What to do - see and where to eat

We will be visitng for a week in April. Would like everyone%26#39;s opinion about the best places to eat . Good places for entertainment at night. Also what are the places and sites we should not miss. Also planning to visit Taos as well.

What to do - see and where to eat

It might be helpful to the SF experts for you to give them alittle more info. For instance, what kinds of foods you like or dislike, what price range. SF has hundreds of restaurants of all types of food and prices.

Entertainment, as well as places to see, also depend on your interests. Northern NM has so many things to do and see, you have to narrow down the options due to time constraints. Even with a week visit, you will just scratch the surface.

That%26#39;s the reason they call it the Land of Enchantment, you have to go back again and again.

Have a great time.

What to do - see and where to eat

There are so many restaurants... we all have differing opinions on which one is best.

For Northern NM cuisine... Tomasitas, The Shed, La Plazuela, Gabriels, Ore House, Maria%26#39;s, Tiny%26#39;s, Blue Corn Cafe, Tia Sophia%26#39;s

For more high end dining... Compound, Geronimo, Coyote Cafe, La Casa Sena, Old House

Night time in Santa Fe is fairly quiet, not a lot of clubs etc...

Places to visit include the Plaza, Palace of the Governors, Indian Arts and Culture Museum, plus many more museums. Canyon Road for art and even a drive up into the mountains for some snow etc. Bandelier and Pecos Nat Mon are closeby.

Visit www.santafe.org for plenty of info.

Santa fe is blessed with countless great dining options in all price ranges. Some of my favorites are La Boca, Cafe Pasquals, Tia Sophias, Los Potrillos, El Farol, Il Piatto, Bert%26#39;s La Taqueria, Horsemen%26#39;s Haven, Josh%26#39;s Barbeque, Cleopatra Cafe, The Shed.

There are always new up and comers and old standbys that wane also, so this list is certainly small.

The reviews here on both lodging and dining should be looked at as they can be very helpful but also should be taken with a grain of salt as several restaurants, hotels and inns have taken up the tacky practice of prodding, begging and urging any live body walking in their doors to come and write glowing reviews.

Are you planning on lots of day trips or just kicking around town for the SF portion of your trip?

Up in Espanola, El Paragua is in my opinion the best New Mexican dining in the region for authenticity, history and quality. A long closed set of ruins called the Puye%26#39; Cliff Dwellings on the Santa Clara Pueblo north of Bandelier is in the process of reopening to the public and is running private tours at this time.

As far as what to see and do, it all depends on your interests I guess. For outdoorsy stuff, Bandelier National Monument is pretty amazing. The drive from SF to Taos is gorgeous whether you take the ';low'; or the ';high'; road with lots of opportunities to see the ';real'; New Mexico. The Santuario de Chimayo is America%26#39;s version of Lourdes and very well worth seeing, but if your week includes Easter weekend, don%26#39;t bother as anywhere from 25,000 to 30,000 devotees walk there from as far away as ABQ arriving on Good Friday.

Friday nights in town are always filled with new artist openings and receptions and the Georgia O%26#39;keeffe Museum is free from 5-8pm as is the Fine Arts Museum. A stroll on Canyon Road with its hundreds of galleries is nice any time of the day or on Friday night also.

Museum Hill just south of downtown is a cluster of five unique museums and sized so one could practically see all five in a full day. Nice cafe there for lunch also.

Your concierge or innkeeper is well informed as to what is going on and should be a great resource for you to tap.

Hope this a good start and helpful in any way.

Us ';experts'; posted at exactly the same time with totally different info! Tim has added quite a few other awesome restaurants and great ideas for your trip.

Thanks so much

I do understand Tim your remark about the posters being a bit bias and how a reader needs to read between the lines - Having posted on the site over the years .

I usually try to research and hope that I can tell where the truth lies. Most times I have been successful.

We are interested in Art , nice drives , and relaxing adventures . The night time not so much interested in club scene but more classic type music or any theater etc.

I have gone on the recommended visitor site - are there any more?

Thanks

Hubby and I are planning to visit Santa Fe in early April. Could you suggest an itinerary for us? It%26#39;s our first visit. We plan to arrive on April 6 and leave on April 11. Since we have to land in ABQ, we could include ABQ in the trip too. We are interested in history,( not galleries though), hiking, shopping and dining. Also what%26#39;s the weather like at that time? We in San Francisco are used to temps like 50%26#39;s and 60%26#39;s in the day time and cooler/windy evenings. Also what%26#39;s the best way to go from ABQ to Santa Fe...rent a car? shuttle and your new railway? Really appreciate your advice. Will do the same for you if you plan to visit San Francisco, should you need it. Thanks.