Santa Fe, NM - Feathers, Leather and Chiles....Oh My!

I love visiting and learning about new places but sometimes revisiting a city can be just as much fun.  That why I was excited when my husband had a conference in Santa Fe, NM this past spring.  It had been over ten years since my last visit and I was excited to reintroduce myself to the city.   

We were there over the weekend and I was happy to see that it’s still a charming yet lazy place with a lot of character and history.  The weather in May was perfect and while there were people around, nothing was too crowded.  However, I was a little surprised to find a large population of skateboarders zipping in and around the tourists near the Plaza.   I saw more than one near miss over the weekend which was not something I was expecting to encounter. 

Getting there

There are two main ways to get to Santa Fe.  Most people fly into Albuquerque and rent a car because the one-hour drive is easy.  However, AA had recently announced non-stop service from DFW so we opted to fly directly into Santa Fe.  

There is one important difference when you fly directly into Santa Fe.  American Eagle (not American Airlines) provides the service and they fly small planes.  The small 40 person regional jets with the tape recorded safety announcements that conjure up images of Charlie Brown.  If you aren’t familiar with flying in and out of mountain locations, let me introduce you to a very important travel formula:

Small planes + turbulent mountain air = years off your life

Despite some serious doubts on my part about our arrival, we finally landed.  To say the airport is small is an understatement.  When you deplane, you enter into the “main terminal” through a small door.  The luggage carousel located immediately inside is really just a table with some rollers on it (you know, the kind the TSA uses to put your luggage on before it gets radiated.  Maybe they got a good deal when the TSA had budget cutbacks).  When luggage is delivered, they simply open a window and push the luggage down the table.  I hadn’t seen a terminal like that since Wings was on T.V. in the early nineties.  

It’s about twenty-five minutes from the airport to downtown.  There are a few car rental options including one or two you have likely heard of.  There is also a shuttle service which is to airport shuttles what Wings was to airplane travel.  For example, when we were booking our reservation our driver had to ask for money out of petty cash so that he could stop for gas.

Where We Stayed

La Posada Lobby

We stayed a few blocks off of the Plaza La Posada de Santa Fe.  It is a great location and feels like Santa Fe….it has a historic lobby, a saloon style bar and a great patio with an outdoor fireplace, which was perfect for the cool New Mexico evenings.   The property is laid out casita style with a couple of main rooms in the main building and a great lawn in between which hosts all kinds of events. 

Our room was located in the main building and was huge.  It had a sitting area, walk in closet, full size bath, shower and bidet.  Yes, bidet.  Who knew the Pueblos were such fans of the French?  Overall the room was fine but everything was extremely old and worn (which in my book is much different from charming).

Yes, this picture is from our
 trip to Santa Fe, not Paris

Our room was also located directly upstairs from the bar.  This made finding our room after a few cocktails much easier.  Unfortunately, it also meant that we felt like were still part of all of the action because of the noise level.

The bottom line is that La Posada is a nice resort with perfectly acceptable accommodations.  However, if you are looking for a luxury hotel, I would encourage you to look elsewhere.  The Four Seasons recently opened a property and La Fonda has undergone fairly extensive reservations. 

Restaurants

There are some great restaurants in Santa Fe….as long as you like green chile, tortillas or cumin.   That’s not really my thing but there are still some fun places to try. 

We ate twice at Café Pasqual, a local institution.  Dinner was good, not great. Although we had reservations, our party was seated an hour late.  They only have one table for a large group and since the people with the early reservation opted for an extensive visit over coffee, we had to split our group in two.  In such a small restaurant it would have been nice if they would have at least let the other table know that there was another group waiting.  Maybe the handling of this situation left a bad taste in my mouth (pun intended) but I thought the food at dinner was average.  

Cafe Pasqual - easy to miss
if you aren't careful

Brunch was another story.  A last minute decision, we went without reservations and had to wait about 45 minutes for our table.  There is a great little coffee shop next door to Pasqual’s where we grabbed a cup of coffee while we waited.  The food at brunch was fresher and tastier than dinner.  Try the breakfast quesadilla or huevos barbacoa and you won’t be disappointed.  

The Shed on Palace Avenue is a great spot for lunch.  It is in the middle of the historic area and has a small courtyard and is great for a Saturday mid-day cocktail.  The food is traditional New Mexico cuisine but they also have a good selection of salads and burgers.  

If you are looking for a green chile alternative, try dinner at La Casa Sena.  They have a great outdoor courtyard as well as an elegantly casual dining room.  The menu still tends toward Southwestern but not as overtly as most other spots in town.  For example, I had the halibut which was paired with quinoa, slaw and had a sweet glaze.

To Do

If you are into silver, turquoise, moccasins, Native American art, bronze and anything with feathers, downtown Santa Fe is definitely for you.  There are a ton of gift shops and clothing stores (including chains like Chico’s) in the Plaza area.  The gift shops are heavy in New Mexico culture and the clothing stores have a focus on all natural fibers and sustainability.  

To truly appreciate Santa Fe, you need to go gallery hopping on Canyon Road.   There are some quaint galleries for the average sized budget as well as opportunities to drop five to six figures on some art.  It's fun to spend a couple of hours simply wandering through the galleries and talking to the locals.  

Several people in our group visiting Ten Thousand Waves which is a spa fashioned after a Japanese spring resort.  The reviews were good but I personally prefer a more traditional resort spa.  

Finally, if you are looking for a big nightlife scene, Santa Fe is probably not the place for you.  While there are a couple of bars, most of the town shuts down early. 

In Summary

Santa Fe is a city like no other in the U.S. and everyone should go at least once if they have an opportunity.  The key is figuring out how long to stay.  For me, two days was more than enough time to get a feel for the town.  For others who have a greater appreciation for art and the Southwest, a longer stay may be in order.