Places To Go in Santa Fe (Part 1)

Disclaimer: This post is a blatant attempt to draw blog traffic.


With a few days behind me now, here ARE my thoughts concerning Santa Fe:

• Wow, is it dry there! I guess ARID is the correct term.   Yes, it's dry in Colorado, but it's more so in Santa Fe.  I came back with chapped lips and cheeks.
• We hit the weather jackpot.  The temps were perfect, in the low 70's the whole time.  But I believe now they got hit with snow just like we are.
• It's a fairly quick drive from Denver to Santa Fe.  Most of it down the highway at 75 mph.
• If you are a fan of Southwestern Decor, Santa Fe is overload.  Adobe and Stucco everywhere you look.  I like the consistency of the obvious building codes.  But as my lil bro would say, "everything is the color of dirt".
• Are you a fan of Southwestern silver and turquoise jewelry?  The quantity available is, actually, overwhelming.  But since I'm a fan of the vintage dead pawn variety.........that narrowed down my choices, and I was very conservative in my purchases...............more on all that later.

And then there is the food. 

I'm very picky about Mexican food, due, in part, to the food served by my Aunt Nikka when I was a little girl.  In her little northwest Denver house.  I can see her flipping the tortillas from hand to hand as she made them from scratch.

So as you would expect, Santa Fe has so much Mexican food, it's hard to find anything BUT Mexican food.  But there were a few highlights.  Everyone we talked to told us to go to The Shed.

This place is full of locals.  Walking distance from The Plaza.  And the food didn't disappoint.  One of the New Mexico distinctions is lots of posole and I love that taste.  This was a chicken soft taco (in a blue shell) and a cheese enchilada.

Because we were eating more than usual, by the time dinner came around, we ate very light.  Sharing an app platter at the La Fonda hotel was enough, and this one was quite tasty. Each selection had great, well thought out taste.  Never had such a good quesadilla.

And then there was the "Frito Pie".............

•  I've always wanted to stay at the La Fonda, and much of my photos of "The Digs" show how wonderful it was.  It's an historic hotel, which I'm quite fond of.  Maybe not as luxurious as other, newer places, but right in the heart of downtown.  Full of shops and restaurants.  We got a great $99 spring rate, and I looked out my hotel window at the Loretto Chapel.  Not bad.

More in part two about the museums and other observations..........meanwhile........

Free music on The Plaza