Old Town restaurants and things to do

Any comments on any of these would help:

Staying at the Best Western Old Town (any reviews would help).

Things to do near Old Town ?

Old Town restaurants that are really good ?

Driving from Santa Fe to Albuquerque, any things I need to see on the way or near Albuquerque before I dump the car ?

Thanks to all for your help

Bob

Old Town restaurants and things to do

To be honest with you, the Best Western Rio Grande near Old Town has been around for awhile, and while it retains the basic qualities of a Best Western, one must also understand that it is a ';well-used'; hotel, being one of only two ';hotels'; adjacent to this super popular tourist attraction.

Having said that, here are the 40 reviews at present on TripAdvisor.com

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60933-d92717-R…

A mixed bag, but the majority are either ';Good,'; or ';Very Good.'; Just arrive not expecting a Hilton, or a Motel 6, and you should find it adaquate for your stay.

There are several museums in or adjacent to Old Town (which is only about 1/2 mile x 1/2 mile). These include, on Mountain Road (Rio Grande Blvd. and Mountain Road is the intersection where you enter the NW corner of Old Town)...the Albuquerque Museum of History and Art, two blocks to the east. I would make this my first stop, even before entering Old Town. An hour%26#39;s visit will enlighten and inform you about the unique, and ancient history of Albuquerque, and Northern New Mexico through the times of the Anasazis, Pueblo tribes, Spanish, Mexican, Anglo, and later ethnicities.

Nearby the Albuquerque Museum, is the Atomic Museum, tracing the history of atomic power. If you have an interest, it%26#39;s worth seeing. If not, I would skip it personally. I would recommend the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, one of the newest natural history museums in the U.S. There is Expo, a science museum best suited for kids, next door. In Old Town, visit the Rattlesnake Museum. Not for the sqeemish, but a fun, rather ';odd'; attraction probably not encountered in many other places. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, owned by the remaining 19 Pueblo tribes, is about 2 miles away, but also a good choice...museum, restaurant, shops, etc. They have ceremonial dances on weekends, at 12pm, and 2pm, last I inquired.

If you want a classy, romantic dinner, try the Antiquity Restaurant, hidden away in the SW corner of Old Town. The best New Mexican cusine for Old Town is Little Anita%26#39;s, at Rio Grande/Mountain Rd.

The restaurant in the Hotel Albuquerque of Old Town (between your BW and Old Town), also has a good reputation, and diverse menu. If you%26#39;d just like a good burger, try Blake%26#39;s LotaBurger on Rio Grande. Don%26#39;t forget to add the ';traditional'; green chile, and cheese!

Driving either from or to Santa Fe, take the ';Turquoise Trail'; NM-14, the ';backroad'; between the two cities, east of the Sandia Mountains. (There is also a scenic highway to the crest from NM-14 if you%26#39;re a mind). NM-14 passes through some pretty countryside, and a couple of old mining towns. Madrid (Mad-rid) especially has some interesting little shops.

Enjoy your trip!

Old Town restaurants and things to do

Rattlesnake Museum, great fun!

We like Little Anita%26#39;s Restaurant. Did not care for Church St Cafe.

From Santa Fe to Albuquerque, maybe stop in Bernalillo and see Coronado State Monument, a pueblo ruin.

Also possibly take the Sandia Tram.

Who's getting married in Vegas?

I am assuming you are getting married in Las Vegas NV. You posted this in the Las Vegas New Mexico forum!

Who's getting married in Vegas?

Oops thanks for letting me know :-)

Who's getting married in Vegas?

Hi, We%26#39;re getting married at the Little Chapel of the Flowers on 13th May,it%26#39;s coming really quickly now ,can%26#39;t wait.

It%26#39;s second time around for both of us (we%26#39;re in our late 50s)but I feel like a teenager again.

We%26#39;re having the reception at the Village buffet at the Paris,and we%26#39;re going to Freemont street in the evening.Everything has been quite easy to organise (touch wood),what do you think ?

Good luck with everything,regards

Wrong forum. You want Las Vegas NV. No Paris Hotel etc in New Mexico!

Old Town, Albuqureque.

Hello,

I am travelling to Albuqureque in May and wish to find a hotel in the old town for the night when I arrive.

I%26#39;m not too fussed about star ratings or cost. I just want one or two recommendations of somewhere clean, warm, chilled out and .... hmmm ... funky!

Any ideas, I%26#39;d love to hear from you?

Also, from the airport to the old town, how much would I expect to pay for a taxi ... to said old town and hotels?

Cheers,

Harry, London, Engand.

Old Town, Albuqureque.

A motel that fits the bill is the Monterey Non-Smokers Motel-- provided that all of you are non-smokers, of course! It%26#39;s inexpensive, very clean, right on the edge of Old Town and I%26#39;ve stayed there at least once a year for the last ten years without a problem or a complaint. Check them out here on TripAdvisor-- they%26#39;re usually listed as the #1 choice.

Old Town, Albuqureque.

Your only two good choices for hotels within walking distance of our historic ';Old Town'; area, are the Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town, or the Best Western Rio Grande, both on Rio Grande Blvd., about 2, and 3 short blocks north of Old Town%26#39;s entrance at Rio Grande Blvd. %26amp; Mountain Road.

I do not know if I%26#39;d regard either as ';funky'; however. :-) The Hotel Albuquerque is nicer, and if you want to enjoy the ';flavor'; of the Southwest, it has Southwestern/Spanish decor. (This is a former Sheraton hotel.)

There are a couple of Bed %26amp; Breakfast%26#39;s nearby, also very nice, if you would be interested in those. The Bottger Mansion of Old Town; and Casa de Suenos. You may check out the reviews of all four of these establishments here on the Albuquerque Forum page, under Albuquerque Hotels (then sublinked to B%26amp;B%26#39;s).

I would ';think'; at least the hotels above would provide shuttle service from the airport, and possibly the B%26amp;B%26#39;s also. As for cab fares, I%26#39;m at a loss living here...I%26#39;ve never taken a cab in Albuquerque. :-) It would be approximately 7-8 miles from the airport to Old Town, via I-25, and then I-40 west to Rio Grande Blvd. however.

Adios back to you Harry!

I%26#39;ve also heard good remarks about the Monterey Non-Smokers Motel if you are looking for economy accomodations. In the same genre, the Econo Lodge Old Town has also had predominately good reviews here on T/A. Both are located within a couple blocks west of Rio Grande Blvd. %26amp; Central Ave. (the SW Corner of Old Town).

Both would also probably be a little more ';funky'; than the hotels or B%26amp;B%26#39;s, but that would depend on one%26#39;s definition of ';funky.'; Each has undergone recent remodeling, so they should be ';clean, warm, and chilled out... with refrigerated air. :-)

Both the Best Western and the Albquerque Hotel have shuttle service. Non-rush hours it takes about 20 minutes to the airport. I would estimate that a cab from the airport would run 25 to 30 dollars minimum. The hotel I work for is about 5 miles, and the cab fare is 25 dollars. The Best Western has a coffee shop and bar and the Albuquerque Hotel has the same plus a fine dining restaurant.

Thanks for your reply%26#39;s! Much appreciated!

I%26#39;m looking forward to coming!

See you in May!

Nice one,

H

Santa Fe questions......

Staying in Santa Fe May 1,2,3 (Plaza area downtown).

A few questions about Santa Fe:

1. What%26#39;s the best scenic drive from the ABQ airport to Santa Fe ?

2. Must eat at Restaurants ?

3. Must see areas in town and within driving distance that don%26#39;t include shopping ?

4. Great places to take pictures ?

5. Any other suggestions ?

I greatly appreciate your help !

Bob

Santa Fe questions......

Here%26#39;s some answers..

1. 2 main routes. I25 and Hwy14. Hwy14 probably is more varied in views, but will take longer, 2 lane road. Stop in Madrid and Cerrillos along the way.

2. This is hard to say. Depends on cuisine, budget etc. Try Cafe Pasquals, The Shed, Tia Sophia%26#39;s, Tomasitas, Coyote Cafe, El Farol.

3. The Plaza and Downtown area is the main tourist area. A drive up to Museum Hill for the museums up there. Also drive up toward the ski basin, hiking, views etc. Most of the rest of Santa Fe is residential and commercial. Head north of Santa Fe to Bandelier Nat Mon and Los Alamos, and/or east to Pecos Nat Mon.

4. Everywhere mentioned in #3

5. Visit www.santafe.org to get more information about places to see, things to do and dining options.

cream blush

fish

Hotel in Albuquerque

I%26#39;ll be in Albuquerque just for one day, a few questions I need some answers to:

1. Any recommendations on Hotels ($100 or less)either near the airport (with shuttle service) or in the Old town area that are clean, roach free ?

2. Restaurants in the Old Town area that are the best to eat at ?

3. Must see, must do in the Albuquerque area ?

4 Areas to stay out of ?

Thanks for all your help

Bob

Hotel in Albuquerque

Here%26#39;s some ideas...

1. With only 1 day, stay near Old Town. Best Western Rio Grande, Hotel Albuquerque are nice. Visit www.itsatrip.org for more info.

2. Little Anita%26#39;s is our favorite.

3. Old Town, Nob Hill, Petroglyph Nat Mon, museums, zoo, botanic gardens.

4. Not sure on where to stay away from. With only 1 day, you won%26#39;t have much time exploring all of Abq. Stick with the above places and be careful at night walking around alone. Locals will have more input.

Hotel in Albuquerque

Depending on the day, you might get into one of the b and b%26#39;s ( like Boettger Mansion ) for under $100. Otherwise the BW Rio Grande should fit your budget, and we%26#39;ve had a lot of friends stay there with NO roach reports! Hotel Albuquerque is also nice, you%26#39;d just have to check the rates.

We love Antiquity for upscale, Seasons for uppish scale, High Noon for steak, and Little Anita%26#39;s for New Mexican.

Any of ';those areas'; are well out of the tourist radar. Old Town itself is pretty quiet at night, save the Ghost Tour.

Where to stop between Tucson and Las Cruces (Mesilla)?

On our fly-drive tour we plan to take two days to cover this distance, giving us a little time to look around on the way. We%26#39;re not sure where to break the journey. Silver City looks a possible place.

We are looking for a budget/low medium price range hotel. Does anyone have a suggestion, please?

Where to stop between Tucson and Las Cruces (Mesilla)?

If you have never explored this area before, I would make the following recommendations.

In, or near Tucson, must sees are: Saguaro National Park (I recommend the ';West'; side, because it is adjacent to both) the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum; and Old Tucson Studios, where many westerns have been filmed, especially those with John Wayne. On the south side of Tucson, the San Xavier del Bac Mission is one of the West%26#39;s most beautiful.

Since you have some time for ';meandering,'; I would head south on I-19, stopping at the Tubac Presidio State Historical Park, and then Tumacacori National Historic Park. Continue to Nogales, AZ... but with the severity of the drug wars going on along the border in Mexico, I would caution you to not cross the border at this time.

Turn NE, through some very pretty scenery to Sierra Vista, then east to historic, old Tombstone with its OK Corral, saloons, etc. of Wyatt Earp fame.

Either go north to I-10 at Benson, AZ...or take in the old mining towns of Bisbee, and Douglas, and then travel Northeast on AZ-80 to I-10, just inside New Mexzico. This latter area is the ';boonies,'; so you may have the opportunity to see some mule deer, antelope, or other wildlife.

Southwest New Mexico is Expert Mitch Hellman%26#39;s forte, so I%26#39;ll let him recommend places of interest from the NM state line, to Silver City...and then the Las Cruces area. Silver City would be my recommended over- night stop.

Where to stop between Tucson and Las Cruces (Mesilla)?

Silver City ';Accomodations'; reviews:

tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g60831-Silver_City_Ne…

Thank you that%26#39;s very useful. Local knowledge is such an advantage. All we need now is the midway hotel.

By the way, what is the weather likely to be in the middle of May in this part of Arizona and New Mexico?

Thanks again.

last question first: weather will be warm during the day, cool at night. There is also a possibility that the so-called %26#39;monsoon%26#39; season may have begun by then, bringing brief afternoon thunderstorms to the area.

As for an inexpensive hotel or motel, my personal favorite is the Palace Hotel. It is inexpensive and is located in the Downtown area, which will enable you to park once and enjoy strolling around. The potential downside is how you feel about staying in a clean but rickety hotel in a 120+ year-old building rather than in a chain motel. Also, be advised that all rooms are on the second floor and there is no elevator, so if stairs are a problem this one is not for you.

Plenty to see and do in the area, but make sure that you are not coming to town during the Tour of the Gila bike race (April 29 to May 3) or the Silver City Blues Festival (May 22 to 25) without making lodging arrangements NOW, as these events are big draws.

Thanks, Mitchhellman, the Palace Hotel sounds like fun and a great antidote to the various chain motels we shall be using elsewhere to keep our budget under control.

Are there eating places within walking distance of the Palace, do you know?

Yes I do know, and yes there are. The Palace is on Broadway, a couple of doors west of Bullard St., the main Downtown street. On Bullard you%26#39;ll find:

BadAss Bakery (yes, that%26#39;s really the name!) for baked goods and slices of breakfast pizza;

The Jalisco Cafe for Mexican and southern New Mexican fare;

Isaac%26#39;s for upscale bar food for dinner;

Javalina%26#39;s for coffee, etc.;

Diane%26#39;s for eclectic food;

Nancy%26#39;s Silver Cafe for decent short-order food:

Shevek %26amp; Co. for high-end Mediterranean %26amp; Continental cuisine;

Alotta Gelato for desserts and home-made Italian ice cream (gelato);

Cafe Un Mundo for light lunches;

...and at least half-a-dozen others, all within a eight-block walk up Bullard-- and this doesn%26#39;t count some of the others available on side streets.

Yum! Now I%26#39;m hungry!

As expected, Mitch did an excellent job of providing restaurant and accomodation information.

Since he didn%26#39;t mention any ';specific'; things to see enroute to Las Cruces. I%26#39;d recommend the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument about 45 miles north of Silver City, if that would be of interest to you. (The walk from the parking area can be a bit strenuous if you are not in good shape.)

Either from there, or direct from Silver City if you are skipping it, I would also suggest you take NM-152 east (from the junction near San Lorenzo) through the very scenic, Black Range Mountains, past old mining towns such as Kingston, and Hillsboro. There may be livestock or deer on the highway in the higher areas, so watch the curves). You will come out near Caballo Lake (south of Truth or Consequences) at I-25. You can then take I-25 south through Hatch, to Las Cruces, or you can parallel the interstate all the way on the ';old'; U.S., 2 lane highway, now NM-185, if you are not ';making time.';

You will enjoy historic Mesilla also.

Geez, what a back-seat driver! :)

I haven%26#39;t mentioned local attractions yet because, well, I wasn%26#39;t asked to!

The Gila Cliff Dwellings are one of the most popular places to see in the area, but they do take some time to view. Though the trip is only 44 miles from Silver City, it takes nearly two hours to drive there... but it%26#39;s worth it if you have the time.

Another local attraction of note, an easy half-hour drive from Silver, is City of Rocks State Park. It%26#39;s sort of a natural Stonehenge, with big boulders with interesting shapes in the middle of an otherwise flat plain.

There%26#39;s more to see and do-- just let us know where your interest lie and we%26#39;ll give you plenty of ideas.

Wadewade said they were taking two days from Tucson, to Las Cruces (Mesilla), to have ';a little time to look around on the way,'; so I was just suggesting places to see in Southern Arizona, and Southwest New Mexico, while he was looking. :-)

I hate backseat drivers myself! I%26#39;ll ride the rest of the way in the trunk. Should I drill a hole in the trunk so I can breath? I hope you said yes! :-)

Funny you should mention the trunk. Was listening to ';A Prairie Home Companion'; on our local NPR affiliate, and it was the annual joke show. One joke mentioned that the difference between a dog and a woman is that if you locked both of them in the trunk of your car and drove around for a while, only the dog would still be happy to see you when you opened it up!

Quality Suites Albuquerque

Is the area around Quality Suites Albuquerque on Gibson Blvd safe? My son and I will be arriving on a Friday night around midnight, taking a taxi from the airport. The rest of our group doesn%26#39;t arrive until Saturday evening. I%26#39;m a little worried about our safety. Can anyone give me some advice?

Quality Suites Albuquerque

Hi Winston,

I don%26#39;t think you have anything to worry about. If you%26#39;re getting in a taxi at the airport and then being dropped off at your hotel, there%26#39;s not much risk. Your hotel is less than five minutes from the airport, and very close to several other business-oriented hotels. I used to drive by it every day, and the clientele is mostly business and airport travelers. Also, you%26#39;ll see lots of military there due to the nearby air force base. Tourists usually stay elsewhere. I wouldn%26#39;t take a stroll by yourself after midnight there, but I wouldn%26#39;t do that anywhere, really.

The thing about that area is there%26#39;s not much in walking distance except a gas station, a Burger King and a Subway. The nearby neighborhoods are not fancy: think of any neighborhood near an airport in a medium-sized city, and you%26#39;ve got the idea. Since there%26#39;s so many hotels around there, I see lots of different types of people walking around during the day.

However, a very short cab ride away there are several unique places, including Albuquerque%26#39;s museum cluster, old town, nob hill, and the university. Since you have to wait on people on Saturday, I would take a cab to UNM, and take a walk around the campus. Then walk across Central %26amp; eat at the Frontier. Normally I%26#39;d suggest museums and cultural stuff first, but if you%26#39;re going to do that with your group, you may want to wait.

Have a great visit!

Quality Suites Albuquerque

I have not clue about that hotel, but the Hilton Garden Inn right outside of the Abq airport has inside corridors and felt very safe to us. Maybe change to that for the first night.

Our entire group (30 families)is booked the Quality Suites, so changing hotels is not an option. Is the hotel clean? Thanks ABQ info, for your reassurance and the tips on what to do that first day.

Hi Winston,

I think it%26#39;s probably fairly clean, and I%26#39;m basing that on seeing a preponderance of military people there. I%26#39;ve read some reviews, and anyone who complained about cleanliness seemed to have a specific mess that wasn%26#39;t cleaned, not a general cleanliness complaint. One reviewer claimed he could tell it wasn%26#39;t clean by the exterior. (??) Not sure what that meant, as it looks very much like all the other hotels in the neighborhood, if not a little nicer.

Also, according to a website for the hotel, there are only 73 rooms there. If your family is renting 30 of them, you may have considerably more clout with the management than if you had rented only one room. If you have any complaints or problems, they will probably be very motivated to fix them!

30 families! Does this mean Michigan is invading?!?!

I%26#39;m not sure if the hotel is large enough to have a group manager, but a call placed to that person or a general manager along the lines of '; Thirty families are staying at your property and I just want to make sure you are the person to contact in case we have a complaint or compliment about the hotel while we are there'; might get you somewhere. With the economy the way it is, hotels are very smart to make sure that the guests who pay the most, i.e. groups and frequent guests, get the best treatment.

Thanks for the suggestion karmethecat. Yes, my son%26#39;s middle school (parents and kids)is invading Albuquerque on Spring break. The secretary from the school planned the entire trip for us. Can you suggest any reasonalby priced, but good, places to eat near the hotel? We%26#39;re not renting a car, so restaurants witihn walking distance would be great.

Hey Winston,

Well, the closest things within walking distance besides the Subway and Burger King are a Village Inn, Applebee%26#39;s, and Fuddrucker%26#39;s, all of which are east of the hotel at the corner of Yale and Gibson, and none of which I recommend. There%26#39;s a sandwich shop called Christy%26#39;s that%26#39;s pretty good. It%26#39;s just south of Gibson on the west side of Yale, but it%26#39;s only open for breakfast and lunch.

All of the other hotels around you will have restaurants as well. I would really recommend a cab though, as you are close to lots of great inexpensive places like the Frontier, the 66 diner, Mannie%26#39;s, The Chocolate Factory, Cervantes, El Taco Tote, and Dion%26#39;s Pizza. I normally wouldn%26#39;t recommend pizza, but you%26#39;ve got middle schoolers, and Dion%26#39;s a big step up from Domino%26#39;s or Pizza Hut. Plus they%26#39;ve got salads and sandwiches for adults and they%26#39;re used to crowds. It%26#39;s right beside El Taco Tote, so people could go either place.

If any adults go out for a nice dinner, try Zinc Wine Bar, Yanni%26#39;s, Vivace, Il Vicino, Los Equipales, Antiquity, Season%26#39;s, or for an inexpensive happy hour: Monte Vista Fire Station on a Tuesday. All of these places are close to you, and that%26#39;s really just the tip of the iceberg. But my fingers hurt from typing so much, so I give! ;)

One more thing: the restaurants at the corner of Yale and Gibson are about a mile away from your hotel, and Gibson is a very busy six-lane street. There is a construction project that may have parts of the sidewalk torn up in between, and the walk will be uphill to the restaurants, downhill on the way back. I also forgot to mention there%26#39;s an IHOP: it%26#39;s on Gibson not quite to Yale, so a bit closer.

Hope that helps!

Their Yellow Pages ad states ';Complimentary Airport Transportation,'; but if that includes midnight arrivals, I do not know. The Quality Suites is probably not more than a mile from the airport, so a cab driver might expect a big tip, for such a short fare ride. :-)

I will also include the 15 reviews of this Quality Suites here on T/A. They are all over the board to say the least. It sounds as though you are locked in anyway, so hopefully, yours will be a positive experience.

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60933-d142191-鈥?/a>

As previously recommended, I too would take a cab ride to the UNM/Nob Hill area (the blocks immediately east of UNM) on Central Ave. (old ';Route 66';) to absorb a little Albuquerque flavor.

If taking cabs around to restaurants is too much, there is a city bus, Route 16/18 also known as the Bug. Goes from near your hotel to the university and Central Ave, where there are plenty of places to dine. $2 for adult day pass, students 35cents and kids under 10 riding with an adult are free. http://www.cabq.gov/transit