What's up with Taos?

[mortimer]

I'd like to point out that walkable means different things
to different people. You can walk all the way across Taos in
less than an hour. It's only about two miles across/down/ ...

It's walkable if you are in shape to walk and not walkable if you
are a lazy good-for-nothing sedentary blob.

If one doesn't have the expense of a car, then the affordability
scale goes way up. Also, if you have a frugal lifestyle and you aren't
looking to make a career out of cleaning tables or whatever, then
you can surely afford to live there and enjoy yourself for a while.

If you have a bunch of credit card debt and expensive taste, then not.

Also, winters in Taos and winters in Chicago don't compare.
----->>> at all <<<----
I consider the weather in Albuquerque nearly perfect, but
Taos' weather is even better for me.

[ABQConvict]

I think some people here don't realize that Taos is essentially a tiny village. The hilltop villages of Tuscany are metropoli by comparison.

The presence of a strip mall is largely to accommodate the hordes of skiers and tourists that plump out the population at the heights of their respective seasons. The idea of Taos having a 'transit system' is laughable. The only reason Taos needs its sidewalks is so that tourists aren't run over by pick-up trucks hauling firewood.

There are two economies in Taos, the hippies and natives who live on little, in little, and with little (and by little I mean often no electricity or running water), and the independantly wealthy trustafarians and owners of the facilities that cater to the skiers and tourists.


I know a lot of people whose families go back for centuries in Taos who have moved to Albuquerque to live the good life as cashiers and waitresses.

All that said, the Taos area is spectacular, the village is beautiful and quaint. If I could live there, I would.


ABQConvict

[Towanda]

Originally Posted by mortimer

It's walkable if you are in shape to walk and not walkable if you
are a lazy good-for-nothing sedentary blob.

Oh lordy.

LOL!!!!!!

[Mike Horrell]

Originally Posted by ABQConvict

I know a lot of people whose families go back for centuries in Taos who have moved to Albuquerque to live the good life as cashiers and waitresses.

I had a long conversation with a Taos Pueblo artisan and she was very concerned about
getting her daughter any kind of blue collar job in Albuquerque so that she could have
a future that was not as limited as her mother's had been.

That is right in line with your very accurate comments about "dual economies"..

[mortimer]

Originally Posted by Mike Horrell

... very accurate comments about "dual economies"..

If your job is just to support your "hiking habit" or "art habit
then living there ( for a while ) would be a good experience.

If you require a lot of material things to make you happy
then you will be miserable there without the previously
mentioned trust fund.

Although the originating poster, Kung Fudge hasn't posted for over
a year, I still don't see any friggin' reason that a recent
college graduate in philosophy couldn't make a life there just to
have the experience. The person could be 22, 35, or 47 or 67

[Mike Horrell]

Originally Posted by mortimer

If your job is just to support your "hiking habit" or "art habit
then living there ( for a while ) would be a good experience.

If you require a lot of material things to make you happy
then you will be miserable there without the previously
mentioned trust fund.

Although the originating poster, Kung Fudge hasn't posted for over
a year, I still don't see any friggin' reason that a recent
college graduate in philosophy couldn't make a life there just to
have the experience. The person could be 22, 35, or 47 or 67

True. I wound up in ABQ the first time (71-72) when I ran out of energy after
spending two years living out of a backpack while traveling through the Western
US and Canada. I picked up odd jobs (some very odd) from time to time to earn
what little money I needed. It's a completely legitimate lifestyle even now but
it really requires a lot of commitment, especially in winter..

[ApartmentNomad]

I think it needs to be emphasized that the cost of living is high and that the pay-scale, from what I can discern, actually tends to be on the low side. (You are giving up some salary for the sake of the privilege of living in Taos.)

Yes, people are right to say it's doable in principle, but the cost in inconvenience could be quite high.

As for getting around on foot: yes, go ahead and enjoy walking those country roads with no sidewalks, especially when it's snowing or raining, or when it's dark outside. I looked at an apartment not that far from the center of town (when I was interviewing for a position there), but it was way too isolated for me to be comfortable with. Also the apartment I looked at, within my price range (had I landed the very low-paying job I was interviewing for), was terrifying.

There's something about the vibe there that I just don't like. For all of its beauty, I really don't feel a connection to it. (I'd much rather live in Alamosa, for example, which is not only a small town, but has a small town crime rate, a small town cost of living, etc.)

[jaxart]

Originally Posted by AngelsAlive

I have a chance to house share in a lovely house for a very reasonable rent.

I would already be there if I had that kind of offer!!!

As has been said already - Taos is small enough to be able to walk everywhere, assuming one lives within the village limits. The biggest problem, believe it or not, is TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK! Tourists on weekends (and some weekdays in summer) choke the few streets around the main area of town and nearby pueblo. On those days it's best to walk anyway - or ride an ATB bicycle!

The atmosphere enjoyed by the artists and intellectuals who have lived in Taos at one time or another hasn't changed all that much (IMO).

As a writer - AngelsAlive likely knows of the seminal figure in literary Taos colony, Mabel Dodge Luhan. Aside from Mabel's own writings on the lives and times of Taos luminaries, there are others among her circle who have written insightful accounts of Taos living styles and the patronage they enjoyed from Mabel and her circle of acquaintances.

[Fiddlehead]

Kung Fudge,

I would check out Durango, Colorado. It is a very good competitor for paradise. During the winter season, folks like to ski and party. Given your obvious sense of humor and self-distance you would probably make a great bartender for the ski season, and you would enjoy kicking around the lovely downtown. I only mention Durango, because I did the ski bum thing there about 25 years ago, and it was a kick in the pants. I woke up before dawn and served breakfast at the Arbor House. Then I would serve in the evening at the ski resort. I was even a volunteer ski instructor for handicapped kids, and they gave me a season pass. All great fun.

That said, I suspect that Taos would be more cerebral, if that is your thing. Seems like Santa Fe could work too, with more jobs and you might find a pretty walkable place. Also, they have that cool train (Roadrunner?) to Albuquerque, so you could bomb down to the big city without having to drive.

Chase your dreams!