Santa Fe Revisited

Recently, I had the opportunity to return to Santa Fe for a speedy weekend, a place this Denver native truly loves and identifies with. Why? I’m not sure. It is Colorado’s southern neighbor and, like neighbors, we have some things in common but there are a lot of things about us that are very different. The benefit in this case is that those differences aren’t annoying. They are wonderful.

I had with me, on this recent trip, a couple of people who had never been to New Mexico. Their wonder over everything captured the essence of what is different – the terrain, the shrubbery (which always looks like fuzzy stubble on a man’s face), the colors (of the soil, the mountains, the sky, the adobe, the chilis), the short skyline (no high rises are allowed in Santa Fe), the passion for its history. It’s a thousand wonderful things that make me so glad Santa Fe is just a 6 hour drive away. Revisit with me, as I see some of my favorites and find a few new treasures.

The fastest way to get to Santa Fe from Denver is I-25 all the way, baby. You can take 285 and go through Taos, which is a beautiful drive, and you get to see Taos which is wonderful. But if you’re short on time, take I-25, stopping in Raton for lunch at The Historic Ice House, where the motto is “barbecue elevated.” With an obvious salute to the biker bar, the restaurant is low-key and fun. Go for the ribs, brisket sandwich or barbecue pork sandwich. Meaty!

Fortified, we reached Santa Fe, returning to a hotel I had previously stayed at, the Eldorado Hotel & Spa with its primo location, down the street from the famous and historic Santa Fe Plaza and with the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum literally out the back door.

On my last trip to Santa Fe, the O’Keeffe Museum was closed, which was a huge disappointment to me. It was in the midst of setting up the “Georgia O’Keeffe in New Mexico: Architecture, Katsinam and the Land” exhibit which had just left Denver and which had really ignited in me a passion for O’Keeffe’s life and work. Fortunately, good timing was on my side this trip and Museum was open, showing its newest exhibit, “Modern Nature: Georgia O’Keeffe and Lake George,” running through January 2014. Lake George, New York was where O’Keeffe spent part of each year at Alfred Stieglitz’s family estate. She created more than 200 paintings and numerous sketches during these visits. It has been said that O’Keeffe felt somewhat stifled in Lake George by her husband, his family, their artist friends and the dense landscape. If that’s true, she certainly looked at it through her painterly lens of capturing the essential. Her leaf paintings were just amazing and the way the Museum curators displayed them is stunning. I was told that the exhibits of O’Keeffe’s art changes several times a year, creating an almost entirely new museum and new reasons to visit. You can also visit her home and studio in Abiquiu, which I hope to do next trip.

The Santa Fe Plaza is as much an icon of Santa Fe as is Georgia O’Keeffe. A hub of festivals, restaurants, shops and galleries, it is also home to the Native American vendors selling jewelry outside of the Palace of Governors.

One of my favorite little treasures in Santa Fe can be found inside the oasis that is La Plaza Sena, just down the street from the main plaza. The inside of the building is a wonderful surprise. You’re walking down the street, looking into shops when all of a sudden, through a doorway, there is a courtyard of greenery, surrounded by stores and a restaurant that has seating in the center, around a fountain. One of those shops is Todos Santos, a tiny chocolate shop so popular, the owner feels no need to promote it on social media, thus the absence of a link here. Just go there. You’ll see it. Here’s a hint of what to look for:

I was surprised and happy to find out that the Santa Fe Farmers Market was still going strong at the evolving Railyard district. Of course, it has a year-round portion inside which is wonderful. But the vendors outside were still going strong too.

Santa Fe is known for its food. I had the opportunity on my last visit to try some of the best. This time, I returned to one where the locals hang out, Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen. We had tamales, enchiladas, fajitas, guac and chips and sopapillas. Everything was good and you get to watch them making your tortillas.

I didn’t have nearly the time I wanted to go exploring on this very quick trip because I was attending a conference most of the time. Still, I fit in snippets where I could. For a more extensive look at what Santa Fe has to offer, read my previous series of blogs. And then, hop a flight or get in the car and GO! Santa Fe is truly, as their motto goes, “the city different,” in the state whose motto is “The Land of Enchantment.” So true.

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