Santa Fe: The Royal Town of the Holy Faith As we coasted the last few miles along the route into Santa Fe, I kept saying to Lindsey, “Where is it?” Because of Santa Fe’s reputation as a cultural and artistic mecca (not to mention it is New Mexico’s state capital), I expected the city to be similar in size to the other cities we had passed through on the Route. But, Santa Fe’s population is only 75k and, because of strict building standards, most homes and businesses are squat adobe structures.
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| Just outside of Santa Fe. |
In downtown Santa Fe, we stayed right on the Route at El Rey Inn, an adobe-style motor court built in 1936. Terrel and Hanneke White bought the Inn in 1973 and added a two-story, Spanish-style courtyard. Today, the Inn is known for its winding paths through immaculate gardens and received a "Backyard Habitat Award" in 2003 (complete with the same breed of "momo" birds we first encountered in Mexico last year when one of them dive-bombed me, repeatedly, to Lindsey's great amusement). Our room was clean and basic, with a southwestern decor and pool view. We we're really paying for the location and courtyards at El Rey, not uber-luxurious rooms.
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| Street view of El Rey Inn. |
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| El Rey's Spanish inspired courtyard. |
We spent the first part of our only evening in Santa Fe at Restaurant Martín, where the chefs are more artists than cooks and the clientele more wealthy than not (Elvis felt a little intimidated in the parking lot). Despite our frustration with the spoiled, bourgeois couple next to us ("your reputation is riding on this dish," the man told our flawless waitress), we enjoyed our delicate food and the outdoor ambiance - and appreciated that a generous portion of the restaurant's wine profits go to a horse rescue.
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| At Restaurant Martín. Snooty couple not pictured. |
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| Joe ordered the BBQ chicken with orzo mac & cheese. |
Grateful to rejoin a more diverse crowd of nomadic hipsters, we spent the rest of our evening (and a good part of the morning) in and around the resort-like downtown plaza, ducking into quirky, knick-knack shops and watching street performers. In the morning, we browsed jewelery and art for sale among street vendors and at the more formal and high-end Native American Arts Festival, until Lindsey settled upon a pair of small, silver feather earrings.
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| Santa Fe main square at night. |
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| Street vendors at the Palace of the Governors. |
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| Joe did not learn his lesson after poking a cactus. |
Before leaving for Albuquerque, we toured the Cathedral dedicated to St. Francis de Assisi, for whom Santa Fe is named (The Royal Town of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi). Assisi is also the patron saint of animals, so Lindsey was thrilled.
Albuquerque: Hispanic Influence & The Sandia Peak Inn
We drove through the majority of Albuquerque because the Sandia Peak Inn, our motel, sits on the westernmost edge. In contrast to Santa Fe, Albuquerque is a large, diverse city of growing Hispanic population (a plurality today). To us, it felt a bit more authentic than Santa Fe, with development based less on strict building codes and more on need and changing demographics. Albuquerque is framed by the Sandia Mountains, named after the Spanish word for watermelon because of their bright pink and green coloring.
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| The view on the way into Albuquerque. |
The Sandia Peak Inn is an historic motor court on Route 66 now under the ownership of Kay (pictured with me below) and her husband since 2001. The couple is upgrading each unit one-by-one, to include flat screen TVs and jacuzzi tubs. Every time we left the room, a bubbly, smiling Kay asked if everything was to our liking. When we asked if we could take her picture next to the motel's sign, she joked, "My husband's gonna wonder who my new boyfriend is." Just like many of the owner-operated motels we've seen, Kay and her husband have incredible pride for their business and their place on the Route.
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| Joe and Kay on Sunday morning. |
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| Sandia Peak Inn. |
With limited time to spend in Albuquerque, we chose La Placitas (est. 1935) on the main square in old town - a restaurant famed for the tree growing through its main dining room and for the centuries-old building it occupies. Compared to Santa Fe, the square was rather quiet - save for the dozen or so couples trying to find an open table on a late Sunday night.
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| La Placitas Dining Rooms in downtown Albuquerque. |
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| Famous tree still growing through the dining room. |
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| Main plaza in downtown Albuquerque. |
In downtown Santa Fe, we stayed right on the Route at El Rey Inn, an adobe-style motor court built in 1936. Terrel and Hanneke White bought the Inn in 1973 and added a two-story, Spanish-style courtyard. Today, the Inn is known for its winding paths through immaculate gardens and received a "Backyard Habitat Award" in 2003 (complete with the same breed of "momo" birds we first encountered in Mexico last year when one of them dive-bombed me, repeatedly, to Lindsey's great amusement). Our room was clean and basic, with a southwestern decor and pool view. We we're really paying for the location and courtyards at El Rey, not uber-luxurious rooms. 
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