October 8

The balloons were once again filling Albuquerque’s morning sky when we awoke. Another morning launch had gone off into a beautiful blue sky. The small storm from the previous evening had blown out as quickly as it had blown in, leaving another clear high desert morning to enjoy. Since we had several things to see this day, we packed up our stuff and headed downstairs to check out. All in all, I was pleased with my stay at the Albuquerque Holiday Inn. It was nothing fancy, but it met the standards one expects with a hotel chain. I recommend staying there if one is in Albuquerque. The cost for our room (king sized bed) was $89/night.

Since we had several stops planned, we wanted a big breakfast in order to give us enough energy to last the day. Of course, we immediately thought of the Flying Star. However, we didn’t want to go back down to Central Avenue, because it was the opposite direction from where we were headed. Fortunately, Flying Star has another location on 8100 Menual NE, which was just down the street from the Holiday Inn. While the building is smaller, the food is the same delicious quality that can be found at the Central Avenue location. We indulged in some large muffins and pancakes before heading out of Albuquerque for good.

Our task for the day was to make it to Santa Fe to begin our three-night stay there. It’s only about 50 miles from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, so the trip could’ve been done in about an hour. However, we couldn’t check into our Santa Fe accommodations until 4 p.m. That was enough of an excuse to take a meandering path which would allow us to see some of the other attractions between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

Our first stop was right across the Rio Grande from Albuquerque in the town of Corrales. Lonely Planet had noted that the Old San Ysidro Church was worth visiting. Since I’ve been a California mission buff since I was 10 years old, the thought of seeing a contemporary of those missions was too interesting to pass up. We drove across the Rio Grande, found Highway 448, and began proceeding north to Corrales. It didn’t take long before we were in the town. The town actually did possess the rural charm that Lonely Planet described. The combination of dusty streets, large lots, and rustic buildings gave the impression that one was far away from other outposts, instead of being in a suburb of a major city.

Since Highway 448 is the main street through Corrales, we continued to proceed north on it in the hopes of finding the Old San Ysidro Church. Eventually, we did see a steeple for the church. However, the building in front of which we stopped didn’t look very old. This fact was confirmed once we entered it. Other than a few statues that looked to be from the colonial era, the interior looked like something that had been constructed in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. We briefly lingered in the sanctuary before we got back in our car. I was disappointed because I didn’t think that it looked anything like an old church. I was ready to chalk it up to a bad example of modernization when we found a sign for the Old San Ysidro Church about a half mile north of the new San Ysidro Church which we had just visited.

We followed the road for about a mile before we arrived at the old church. I thought, “Now this is more like what I imagined.” It was an old adobe building with metal panels for roof tiles. The building had a baked, worn appearance that could only come from being exposed to the elements for a very long time. Adding to the authenticity was the straw in the old church’s bricks. I was hoping that the interior would be as interesting as the exterior. Unfortunately, the interior was entirely gutted. There was no altar, no pews, and no crucifix. In fact, there was nothing in the interior which led one to believe it was a church. Instead, the interior had been transformed into an art gallery. Fortunately, it wasn’t a private art gallery. Instead, it was more of a community artists’ cooperative which was displaying its works. Still, I was astounded that a building of such historical significance would be gutted and transformed into an art gallery. The sight totally ruined any enjoyment I might have obtained by exploring the structure. While it might be of some interested to the art connoisseur, the historical significance has been tremendously diminished. Even though it’s free to visit, one can definitely skip visiting the Old San Ysidro Church in Corrales.

We only spent about 10 minutes inside the church. In order to salvage something from our side trip, we decided to take a stroll through the cemetery across the street from the church. I personally enjoy walking through cemeteries. One can tell a lot about an area by looking at the cemetery. The condition of the grounds and the graves tells a lot about how an area’s residents value their ancestors. Additionally, there’s that element of mystery that surrounds the tombstones. One can’t look at a tombstone and not wonder what memories, loves, disappointments, and happy moments lie in that space between the dates etched in stone. It’s for these reasons that I enjoy visiting cemeteries almost as much as I like visiting churches. But, the Corrales cemetery was almost as forgettable as the San Ysidro Church. While the lack of park landscaping was understandable given the desert climate, there were few tombstones that were either ornate enough or decorated enough to make them memorable. I left the cemetery thinking that, given the condition of the graves, Corrales must be (or has been) a rather poor area.

While our trip to Corrales was a bust, we had higher hopes for our next stop: the Coronado State Monument in Bernalillo. This monument is notable because it was where Coronado spent the winter of 1540 during his stroll around the Southwest. Given this historical significance, I was looking forward to seeing the site. However, this turned out to be almost as disappointing as the San Ysidro Church. Our disappointment started when we pulled up. After pulling into the parking lot, we walked over to the museum. We hadn’t entered the museum, but instead were standing along the banks of the Rio Grande (which runs along side the site). While we were looking at the river with the majestic Sandias behind it, a park ranger at the door of the museum yelled to us, “It’s three dollars to stand there.” That comment ruined the site for us. Yes, we did pay the $3/person. However, the rudeness lingered with us as we explored the museum and the rest of the grounds. I was also turned off by the sight of a new casino being built by the same tribe who had housed Coronado. While I’m a proponent of Indian gaming, the sight of this casino so close to a relic of this tribe’s past seemed to make both buildings out of place. Finally, to be honest, there really isn’t a lot there. The pueblo that housed Coronado is now just a set of foundations in the ground. There is a reconstructed kiva, but it’s not much to look at either. There are some fascinating Indian paintings that once existed in the kiva, but they have now been moved to the museum. However, those attractions along with the great views of the Rio Grande are not enough to justify the price. I have to say that one could (and should) skip the Coronado State Monument.

Having struck out with two attractions on the road between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, we decide to skip any other attractions along the road and simply go straight into Santa Fe. It didn’t seem like any time had passed before we were in Santa Fe’s suburbs. We turned off onto Business Route 25 and made our way into the old town. It was about 2 p.m. and we couldn’t check into our hotel until 4 p.m. So, we continued into Old Town and parked the car so that we could see the sights. Our first stop was the Loretto Chapel. While we were there to see the famous staircase, it turned out that we were thoroughly impressed with the rest of the chapel as well.

After leaving the Loretto Chapel, we walked about two blocks to the St. Francis Cathedral. The cathedral was a rather intriguing mix of building styles, but still proved to be very interesting to tour. We then made our way to the Plaza to find a place to eat. We settled on The Burrito Company, which was directly across from the east side of the Palace of Governors. One might think that with a name like The Burrito Company, the food being served would be typical Mexican fast food. As it turned out, the food was anything but typical. I had blue corn chicken enchiladas with black beans and rice that were absolutely delicious. The cost was reasonable also ($6.95 for the chicken enchilada plate). And while neither Dianne nor I had a burrito, the food we did have was outstanding. I highly recommend dining at The Burrito Company if one is looking for a good lunch.

By the time we had finished eating, it was about 4:30 p.m. We walked back to our car and drove over to our bed and breakfast. Since we were in the “relaxation” part of our trip (meaning we had no events or big attractions to visit), we thought we’d splurge and find a nice B&B near the old town from where we could walk and relax. After a little searching on the Internet, we found El Paradero. This converted farmhouse, which sits right on the edge of old town, boasted 14 restored rooms and (most important to us) great breakfasts and evening snacks. El Paradero’s schedule initially looked like it was quite full during the time we were going to be there, but the staff managed to put us in one room for two nights and another room for the last night of our stay. While that may sound like an inconvenience, we actually parlayed that into a discounted rate for our second room. We ended up paying $110/night. Sure, it was a little more than we had paid at the other places we stayed on this trip. But, it only took us about five minutes after arriving at the place to know that it was money well spent. The first room in which we were staying was impeccably decorated. The rest of the B&B was equally as tasteful. I especially loved the dining area, with its skylights, brick colored tile, and general open-aired, garden feel. We could tell we had made the right choice.

After settling into our room, we decided to do another walking tour of the old town area. I was glad to take this walk, because I thought it would give me a chance to see if some of the criticisms about Santa Fe were justified. Just as a background (and I realize I’m generalizing…I hope Santa Fe residents forgive me), Santa Fe passed a building ordinance in the 1950s requiring all new construction to look like an old adobe building. The result has been uniformity to the architectural style of the city. Many critics that I read noted this regulation, and the subsequent growth of the commercial “Southwest” image as having transformed Santa Fe into a "Southwest Disneyland”. After walking through the old town, all I can say is that these critics are idiots. The architecture works to create an intimate, historical, comfortable feeling throughout the town. It was wonderfully refreshing to see such care and consistency to the buildings after roaming through too many big towns where buildings were put up in whatever style would bring the developer the most money. I recognize that the overabundance of chili strings and Indian pots in Santa Fe's stores may somewhat cheapened the term “Southwest.” And, I’m certainly not downplaying the serious socio-economic problems created by the influx of tourist and newcomers enjoying this region. But, the fact is that people go to Santa Fe to experience the Southwest. And, Santa Fe delivers. It is yet another example of what I strongly believe: instead of being a restriction on new growth and development, strong building codes enhance property values. Every city I know of which has a strong building code has higher property values than those which don’t have those building codes. But, this isn’t a web page discussing urban planning theory. It’s a travel site. And with that focus in mind, Santa Fe, even with the large number of tourists, is a beautiful, historic, and distinctive city. If those critics want to carp about a Southwest Disneyland, they should focus their wrath on Old Town Albuquerque (which does feel somewhat artificial). They can then leave Santa Fe for everyone else to enjoy.

After strolling past the Capital building and walking through old town, we headed back to El Paradero. Our busy day had left us fairly tired. So, we retreated back to our room to begin the relaxation part of our trip.

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