Impressions of Santa Fe trip... (Las Cruces, Alamogordo: appointed, real estate, living in)

[gabygirl]

OK -We were in SF for several days and boy, never expected so much snow! It was great though, coming from AZ. Kind of disappointed to see what looked like a strong population of gang kids. Lots of tattoos on the neck, arms, even face. I really expected SF to be more of an upscale community, not this much of what looks like a gang problem.

I noticed one really doesn't need to be English-speaking, as the population is largely Hispanic. Lots of rich folks from Chihuahua, Mexico.

Wonderful food, authentic and oh-so-hot! Loved Los Potrillos and Adelita's! I noticed food/going out is quite a bit more expensive in SF than in AZ.

Overall friendly town, I would probably prefer ABQ, but I've been there only once. Next trips will be to ABQ and Ruidoso!

[Towanda]

I am surprised there was no mention of your impressions of the architecture of Santa Fe, or the wonderful culture and museums/art galleries, and the setting (mountains, etc.).

Maybe you found it all similar to Arizona?

"Lots of rich folks from Chihuahua, Mexico."
I admit that comment puzzles me. Living in Santa Fe? Visiting in Santa Fe? I have been to SF many many times and never encountered people from Chihuahua, Mexico.

As for the food, we eat very well when we are in Santa Fe, but we stick to more inexpensive restaurants than some people do, and we generally pay less then we do to eat out here in Kansas......plus New Mexican cuisine cannot be beat!

In my opinion.

[MelNM]

"I noticed food/going out is quite a bit more expensive in SF than in AZ. "

Santa Fe is an expensive area overall--at least compared to the rest of NM.

[ontheroad]

Hard to judge Santa Fe during holiday season, many, many more tourists, and with unusual weather conditions.

Personally I prefer SF over ABQ, for its cosiness, and seemingly more authentic architecture and structure. ABQ always seems so spread out and difficult to identify its "soul."

Hope you enjoyed yourself overall!

[Ed Burke]

I sure wasn't impressed with Santa Fe. The city was highly touted by ritzy artists of the past like Georgia O'Keefe. I saw lots of deplorable "kitschy" art. That is, lots of mediocre pictures of adobe huts, vapid landscapes and native peasants making pottery. This was amid over-priced knick-knacks and eateries. In short, it's a bill of goods. A thoroughly tasteless and phony atmosphere.

Want to see the best of New Mexico? Go to a La Luz, a little town down the road from Alamogordo. You'll have to go there to appreciate it. Words are not enough. Then head for the mountains from there. Pick cherries outside of Cloudcroft. You pay by the bucketload. There's an utterly fantastic view of White Sands from a tunnel stop on the way to and from Cloudcroft. Going back to Santa Fe, I has a great Taco Johns going south on the interstate.

[nmguy]

I considered living in Santa Fe, but found the cost of real estate and the general cost of living to be a turn off. SF also seems to have become a parody of itself, catering to tourists rather than residents.

Nevertheless, it is a beautiful place with wonderful galleries. It's just a bit too expensive for my wallet.

To get an idea of what I mean, compare the growers' markets of Santa Fe with the one in Corrales.

I visit Santa Fe mainly when hosting out-of-town visitors or when I get a hankering for something to eat at Harry's Roadhouse.

[Towanda]

I love Santa Fe, and I am now counting down the days when I can live there permanently. I have been there many many times in the past 37 years, and the city still holds a charm for me and I wish to call it home.

That is not to say that I do not love other cities/towns etc. and features in New Mexico.

I guess it is good we don't all want to live in the same place, isn't it?

And oh yeah....I try to get to Harry's Roadhouse with every trip I make to Santa Fe, too.

[Ed Burke]

We love the drive from Las Cruces to Alamogordo. By day it is a fast drive. By night the drive seems eerie and endless. But fascinating! We like looking out at a landscape where there are lights of in the distance. We drive by a prison on the road. It's lit up like some high security place in a science fiction movie. Sleepy guards stop our car and ask if we have any illegal aliens. We say no. They yawn and let us pass.

[Siouxlander]

Originally Posted by Ed Burke

I sure wasn't impressed with Santa Fe. The city was highly touted by ritzy artists of the past like Georgia O'Keefe. I saw lots of deplorable "kitschy" art. That is, lots of mediocre pictures of adobe huts, vapid landscapes and native peasants making pottery. This was amid over-priced knick-knacks and eateries. In short, it's a bill of goods. A thoroughly tasteless and phony atmosphere.

Want to see the best of New Mexico? Go to a La Luz, a little town down the road from Alamogordo. You'll have to go there to appreciate it. Words are not enough. Then head for the mountains from there. Pick cherries outside of Cloudcroft. You pay by the bucketload. There's an utterly fantastic view of White Sands from a tunnel stop on the way to and from Cloudcroft. Going back to Santa Fe, I has a great Taco Johns going south on the interstate.

Peasants? The feudal system went out four hundred years ago, dude.

[gabygirl]

To Towanda:
The "architecture...museaums...galleries" etc. were buried under a whole lot of snow so we were unable to appreciate those. We went inside the shops that were open, but mostly to warm up from the frigid air.

Still, we managed to soak up a bit of culture, walk around the Plaza, the governors' palace, etc. and we drove around a bit (as much as we could w/o getting stuck). Wanted to go up to Taos but road closures were imminent, didn't want to risk it.

Don't anyone read into my observations, they are just merely observations. Almost everywhere we went we overheard people saying they were visiting from Chihuahua, Mexico. Lots of local restaurants are owned by same, according to local newspaper reviews. Nothing wrong with that, just an OBSERVATION. Most conversation was in Spanish, which I found interesting. Very artsy place, interesting. Not my place to live but would love to visit again.