A Day in Albuquerque

My impression of Albuquerque? Tan. Even the mountains seemed mostly tan. I never realized how much I like green until I visited New Mexico. (But then, I suspect that natives of Albuquerque would complain that Columbus is too flat. To each their own.)

Albuquerque was the first stop on our summer vacation because of its relative proximity to the Grand Canyon -- a six hour drive -- and because I had never been to New Mexico in my quest to visit all 50 states. So we flew into the city around midnight, spent one full day there, and headed to Arizona on the following day. We saw a lot in just a little more than 24 hours.

We began our day in Old Town around 10:30 a.m. That was a good idea since it was a cooler time to visit the blocks of stores with a plaza at the center. Lots of souvenir shops, jewelry, pottery and more, plus a church. We didn't visit half but easily passed a pleasant hour.

Lunch was a short drive away at Cocina Azul, which was probably my best meal of the entire trip. (Way to set the bar high, New Mexico.) Green chiles were a must try while we were in the state, so I ordered the green Chile burger with a side of sweet potato fries, and each table received a complimentary basket of warm sopapillas for dessert. It was delicious, and I was stuffed for hours.

Our COSI membership gave us free entry to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. The exhibits seemed a bit dated, but the kids enjoyed it, and especially the sections focused on dinosaurs and volcanoes. It was also a nice place to avoid the heat.

By this time it was around 3 p.m., and I didn't have much left on our to-do list. So we decided to drive down Route 66 (Central Avenue) in the daytime and continue up the far side of the Sandia Mountains. Paul maneuvered up a curvy cliff, where the temperature dropped from the mid-80s to the mid-60s, and it was much, much greener. This was the Sandia Crest -- elevation 10,678 feet and a mile above the city. The views were lovely. Then we drove about an hour to the other side to the Sandia Peak Tramway. We didn't take the ride up but looked at the view through some rain from the parking lot.

I wasn't really hungry for supper, but the kids were! The Owl Cafe is more of a diner, with a large motif of an owl on the corner of the building. I got the New Mexico hot dog -- a fried dog covered in green chiles on a baguette -- and those chiles were some of the spiciest foods I've ever had. Paul ate most of it!

Last item on the agenda was a trip down Route 66 at night, although I was expecting more neon. Nob Hill was nice, and the nighttime view reminded me a bit of the Bay Ridge neighborhood where we lived in Brooklyn.

The next morning, we were off to the Grand Canyon.