In Reply to: OT: Taking June driving trip to NM. I seem to remember… posted by Fuzzy on April 02, 2024 at 10:14:14
wherever you decide to go, the one thing you absolutely have to do is eat at Cafe Pasqual's on Water Street in Santa Fe. They're open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and it's all exceptionally good, but my favorite meal there is breakfast.
In Albuquerque, for me, the one must do thing is get to the top of the Sandias. The view from up their IMO is unforgettable and maybe even life changing. You can get there by hiking up La Luz Trail (not an easy hike), you can take the breathtaking tram, or you can drive up on the east side.
There's some minimal food up there (at least there used to be), but I would take a picnic. Sandwiches from the Golden Crown Panaderia in Old Town Albuquerque. Make sure to get some of their to die for biscochitos (in fact everything there is great including their breads and pan dulces).
When I first moved to Albuquerque so long ago I went up to Sandia Peak and spent an afternoon and early evening just sitting up there and looking. I watched seven distinct small rain storms traveling east across the valley. I watched one of them coming straight at me. It went right over me, rained on me for a few minutes, and continued eastward over the mountains. I got soaked, the sun came back out and i was dry within minutes. I can still smell the air, the pines, the rain from that day as if it had happened yesterday.