Albuquerque..

[♥ms.pacman♥]

i'm here for a work conference this week, and wow, i am impressed. i now understand why people want to retire in the southwest.

the scenery here is just so BEAUTIFUL. and it's amazingly DRY (bye-bye bad hair days for me - LOL). And ridiculously CHEAP, unlike many other touristy places. and people (uber drivers, bus drivers, hotel staff, conference workers) are SO FRIENDLY. Like, they are actually interested in helping you vs. making you feel bad for not already knowing where something is. is that part of the tourist-locale thing?? i also like how the Native American culture/Mexican culture is celebrated here

Seriously, people talk about Southern hospitality and "slow pace" of the South but i've been in Dallas area 10 years now and i don't feel that AT ALL. lol. i actually feel like a lot of Dallas area is pretty snobby in many ways and tends to look down on people not from the area or on people without $$ (and i can't count how many times i've actually heard people say "if you don't like how we do things here, then leave!")

anyway i want to come back here to Albuquerque on vacation with my DH & kids. it seems very family-friendly. is October balloon festival a good time to visit? (or is it insanely crowded??) my kids 2 days off school for Columbus Day (monday and tuesday) so maybe something for long weekend?

[Mommy_Mea]

Love love love ABQ and New Mexico, lived there only for 7 months, but visited many times (DH is from there and in laws still lived there until recently). The balloon fiesta is amazing. The fiesta itself is crowded, just be prepared for the lines and crowds getting in for the morning Mass ascension (especially the weekends), but it is SO worth it. Go early (I mean like 4:30am early) and be patient and wear layers we have been debating going this year, since it has been many years. We were so spoiled having the inlaws to stay with though in the past. Beyond the balloon fiesta, go to Santa Fe and Taos, go to the Rail Yards in Albuquerque (awesome vendor fair). The zoo, biopark, aquarium, Explora and Indian cultural center all really great right downtown. I will write more later if I get a chance!

[bcafe]

Isn't it gorgeous? My boys play soccer there and every time we drive past the Sandia mtns, they take my breath away. The balloon festival is beautiful and Santa Fe has a wonderful art collective called Meow Wolf. It is a must! https://meowwolf.com/

[StantonHyde]

DH is from ABQ--we used to go there a few times a year. Ditto what Mommy Mea said, zoo, aquarium, Explora, Natural history museum, Pueblo Cultural Center. There are other really great museums--rattlesnake, space/atomic, etc. Go out to Acoma to see a real pueblo. And definitely take a day to go to Santa Fe to see Meow Wolf. We spent HOURs there. You have to go right when it first opens. I would take 2 days in Santa Fe with kids--one for Meow Wolf and the other to see the Plaza and the Georgia O'Keefe Museum.

We have never been to the Balloon Fiesta because I know what it will be like to get my kids up at 3:30 am to watch balloons!!!!! DH talks about going and really wants to--but he wouldn't be the one managing it. His family would talk about it, but they never went at 4;30 am!! They would sit on their porch and watch the balloons go by!! They have all been at least once to the mass ascension and it is amazing--I just couldn't deal with the whining at that hour.

We want to go back and do a New Mexico vacation--so much to see. Taos is gorgeous, Bandolier Natl Monument. Not to mention Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, etc.

I won't live there--the poverty is something else when you really start to see what is there. The city continues to grow and some parts are much more high end. The University there is quite good--especially for Medical School. I do love the mix of Anglo/Spanish/Pueblo cultures. The food is amazing!!! Old Town at Christmas is gorgeous. Unfortunately, they now have giant tour buses that go through which ruins the experience of walking around looking at the luminarias.

[bcafe]

There is a train from Old Town to Santa Fe that would be fun for the kids. You could also take the Breaking Bad tour.

[cheme]

It is a great place! We have family there too and have visited many, many times. I echo all of the above. As for balloon fiesta, it is most crowded on the weekends. If you can be there for a weekday ascension, you can get up a little later (~5 depending on where you're coming from). They aren't quite as big as the weekend ones, but I prefer less people. There is one Th/Fr that is for "special shapes" balloons which is a lot of fun for the kids. It all depends on weather though, I'd definitely go on one of the first days you're there in case it gets cancelled, so you can use your tickets for another event. Being on the field is such a great experience, I'd recommend doing at least one mass ascension, but on weekends, we really like to "chase" the balloons. We would get up ~7 and watch for what direction the balloons are going, drive to that area and help them land. Well, the adults help, the kids just stay out of the way and watch and then the pilots will give them their balloon cards. My kids actually liked that more than being on the field, and had a great time collecting the cards.

The above posts have hit nearly all of our other favorite places. One addition I have is the Tent Rocks hike - it is in between Albuquerque and Santa Fe and it is a nice, fairly short hike and has such interesting formations - you can look it up online. I think its official name is Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks. Bandelier is great too but a little further. Meow Wolf is an amazing place to visit - totally different from anywhere else we've been.

We've considered living there. Some areas of the town have a lot of poverty, but others are really nice. There are many scientists and engineers there because of the national lab and air force base, as well as everyone associated with the university. I've been impressed by the schools (public) our relatives attend. I do know property crime/drug related stuff is high all over the city because of the poverty. Our family is always making sure we leave absolutely nothing in our car when we park outside their house overnight, because even though they are in a great area, car break ins are very common (probably something to be aware of at hotels too).