Hi Noel - I’m so jealous - be sure to inhale some pinon smoke from
someone’s fireplace just for me.
Restaurants - you MUST try the Carne Adovado at Horeseman’s Haven on
the south end of town - it will change your life (OK, maybe not, but
it’s incredible). Don’t eat around the square - it’s tourist quality
and price. Go to Maria’s for Old Mexican food, just to switch things
up, and if a little old woman who speaks no English approaches you at
a gas station to buy tamales, BUY THEM. (Hint - be aware that
“Chicharrones” means pork FAT, and it’s offered as burritos etc.) The
working folk eat lunch at Pancho’s (?), at St. Michaels Dr and Llano,
behind the Chevron station - excellent burritos and don’t forget the
condiments bar (radishes, salsas, cilantro and lime wedges) - also
try Tomasita’s if you have some taste buds you’d like to blow out
(everything seems a little hotter there, for some reason). There’s a
little hole in the wall on Cerrillos Road, called The Burrito Wagon
or something similar, next to Baskin Robbins - excellent and
inexpensive (take out only). Harry’s Roadhouse is different (nouvelle
New Mexican) and really good, but the wait can be mindboggling during
peak hours. Truthfully, it’s difficult to find bad food in Santa Fe,
except for around the plaza - even the gas stations serve good green
chile!
As for the rockhounding - Cerrillos (20 minutes south of town on old
Hiway 14) has a state park - you can see Chachaweedle (sp??) the
oldest turquoise mine in North America but don’t know if “hounding”
is allowed anymore. Excellent Tennessee Walking Horse-back riding to
be found there at the Broken Saddle Riding Co. - call ahead as they
organize rides by ability. Mention you want to see the mine, as they
have different routes. To be honest, it’s just a hole in the ground,
but it’s a HISTORIC hole. Just past Cerrillos there’s a gold mine,
up… wait for it…Gold Mine Road - they may be openfor touring,
not sure. The tailings of that mine were used for the road leading
to it - many locals prospected from those but that’s been awhile.
Madrid (3 miles past Cerrillos) has a lot of art galleries, many
carry local rocks for purchase - I know it’s not the same as digging
them up yourself. One note of caution - I lived there for 7 years -
it is not a good idea to park your car on a side road and walk around
looking for rocks, unless the nearest resident has given permission.
My closest neighbor used to shoot at vehicles she didn’t recognize,
just on principle. (Madrid is a hippy town - the saying is that if
you wear a tie, a watch, or underwear, you must be a nark - god bless
that town!)
As for other “must see” - the museums, esp. the Institute of American
Indian Arts on the plaza and the Wheelwright Museum of the American
Indian are incredible, world class museums. Canyon Road is the high
end art mar= ket - in the 70’s Santa Fe was one of the 3 largest art
markets in the world - Canyon Road still remembers. It’s worth a
drive to check out Taos, and maybe go to Taos Pueblo or Santa Domingo
Pueblo (specialty silver jewelry) or Santa Clara Pueblo or San
Ildefonso (specialties pottery). Also check out the flea market if
it’s open - like no other flea market you’ve ever seen- $1 tools next
to $30,000 rugs. Thanks for the trip down memory lane - I’m HUNGRY
now! Email me for more, or feel free to call me - sorry I went on at
such length - it’s difficult to edit yourself when you’re passionate
about the subject.
Blessings,
Susan “Sam” Kaffine