A few weeks ago I traveled to Albuquerque on business. I’d never been to New Mexico, and I didn’t know what to expect. Founded in 1706 as a Spanish outpost, Albuquerque lies at about a mile of elevation in New Mexico’s high desert. It’s a sprawling urban center of almost 600,000 people. I planned to fly home on a Friday, but my flight was canceled and I wasn’t rebooked until the next day, so I had more time than I expected to explore the city.
I didn’t spend nearly enough time there to become an expert, but I have some suggestions. First, New Mexican cuisine is a unique combination of Pueblo Native American, Hispano Spanish, and Mexican dishes. It particularly emphasizes the New Mexico chile pepper, which comes in both red and green varieties. Be sure to try a dish that includes the peppers (my favorites were the enchiladas). A great option for New Mexican cuisine is El Pinto Restaurant, which serves tasty food in a hacienda setting among beautiful gardens (so sit outside if the weather is nice). Brixens is another good food option if you don’t want to stray too far from downtown.
You might also want to explore old town Albuquerque, a neighborhood full of restaurants, craft shops, gardens and galleries.
Albuquerque has an active craft beer scene; there are microbreweries strewn across the entire city. I tried two of them, and I highly recommend Marble Brewery. The beers are delicious and interesting, and Marble serves up a wide variety of styles. The brewery doesn’t serve food, but they usually have a food truck stationed outside. On the day I visited, Street Food Sensations was there, and I got some tasty pork nachos to go with my beer. I also stopped by Thirsty Eye Brewing Company. Thirsty Eye has a neat space that combines coffee shop and brewery, and they often have live music, but the beers weren’t great.
The Sandia mountains east of town offer a number of outdoor activities. Probably the most popular is the Sandia Peak Tramway, which takes you to the Sandia crest at 10,378 feet of elevation (about 3,800 feet above the city). If you’re feeling up to it, you can hike the mountain instead (and maybe ride the tram back down).
Getting to the tram was a bit of a challenge for me because I was by myself and didn’t have a car. It looked like Uber or Lyft would cost about $25 each way from the area in downtown Albuquerque where I was staying. A round-trip tram ticket is an additional $25. However, there’s a bus (called the TRAMsporter) that will take you from a few key locations in Albuquerque to the tram, and one was conveniently located right near my hotel. The bus is $50 roundtrip, but it includes a tram ticket. So the bus will save you some money if you’re on your own, but if you have two or more people it’s probably more cost-effective to take Uber or Lyft.
The tram ride itself is an experience, but once you get to the top, there’s plenty of hiking and opportunities to take in the views. I strolled along the South Crest Trail and enjoyed an incredible sunset. Then I returned to the top of the tram, where the newly opened Ten 3 restaurant towers over the city. I didn’t eat there; I just got a beer. Reviews seem to indicate that the food isn’t fantastic, and Ten 3 is also significantly more expensive than similar restaurants in town. But the dining room’s views can’t be beat and, ultimately, that’s what you’re paying for.
I can’t say that I’m glad I was stranded in Albuquerque for an extra day, but it was nice to see a little more of what this bustling city has to offer.