7,000 feet above sea level in northern New Mexico sits a place the Spanish named Santa Fe – Holy Faith. Cool nights, warm days, and one of the most concentrated per capita assemblages of artists and free thinkers in North America make for a decidedly different city.
Fly to Santa Fe two ways. American Eagle offers both nonstop Los Angeles flights to Santa Fe, and Dallas/Fort Worth flights to Santa Fe. A number of airlines fly into Albuquerque. Santa Fe is 60 miles north of ABQ.
You can spend a bunch enjoying this high desert enclave of culture and cuisine, but you don’t have to. That’s part of the beauty of the place. Consider, you can:
See two of Santa Fe’s most popular museums for free: Admission is gratis Friday evenings from 5:00 to 8:00 at both the New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors and the New Mexico Museum of Art. Both are in the epicenter of the city, on Santa Fe Plaza. See one museum then walk across the street and take in the other. No hassle, no fees.
Stroll the Farmers’ Market: Start out early, while the day is still dry and cool. Let your nose take the lead and head for the Santa Fe Farmer’s market. It’s open every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. till 1:00 p.m. at the Santa Fe Railyard. Not hungry (you’ve gotta be kidding)? The market sells crafts, garments, body care products and such. Locals love to gather here to begin their weekend.
Adjacent to the Farmers Market is the equally free Santa Fe Artists’ Market. Local painters, sculptors and such sell their creations in the open air. The craft market is the perfect entrée to the Santa Fe Railyard’s xeric gardens, a place suffused with plants that sip, rather than slurp, the region’s precious H2O. It’s a great place to let the kids run about a bit – under supervision, of course.
Explore contemporary art at SITE: Any doubts that this quaint, quirky town is on the cutting edge of contemporary art is instantly dispelled when you enter the doors of SITE. The museum is located adjacent to the Farmers Market, and it too is free – at least on Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. till noon.
Bond with the birds: New Mexico has been a bird-watcher’s paradise since the first people set foot here. It’s no different today. There’s a free Bird Walk every Saturday morning at the Randall Davey Audubon Center starting at 8:30. This is not a strenuous trek, although you always want to carry bottled water with you in this part of the world. The walk is conducted through a slice of the 135-acre sanctuary and is led by an experienced birder.
Go golf: Golf doesn’t have to be pricey to be good. A weekend 18-hole round at the breathtaking Links de Santa Fe runs just $36 in the morning, and $26.50 in the afternoon – about the price of a decent meal. This Baxter Spann-designed course is on the periphery of the city and commands some stunning views of the surrounding mountains.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: rmzphoto)
