Full of food and thought, I plunkered down for the night at a TA truck stop surrounded by huge trucks and the din of their motors. This was my first time sleeping at a truck stop and it wasn’t too bad. The next morning, I took off to Santa Fe to meet up with Madison, a friend I hadn’t seen in years.
Santa Fe is a small city about an hour north of Albuquerque and about 2,000 feet higher in elevation with about 364 days of sunshine a year. People often commute every day from Albuquerque to Santa Fe for work due to the higher cost of living in Santa Fe. However, jobs are limited and the disparity between the haves and have-nots is very apparent in those that do live in the city. Despite the social and economic woes of the city, Santa Fe has a sunny side in the form of its food, art, and mountains.
Chile Is NOT A Proper Noun
Chile wreaths at the Santa Fe Farmers Market in the Railyard
New Mexican food is a hybrid of Indigenous and Mexican food, but to me, has come to mean chile (the e is pronounced like in “let”). There are two types of chile: green and red. Both are made from cultivars grown in New Mexico. There is a heated debate over which one is spicier, but the overall spicy seems to depend more on the batch of chiles used and the way the restaurant prepared it than on color alone. If in doubt, just ask your sever.
It goes without saying that you must eat the chile while in New Mexico. Can’t decide which one to order or love them both? Order your food “Christmas” (green and red!). Unfortunately, using the term Christmas doesn’t work outside New Mexico, people will just look at you funny, pretty much the same way people in New Mexico looked at me funny when I would say, “I’d like both green and red please”, and the server would clarify my request by asking, “You mean Christmas?”.
New Mexico has ruined me in regards to chile because I’ve ordered it twice since I left New Mexico and have been terribly disappointed as the first was essentially enchilada sauce from a can and the other was a flavorless chunky puree. But, being disappointed the rest of your days is worth it knowing you’ve tried deliciousness incarnate. So, make sure to set aside a chile fund when you visit New Mexico.
Artchitecture
Santa Fe has a lot of history as it is the oldest city in the United States. Part of that history included railroad engineers deciding not to run the rail road through Santa Fe in the 1800s. As a consequence, people began to leave the city and city officials had to figure out how to save their city. Their solution was art tourism.
The Rail Runner Express - affordable transit by rail since 2006
Santa Fe is famous for its visual arts and is bursting at the gut with art galleries. It’s the largest international folk art market in the in the world, the largest market for Indigenous art in the United States, and the third largest art market in the United States. It seems everywhere you turn, you see an art gallery. You can maximize your tourist gallery viewing by walking down Canyon Road which has the highest concentration of galleries. A large amount of indigenous art is sold outside the Governor's Palace and has all been verified to be authentic by the local authorities.
The Govenor's Palace Museum may not be suitable for children
Theater owned by George R R Martin - author of Game of Thrones
Aside from the monstrous amount of art in the city, you’ll notice that the buildings in Santa Fe all have what’s called the Spanish Pueblo Revival look. Basically, all the buildings are required to look like period adobe housing. Even the big box stores like Target are constructed in with this look. Downtown Santa Fe has the most regulation regarding the construction of buildings as no building can be taller than the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis de Assisi (which isn’t that tall).
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis de Assisi
Santa Fe National Forest
The Santa Fe National Forest was the first forest I hiked in that almost reminded me of the cedar forests in Minnesota. Every breath I took momentarily transported me back to the Superior Hiking Trail in northern Minnesota. I might as well have been back in Minnesota as I was breathing quite heavily due to the elevation. Surprisingly, I didn’t break a sweat the entire hike as the dry breeze would immediately take the moisture away.
The best part about hiking near Santa Fe is that there isn’t much to worry about in the mountains. There aren’t mosquitoes, bears, or weather. Just make sure to bring enough water and sun screen. And, take it easy especially if you’re used to air at sea level. The most challenging thing is trying to take in as much of the scenery as you possibly can.
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Overall, I really enjoyed my time in Santa Fe. Madison was a most gracious host and I had a fabulous time meeting her friends and exploring the city with them.
Roadrunners are members of the cuckoo family
