Santa Fe in a Weekendfeatured

“New Mexico? Why?”

When I started planning a weekend getaway to Santa Fe and telling my friends to solicit their suggestions, it was a frequent response.

I didn’t have a really good answer. The most honest reason was that I wanted to fill a free weekend with a trip to a place I’d never been before and I found a decently priced airfare/hotel package. See, it all started just after the new year. I have this app called Been and it tracks (dun dun dun) where I’ve been and what percentage of both the World and the US that I’ve visited. I was on a Whole Foods run with Stephanie and I was updating my list and then, all of the sudden, I was acutely aware that I had only visited 44% of the United States. That seemed really low for someone who travels as much as I do (but then again, if I have a free weekend to travel, I’m almost always going to New York these days).

I’ve always been drawn to New Mexico when I’m looking at Google Flights for cheap airfare, but it’s rare to find reasonable airfare, and the only direct flights from Chicago are to Albuquerque. But then I found that package while I was playing around in between meetings on a random Tuesday and I just…did it. I booked it before I could let myself think it too much. Spontaneity keeps life fresh and all that stuff, right?

The what-are-you-doing question isn’t an easy one to answer unless you share similar views on travel because the honest answer was “I don’t know I just wanted to go somewhere.” I’d figure it out as I went. I always do. I kept a list on my phone of fun places I found on Instagram, but that was really it. No planning. No big plans. Just me. My flights and hotel were in Santa Fe, and while the state capitol of Albuquerque was only an hour away, my only plan was to stick around Santa Fe.

So I had just under 48 hours to figure out what to do in Santa Fe. At first, it seemed like too much time to fill. But once I got in, hopped in my rental car and started driving, it was very clear that the time was never going to be enough because there’s so much to do and see. These are a few of my favorites from this trip.

Check Out the Local Coffee Scene

My journey to Santa Fe began with two flights, the first of which boarded at 4:30 in the morning. My layover in Phoenix barely left me with enough time to find my gate (which, naturally, was clear across the terminal) and by the time I landed in Santa Fe, I was running on sheer excitement (and the terrible breakfast sandwich they served for breakfast on my flight to Phoenix).

I would have grabbed a cup of coffee at the airport when I landed but the options were pretty limited at Santa Fe Municipal Airport. Like, really limited. The airport was this teeny tiny facility, with two small waiting rooms, a small café next to an equally small check in desk and a baggage claim that operates with baggage handlers throwing bags onto a roller ramp. Oh, and the departures area? It also serves as the arrivals area, and the car rental facility, too. So on the plus, I took less than 100 steps to get off the plane, get my luggage, sign the rental agreement and find my car. On the minus, though, I was woefully under caffeinated.

Lucky for me, though, my hotel was a short few blocks from Downtown Santa Fe, a treasure trove of boutiques, artisan crafts and eateries – including enough coffee shops to raise my energy back up to functioning levels and keep them there for the remainder of my visit.

I found 35 North Coffee in the back of this quasi shopping mall across from the plaza. Named for it’s latitudinal coordinates (and the grams of coffee in their pour over), 35 North Coffee not only offered an expansive menu of caffeine-laden options, but an equally impressive list of fresh eats. I opted for the beignets to accompany my pour over, which were made fresh in the open kitchen in front of my table. It doesn’t get better than that, does it?

Another favorite is Travel Bug, which I found on my way to the airport and wanted one last jolt before the seven hour journey home. Part coffee shop, part travel bookstore, 100% my kind of scene. I settled in with my Mexican Mocha at a table that sat in front of a wall of maps and I bookended my time in Santa Fe with my coffee and the limitless options in front of me for the next adventure.

Treat Yourself

Instagram is one of my favorite way to find things to do and places to eat. It hasn’t led me astray once. A few days before my visit, I was scrolling through the Santa Fe geotag and I found a picture of sipping chocolate served in this gorgeous blue and white ceramic mug in an equally gorgeous pueblo and immediately added Kakawa Chocolate House to my Google Map. They had me at sipping chocolate.

When I walked in, I was immediately greeted and, as a first time visitor, offered samples of any of their chocolate elixirs to help me find the one I’d like best from their expansive menu. I sampled the Rose Almond and the Chili and while both were mind-numbingly delicious, I settled on the Chili elixir because I was in New Mexico and chili’s are kind of their thing. Topped with a hefty dollop of organic house made whipped cream and served in that gorgeous ceramic mug (handmade in Oaxaca, Mexico!), it was sweet and spicy and creamy, and left a bit of residual heat at the back of my throat – just enough to warm me up on a cool afternoon.

Instagram also led me to Whoo’s Donuts, which not only had a solid cup of coffee, but more than a dozen different kinds of donuts, ranging from the traditional cake and sprinkle donuts to more exotic flavors, like a blue corn blueberry lavender, which was a little more dry and dense, but a flavor so unlike any donut I’ve ever tasted and so unique to the region.

Stroll Downtown Santa Fe and shop the Native American Craft Markets

Any visit to Santa Fe has to include ample time in Downtown Santa Fe and the Plaza, which has served as the heart of the city for over 400 years. The plaza is a park in the middle of the downtown area, this grassy intersection with benches to sit and enjoy a snack while you people watch and enjoy the fresh air. It’s so easy to lose track of time sitting in the Plaza watching others traverse from one side of the park to the other, but on a beautiful day with a cup of good coffee in hand, it’s not a bad way to spend an hour.

And if you can tear yourself away from the Plaza, there’s a treasure trove of museums, markets and boutiques to explore, with unique shopping running the gamut from gourmet goods and handmade jewelry to authentic Native American handicrafts and Chile Ristras (strings of dried chili peppers hung outside a home or business to bring good health and luck).

I spent a good chunk of my time in New Mexico strolling the streets of Downtown Santa Fe, completely captivated by the colorful, hand-woven tapestries featured in the store fronts and the southwestern accents adorning them.

Visit the Rio Grande

There were so many places to see on my list and with only two and a half days, I wasn’t going to get to all of them. Taos, a drive to Albuquerque, the Jemez Red Rocks…I still have so many places left to explore. But the one thing I had at the top of my list was a drive out to the Rio Grande Gorge to see one of the longest rivers in the United States.

Her name is Rio and she stretches from the Gulf of Mexico, through Texas and the upper part of Mexico, the entire state of New Mexico and ending in southwest Colorado. In 1997, it was named an American Heritage River. And an hour long drive from Santa Fe is the Rio Grande River Gorge and Bridge, a stunning steel arch bridge that spans the entire gorge, more than 500 feet above the river.

I took my time walking around the bridge and enjoying the view – and the solitude. Between the drive through the mountainous terrain and the jaw dropping view, it was all just so…peaceful. The quiet reclusion amplified the simple beauty of my surroundings. It’s one of my favorite moments from this trip.

Fall Down the Rabbit Hole at Meow Wolf

I’ve been a lot of places and seen a lot of things. Art exhibits? I’ve attended more than a few. So believe me when I say, I’ve never experienced anything like Meow Wolf. It’s one of the most interesting, thought provoking art installations I’ve ever visited.

But until I started planning this trip, I’d never heard of Meow Wolf, and most of you probably haven’t either. So here’s the 411: Meow Wolf is an immersive art installation that was built in an old bowling alley. And while it may be one of New Mexico’s hidden treasures, the locals know all about it – it took me almost 15 minutes to find parking (in a lot that has a giant robot leering over it), and the line to get in wrapped around the building.

The current exhibit, House of Eternal Return, is a story told through interactive art. You enter this Victorian-style house, completely unassuming on the outside, and the inside is an Alice-in-Wonderland-esque rabbit hole. Each room holds clues to the story, every detail (and there are countless) has purpose and meaning. And everything is meant to be touched and explored — the exhibit is a full sensory experience. The refrigerator opens to a secret room. The washing machine? A slide into another dimension. An ATM in an alley dispenses aphorisms and wisdom instead of cash. Lights. Textures. Colors. Lasers that act as musical chords in dissonance when you wave your hand through them. It’s the most amazing, bizarre experience and I spent hours exploring with rapt fascination.

Admission runs $20 (a pair of 3D glasses will set you back an extra dollar, but are totally worth it) and a visit will fill an entire afternoon, so plan accordingly.

Accommodations

Santa Fe isn’t known for luxury resorts. In fact, you won’t even find many known brand hotels here. That’s part of the charm. I stayed at Las Palomas Inn, which was super centrally located (within walking distance of Downtown Santa Fe and the Plaza) and had rave reviews on TripAdvisor.

The rooms at Las Palomas Inn are spread across multiple buildings, with my studio room located in a small cluster of rooms called La Tienda, just up the street from the main building. Because I was traveling alone, I opted for the smallest room, but I found it to be quite spacious, with a king size bed, a full sofa, a large bathroom and even a fireplace. It would have comfortably fit two or three people.

The room rate includes parking and internet, as well as a complimentary breakfast every morning, with made to order omelets and waffles (as well as a full coffee bar) to supplement the standard continental fare.

I felt at home at Las Palomas. My room was so cozy and the staff was super friendly. And that breakfast! There aren’t many better ways to start a day than with a good cup of coffee and a made to order omelet piled high with chilies (because when you’re in New Mexico, you have to put chilies on everything).

So, So Much More

There are still so many things left on my list (including no less than five coffeehouses, a day trip to Taos and those Red Rocks). I’ll be back. Hopefully for the balloon festival. One day. But those two days were just enough to show me that there’s SO much to do and see and experience in New Mexico. And the next someone asks “Why New Mexico?” Well that’s a silly question. Why not New Mexico?

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