Forest and Carlsbad Caverns, but they'll still be waiting for you next time you're here. On the Rail Runner you can also explore some of the cool old downtown areas of some smaller towns around Albuquerque. Check out Alibi.com for suggestions on local events etc.

[ABQConvict]

What violentcello said.

Most of the best things to see and do in Albuquerque are readily accessible by public transport (unless you keep weird/late hours).

Getting into the mountains can be done without a car but it is a bit of a hike from the bus stop through steep residential neighborhoods.

Getting out of town, except for Santa Fe, Bernalillo and Belen, will be all but impossible without a car.


ABQConvict

[Lparsons7981]

Wow, thanks for the great responses guys, I'm used to buses/trains and what not, are they overly complicated in ABQ? My hours are pretty regular, so I think I'll be okay in that respect. More to see then I thought in town. How much would the bus run me, do they have daily/weekly passes? How much are Taxi's from the airport to say........somewhere near Old Town (i'm looking at staying maybe at the Monterrey Non-smokers)

I saw those fares on southwest, great prices! I'll probably only have 1 piece of luggage (a backpack) and maybe an empty bag to bring back some stuff.

[ApartmentNomad]

Originally Posted by Lparsons7981

Wow, thanks for the great responses guys, I'm used to buses/trains and what not, are they overly complicated in ABQ? My hours are pretty regular, so I think I'll be okay in that respect. More to see then I thought in town. How much would the bus run me, do they have daily/weekly passes? How much are Taxi's from the airport to say........somewhere near Old Town (i'm looking at staying maybe at the Monterrey Non-smokers)

You can get a three-day bus pass for $5, I think it is. A day pass is just $2. You can buy a day pass on the bus, but you have to have exact change (it can be bills).

I'd guess that a taxi from the airport to Old Town would be close to $30, possibly more. Maybe you could try staying somewhere that offers shuttle van service to the airport. (Many places do, even some of those you might expect would not, but you also have to see what hours they are available to pick you up.) There's also a bus to and from the airport (and I think the Rail Runner stops near there too), but you'd need to take more than one to get to Old Town, I think, so it might not be worth it.

You can check out this old thread as well, but the public transportation situation here has actually improved since I asked this question a couple years back:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/albuq...thout-car.html

[violent cello]

Originally Posted by ABQConvict

What violentcello said.

Getting into the mountains can be done without a car but it is a bit of a hike from the bus stop through steep residential neighborhoods.

Oooh, which bus do I take for that? Sometimes I like to leave the car behind and just bus it.

[violent cello]

Originally Posted by Lparsons7981

Wow, thanks for the great responses guys, I'm used to buses/trains and what not, are they overly complicated in ABQ? My hours are pretty regular, so I think I'll be okay in that respect. More to see then I thought in town. How much would the bus run me, do they have daily/weekly passes? How much are Taxi's from the airport to say........somewhere near Old Town (i'm looking at staying maybe at the Monterrey Non-smokers)

The buses are fine; the big harmonica ones that you'll need run every 10 minutes Mon - Sat and every 20 - 30 mins on Sun. They run from about 5am - 8pm.

Other bus routes can run for as little as 5 hours in the day, with a bus every 45 minutes. Many bus stops on less frequent routes are just concrete benches on the sidewalk - a nightmare in the summer. But you really won't be needing those.

I stayed at the Non-Smokers motel once. It's a nice clean place. The staff are a little eccentric but not in an offensive or bad way.

[Rogarven]

Stayed at the Non-smokers Motel as well. Interesting but not fancy.

[mortimer]

... to the mountains ...

Originally Posted by violent cello

Oooh, which bus do I take for that? ...

The bus that gets you closest is the #5 Montgomery.

It is about 6-7 miles walking from there to get to the Tram.

It is about 1 mile to the foothills if you go due East.

Best bet is to make friends with someone at the University and bum
a ride with them to a hiking trail.

You could also get a cab to the Tram, but by the time you paid for
the return trip, you could have rented a car and not had the wait
for the cab to pick you up.