Does Albuquerque Go to Sleep in the Afternoon (college, license plates)

[Burquebinder]

I think I understand a bit more clearly what is going on now as well. Honestly, I'd say the recommendation to look into San Antonio was a good one - very large Hispanic population that is more similar to Mexico in culture than what you would find in Albuquerque (though you could still find it in ABQ in areas of the South Valley). It's also a fun, down-to-earth city with a well-kept infrastructure.

[clayjarhan]

I moved here, Albuquerque, from Chicago about a year ago. And as a disclaimer, I don't think I would make a good relocation consultant since I don't eat at restaurants nor attend big community events that much. So far, the biggest news in Albuquerque has been the Balloon Festival, where Balloonists from all over the world come here. Of course, having lived in a sprawling city/suburb for most of my life, the slower pace of life in ABQ is definitely a big plus for me--no more traffic congestions.

Living closer to the Sandia mountains gives you an advantage of enjoying the trail almost on a daily basis. I bike regularly, and the rest of my family also enjoys the trail. I think it's one of the most usable, if not the best, trails in the U.S., especially for biking. Add to that you don't really have a "gloomy" weather like you do in Chicago. I guess you probably know what I'm referring to since you had lived in SF.

As for the cultural diversity, I personally don't think it's that much different from Chicago, except for the general uniformity of architectures and slightly different feel of population make-up. You see a lot of so-called "Southwestern," or "Pueblo-style" buildings. I think Santa Fe has more of an authentic feel, or atmosphere compare to Albuquerque. You do sense a strong presence and dignity of some descendants of early Spanish colonialists, albeit this is more of a sense you gain after visiting a local or Santa Fe historical museum. More Irish than Polish compare to Chicago. And a lot more Hispanic and Native Americans as a matter of course. As you could probably imagine, it's a big city with a small town feel.

You aren't going see much of industry conferences or technical gatherings happening. I used to participate in a local Unix users club, which becomes active once in a while for charity efforts or whatnot.

I know APS (Albuquerque Public School) system recently made a huge budget cut, so general outlook for aspiring teachers doesn't look that rosy around here. But if you're passionate about teaching, which I assume you are, I think you already have the drive to be proactive to reach out to the community and be a better part of this, generally speaking, quiet community. I've been teaching abacus (Japanese soroban) to my own children and neighbor kids for last 6 months at home. My neighbors are generally pessimistic about public school system around here, but we send our kids to a local public school anyway. I think the system gets worse if people start opting out like many do here. I think ABQ needs more enthusiastic, entrepreneurial people like you.

[RamblinRoseRanch]

Originally Posted by mortimer

Like:

Sinaloa
Chihuahua
Hidalgo
Chiapas
Sonora ........... and so on x26

lol.
I blame it allll on Jeff Dunham and Peanut "Like Mexico, just fresher."

On a side note... Greg's uncle just experienced a little foreigner-focused road rage the other day. He accidentally cut someone off and the guy chased him, bumped his car and when James pulled into a well lit gas station in hopes that the guy would leave him alone... the punk jumped out, pulled a gun and shouted "You MEXICANS need to learn how to drive!"
James has the new turquoise tag........

[desert sun]

Originally Posted by RamblinRoseRanch

lol.
I blame it allll on Jeff Dunham and Peanut "Like Mexico, just fresher."

On a side note... Greg's uncle just experienced a little foreigner-focused road rage the other day. He accidentally cut someone off and the guy chased him, bumped his car and when James pulled into a well lit gas station in hopes that the guy would leave him alone... the punk jumped out, pulled a gun and shouted "You MEXICANS need to learn how to drive!"
James has the new turquoise tag........

those turquoise tags do look foreign, I told my g/f who has the plate that the people are gonna think its a plate from another country, and people stare at it too.

[RamblinRoseRanch]

Yeah... but he loves it because the little red dot in the center matches the color of his car. Not wrapped too tight, that one........
Holy crap. Just realized this one doesn't say USA on it anywhere.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by RamblinRoseRanch

Just realized this one doesn't say USA on it anywhere.

Yep, I wondered about that... Governor Johnson is the one who wanted the USA added, guess someone wants to leave their mark in history.

[mellanieblue]

Originally Posted by Burquebinder

That was quite possibly one of the strangest extended paragraphs I've read on these boards, and that's saying something.

P.S. If you mention that you are thinking about moving here, while in the same breath mention that you've been here once and were "not impressed", there are probably more, ahem, appropriate boards I could point you towards.

Thank goodness, I thought I was the only one who was extremely confused.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by karmathecat

I actually "got" what OP was saying ( I think ) after re-reading.

I don't think he's looking for Mexico or the Mission District in San Francisco, but more of the feel/vibe/beat of those cities.....especially the Mexican influence but not the pretension of Portland, Seattle, etc.

I have no idea what your budget is or whether you are renting/buying but I might look at the N Valley, Old Town-ish area, Nob Hill and even parts of the S Valley or Warzone.

Visit first though, and get out of downtown this time and find the part of the city that calls to you.

Really? I get the impression the O/P doesn't know that NEW Mexico is a state of the U.S., and has nothing to do with Mexico. Sounds a bit off to me.

[crackiswhack]

Real quick, could someone explain these new license plates and the reactions to them?

[ABQConvict]

The new license plates are blueish with yellow letters and numbers. Many people like them, many people don't. I suspect that the majority of people don't give a damn.