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The long-awaited new restaurant, Ten3, has recently opened at the top of the Tram and I would suspect the lines even to get on the Tram itself will be very long, especially on a weekend, with people wanting to have lunch/dinner there. I know they require reservations for dinner (and are booked months in advance), but I would still call ahead to find out how long you can expect to wait for lunch. You may want to reconsider because it will probably be very crowded for quite some time. You do not want to waste hours waiting in line when you only have two days here.
Too Crowded to Enjoy
Review of Sandia Peak Tramway
Reviewed yesterday
I did not expect the tram car to be loaded to capacity-you are standing. It was not enjoyable because we could not get clear views and of course one could not walk around because we had to hold on to a pole. This is okay if it is not crowded. Once we were let off at the top, the scenery was enjoyable and we were able to sit, walk around, and capture pictures.
Date of experience: August 2019
Ask MrsT907 about Sandia Peak Tramway
Thank you both for bringing my attention to the current crowding on the aerial tram. We will be there *this* weekend. Crowds are definitely not our thing. Maybe we will save the tram for when we move there and go in an off-peak time as "locals".
The soccer game is also something we would have to wait on. We are looking for something that would take a couple of hours max as a break for the kids. Most of our trip will be driving around, getting a better understanding of the area, as that is why we are embarking on this whirlwind tour to begin with. We are doing the NW side of town and RR on Sunday and plan a long break at A Park Above. We'll find something for Saturday east of the 25 besides the tram. Maybe Explora or other museum. Husband wants to spend some time aboard Kirtland, too.
If we were to do the Sandia Peak Tramway, how long should be budget time-wise for the drive out, trip up, maybe lunch, and back down?
30 minutes driving to arrive at the bottom of the tram. 45 minutes waiting + riding to get to the top. 45 minutes at the top. 45 minutes waiting + riding to get back down = two hours and 45 minutes total.
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Favorite family friendly restaurants (not national chains)?
Frontier Restaurant Central Avenue across from the university
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Recommendations for a travel path around NE Heights to see neighborhoods, parks, and schools?
Just drive around, there is nothing special in the NE Heights, until you arrive at the expensive foothills homes east of Tramway Blvd.
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Recommendations for things to AVOID on this quick trip?
30 minutes driving to arrive at the bottom of the tram. 45 minutes waiting + riding to get to the top. 45 minutes at the top. 45 minutes waiting + riding to get back down = two hours and 45 minutes total.
Frontier Restaurant Central Avenue across from the university
Just drive around, there is nothing special in the NE Heights, until you arrive at the expensive foothills homes east of Tramway Blvd.
No.
What do you know? You departed New Mexico to move to California about 20 years ago... Your hatred is obvious and boring...
30 minutes driving to arrive at the bottom of the tram. 45 minutes waiting + riding to get to the top. 45 minutes at the top. 45 minutes waiting + riding to get back down = two hours and 45 minutes total.
Frontier Restaurant Central Avenue across from the university
Just drive around, there is nothing special in the NE Heights, until you arrive at the expensive foothills homes east of Tramway Blvd.
No.
Thanks for the ideas! We are coming specifically to get our bearings for neighborhoods, so driving around NE Heights is important for us as we are trying to rule in or rule out areas for house hunting. Not interested in the expensive neighborhoods. We are more specifically looking at the less expensive neighborhoods.
This weekend is Labor Day weekend, so that will also make some tourist places extra crowded, including some nice hiking areas in the foothills which otherwise would be good to see on a short visit, as you can do as much or as little hiking as you want and take in the views. So definitely stay away from the Tram this weekend.
In NE Heights there are numerous good restaurants along a two-mile stretch on Montgomery between Eubank and Tramway: Scarpas, Farina Alto, El Patron, Il Vicino, Grassburger, Zorba's, and Menchie's frozen yogurt to name a few. Dion's, a local chain at Morris and Montgomery is a popular family eatery. The Flying Star Cafe on Juan Tabo just north of Montgomery is also popular local chain with a nice pet-friendly outdoor seating area.
If your kids are interested you can try a couple of things in NW Albuq.: the Petroglyphs National Monument which has several different units, among them is the Boca Negra Canyon which is an easy hike where you can see many petroglyphs. And off Coors Blvd. the Open Space Visitor Center provides a very good introduction to local wildlife and the many different parks administered by the Open Space division. https://www.cabq.gov/parksandrecreat...visitor-center
There is another Flying Star Cafe on Corrales Rd. just north of Alameda. Nearby is the Boxing Bear Brewery if the adults want to check out a local brewery/restaurant, one of several dozen in Albuquerque.
This weekend is Labor Day weekend, so that will also make some tourist places extra crowded, including some nice hiking areas in the foothills which otherwise would be good to see on a short visit, as you can do as much or as little hiking as you want and take in the views. So definitely stay away from the Tram this weekend.
In NE Heights there are numerous good restaurants along a two-mile stretch on Montgomery between Eubank and Tramway: Scarpas, Farina Alto, El Patron, Il Vicino, Grassburger, Zorba's, and Menchie's frozen yogurt to name a few. Dion's, a local chain at Morris and Montgomery is a popular family eatery. The Flying Star Cafe on Juan Tabo just north of Montgomery is also popular local chain with a nice pet-friendly outdoor seating area.
If your kids are interested you can try a couple of things in NW Albuq.: the Petroglyphs National Monument which has several different units, among them is the Boca Negra Canyon which is an easy hike where you can see many petroglyphs. And off Coors Blvd. the Open Space Visitor Center provides a very good introduction to local wildlife and the many different parks administered by the Open Space division. https://www.cabq.gov/parksandrecreat...visitor-center
There is another Flying Star Cafe on Corrales Rd. just north of Alameda. Nearby is the Boxing Bear Brewery if the adults want to check out a local brewery/restaurant, one of several dozen in Albuquerque.
Yes, we anticipated the traffic but this is the only weekend we could get away to do this on short notice. We'll just save the touristy stuff for off-peak season. We visited last time in the first week of March and felt like we were the only toursists around!
Thanks for the NE Heights tips and Flying Star. out on Corrales Rd. Someone else mentioned Flying Star above in this thread and I went to their website and found their Nob Hill location is closed for renovations. Great to know there is a 2nd location!
It's funny about the petroglyphs...we are moving from a town in the Mojave desert where we have a petroglyph festival, our whole town has petroglyphs on the buildings and sculptures in the medians. But we have never had the time to schedule the tour to go out and actually see them! (They are only accessible in Spring and Fall here and they are located out on a Navy base).
Flying Star. out on Corrales Rd. Someone else mentioned Flying Star above in this thread and I went to their website and found their Nob Hill location is closed for renovations. Great to know there is a 2nd location!
We have been going to the Flying Star, on Corrales Rd. (In Albuquerque actually, at the Corrales border), for years... It is handy for us.
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 08-27-2019 at 02:47 PM..
There is also Flying Stars on Wyoming and Paseo, and Montgomery and Juan Tabo.
And on Rio Grande Blvd. in the North Valley, my favorite.
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