Santa Fe and Ojo Caliente, New Mexico
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| Santa Fe Plaza |
Santa Fe, New Mexico truly lives up to its tagline, The City Different. I spent 4 busy days here and look forward to spending more time here in the future because there’s so much to do and see. Plan your trip by searching Santefe.org. https://santafenmtrue.com/ where you can plan for the opera, classes, or festivals to enrich your trip.
The
festivals are wonderful. They’re located at the Santa Fe Plaza, a National Historic Landmark in
downtown Santa Fe in the style of Spanish-American colonial cities, full of local
culture and well worth seeing. We saw traditional Spanish dancing; heard
music; and saw native artists displaying handmade ceramic pieces, jewelry, tapestries,
and other beautiful art work.
Drink
plenty of water to acclimate to the 7,000 feet elevation. With 320 sunny days
per year you’ll enjoy walking throughout the downtown area shops, galleries, churches,
museums, and taking in the pueblo style architecture.
We
walked to the farmers market voted one of the top 10 farmer’s markets in the
country by Sunset Magazine. It’s one of the oldest and largest art markets in
the country.
We
drove and then walked along Canyon Road where the galleries span from
traditional to contemporary.
Flew into Santa Fe airport, which is a
very small airport. Rented a car at
Avis (505) 471-5892 or (800)
331-1212, 2nd option Hertz (505) 471-7189. Advanced reservations
for pick-up at the Santa Fe Regional Airport are required.
Stayed
at The Loretto Inn & Spa. Great location, 2 blocks from the Santa Fe Plaza.
Yoga was available and I enjoyed it very much. Dining was very good for
breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Favorite restaurants
La Plazuela @ La Fonda – Reservations recommended - The Blue corn muffins and Artisanal breads were a great start to the evening. Rellenos, Enchiladas and Pappardelle Pasta were favorites
Cakescorner café – Casual dining - across the street from Loretto Inn and was our
quick go to for lunch - always good. Great salads and
CowgirlSante Fe – Casual dining - Everything was so good that we came here a 2nd
time. Barbeque dishes, Southwest, and Desserts were fabulous. The fried
Zucchini Blossoms were spectacular.
In
1868, and since, people have traveled from near and far to absorb the mental
and physical health benefits of soaking in pools rich in healing minerals. The
beautiful natural landscape curves around each of the pools enveloping you in serenity
and calmness. Each of the pools is naturally sulfur-free and rich in one of four
elements: iron, arsenic, soda, and lithia along with a mud bath. These elements
offer different
therapeutic benefits.
The On-site restaurant is delicious offers Gluten free and vegan
options and the only restaurant depending on the season. We tried the each of
the salads and they were exceptional. Breakfast
options were varied and superb. Everything was delicious and the Pasta Pomodoro was a favorite.
Day trips to Georgia O’Keeffe’s Ghost Ranch and Taos are about
an hour drive away. The ranch offers tours, immersive artistic workshops are offered as seasonal Art Escapes. Visit Dar al Islam’s website to arrange a visit to a Mosque near
Abiquiu. Tour the Florence Hawley Ellis Museumof Anthropology,
adjacent to the Ghost Ranch Visitor Center to view the largest collection of
Gallina artifacts in the world. The museum displays other artifacts from Paleo
Indian people who lived here 10,000 years ago
Taos, dubbed
the “Soul of the Southwest,” has been one of America’s foremost art colonies
since the 1920s. The area is home to myriad spiritual traditions, pristine
wilderness and easy-going energy, all of which have long inspired locals and
visitors to create, transform and seek wellness. Taos is home to Taos Pueblo—a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the world-class
Taos Ski Valley, a bustling Plaza and a majestic landscape of mountains,
rivers, gorges and high desert. Take in the scenery on a drive around the
Enchanted Circle or head out on a whitewater rafting trip on the Rio Grande, a
National Wild & Scenic River. We walked through some galleries and dined at
La Cueva for Mexican food.
Jeanette Bukuras September, 2021