Corrales, NM Road Trips

Albuquerque was founded in 1706 as a small Spanish settlement on the banks of the Rio Grande and was named for the Duke of Alburquerque (hence Albuquerque's nickname, "The Duke City"). In the 1880s the railroad came to town, and almost overnight a new city grew up around the train tracks a couple of miles away from the original settlement. This "New Town" became the hub of commerce for the state, and the city grew exponentially (eventually the "New Town", which today is Downtown, and the original "Old Town" settlement were joined to become part of the same city). In the 1920s the federal government designated a series of highways that ran from Chicago to Los Angeles as Route 66, and Albuquerque was one of the towns "The Mother Road" passed through. Starting in the 1950s, Albuquerque grew exponentially given federal investment in the local military bases and a massive influx of visitors and new residents, and for the most part it hasn't slowed down. Today, Albuquerque is still the hub of commerce and transportation in the state. While Santa Fe is the state capital and the principal tourist destination of New Mexico, Albuquerque is the state's only truly urban area, with a city population of over 500,000 and a metropolitan population of nearly a million people. This is where you'll find the headquarters of the state's businesses, the University of New Mexico, and the Albuquerque International Sunport, the only major airport in the state. Albuquerque is in the high semi-desert [35.11N −106.64W (Elev.

Albuquerque Biological Park, ☏ +1 505 768-2000. Includes the city's aquarium, botanical garden, zoo, and Tingley Beach (see below under Do). Combo tickets for the Biological Park can be purchased and include the price of train rides on a small narrow-gauge train running between the Aquarium/Botanic Garden and the Zoo. The train runs Tu–Su from around 10AM–4PM at 30-min intervals. 1 ABQ BioPark Zoo, 903 Tenth St SW (just SW of downtown). 9AM–5PM daily, except major holidays. It may not be as big as your average big city zoo, but this zoo is surprisingly comprehensive for its size, with most of the popular species you can expect to find at any good zoo: polar bears, lions, zebras, tigers, giraffes, elephants, gorillas, etc. And like any good zoo, the animals are in nice, naturalistic exhibits. The highlight exhibit areas are the seals, the polar bears, a large Africa area, and a large elephant enclosure. Every day there are scheduled feedings of the seals and the polar bears; during the warmer months more feeding times, activities, and outdoor concerts are scheduled. A small narrow-gauge train runs through the zoo (Tu–Su 10AM–3:30PM at 20-min intervals), with a conductor pointing out some of the animals and explaining what goes on behind-the-scenes. A separate train line runs to the Aquarium/Botanic Garden. $12.50, $5.50 seniors, $4 children, under age 3 free (train rides require separate admission, unless you have a combo ticket). (updated Jun 2017) 2 ABQ BioPark Aquarium, 2601 Central Ave NW (just east of the Rio Grande).

1 Open Space Visitor Center, 6500 Coors Blvd, ☏ +1 505 897-8831. Tu–Su 9AM–5PM. The center for the city's open space program, which encompasses land from around the city to preserve for environmental and recreational use. The visitor center has exhibits on the natural and cultural resources of the area, an art gallery, a nature area, and views of the bosque and mountains. Free. (updated Jun 2017) 2 Petroglyph National Monument, visitor center at 6001 Unser Blvd NW, ☏ +1 505 899-0205 ext 331. Daily 8AM–5PM. On the west side of town, Petroglyph is a unit of the United States National Park System and preserves a significant archaeological site with an impressive number of petroglyphs. Despite their proximity to an urban center, the petroglyphs are in good condition with very little vandalism or theft. The monument has a visitor center with some interpretive exhibits and a few short trails that lead past numerous petroglyphs. Also within the monument are a series of volcanic cinder cones overlooking the city, accessible by hiking trails from Atrisco Vista Blvd along the backside of the monument. Free, parking at Boca Negra Canyon trailhead $1 weekdays/$2 weekends. (updated Jun 2017) 3 Rio Grande Valley State Park. A very pleasant state park running along the banks of the Rio Grande through Albuquerque. The park encompasses almost the entirety of the bosque (cottonwood forest) in the city, which is home to much wildlife, such as geese, roadrunners, beavers, rabbits, squirrels, and numerous other species.

Dining out in Albuquerque tends to be relatively inexpensive and very casual. Many places offer outdoor seating. Iced tea is the beverage of choice. New Mexican cuisine is unique. Be ready for the question "Red or green?" or in Spanish "¿Rojo o verde?" which refers to the chile-based sauce included in or used to smother various menu items. There are constant arguments as to which is hotter, the ripe and often dried red chile, or the immature green chile; however, spiciness depends much more on the strain of pepper and how the chile is prepared rather than the color, and varies greatly by restaurant, so inquire and experiment. Many meals will include sopaipillas, the characteristic New Mexican fry bread, as a side. The characteristic desserts are flan, a type of custard, or Natillas, closer in texture to pudding. Acapulco (2 locations), ☏ +1 505 268-9865. Serves excellent New Mexican cuisine from a stand. 1 , 840 San Mateo Blvd SE (near the Kirtland AFB Truman Gate). 7:30AM-7PM. (updated Jan 2023) 2 , 2617 Wyoming Blvd NE. (updated Jan 2023) 3 Church Street Cafe, 2111 Church St NW (in Old Town behind the church), ☏ +1 505 247-8522. Th–Sa 8AM–8PM, Su–W 8AM–4PM. A cozy little restaurant with good New Mexican food tucked away down a side alley of Old Town. $6–15. 4 Durans Central Pharmacy, 1815 Central Ave NW, ☏ +1 505 247-4141. M–F 9AM–6PM, Sa 9AM–2PM. An inexpensive lunch counter in the back of a pharmacy serving cheap, hearty New Mexican cuisine. $5–9.

1 Anodyne, 409 Central Ave NW, ☏ +1 505 244-1820. Downtown hipster bar. 100 different icy beers, pool tables galore and a killer jukebox. 2 Downtown Distillery, 406 Central Ave SW, ☏ +1 505 765-1534. M–F 11AM–2AM, Sa 5PM–2AM. Long bar downstairs; pool lounge and bar upstairs. Jaeger specials, to say the least. 3 G.Toti, 125 Second Street NW (in the Hotel Andaluz), ☏ +1 505 242-9090. M–F 11AM–2AM, Sa 5PM–2AM. Rooftop bar and dining with 30's and 40's themes. 4 Launchpad, 618 Central Ave SW, ☏ +1 505 764-8887. Hours vary; check ahead for concert schedule. Well established music venue and rock bar and perhaps the best place to see live music in town. 5 Library Bar & Grill, 312 Central Ave SW, ☏ +1 505 242-2992. M–Sa 11AM–2AM, Su noon–midnight. School girl dress bartenders serve bikers by day and club goers by night. 6 Marble Brewery, 111 Marble St NW, ☏ +1 505 243-2739. M–Sa 1PM–midnight, Su 1–10:30PM. Fine local micro brewery in Albuquerque's industrial heart. Limited food selection, but in a taproom -- that's the point. 7 Copper Lounge, 1504 Central Ave SE, ☏ +1 505 242-7490. M–Sa 11AM–2AM. Dark dive bar, but extremely friendly patrons. Best beer special in town—$2.50 drafts on Wednesday nights. 8 Gecko's Bar & Tapas, 3500 Central Ave SE, ☏ +1 505 262-1848. M–Sa 11:30AM–2AM, Su 11AM–midnight. Great atmosphere and an excellent patio for people watching. The tapas are great bar food. 9 Two Fools Tavern, 3211 Central Ave NE, ☏ +1 505 265-7447. M–Sa 11AM–2AM, Su 11AM–midnight. Irish beers and music abound.

If you want a nicer—and pricier—hotel, then head east on I-40 to "uptown" (in the northeast side of the city, which is at higher elevation than "downtown" close to the river) or north on I-25. If you don't mind less free stuff, Central Ave. (old Route 66) is cheaper. However, there are some real dives along Central Avenue, many with unsavory reputations and occasional police raids. Hotels around the airport are generally vanilla-flavored, business-traveler places, but at least are somewhat less expensive than airport hotels in many cities. There are a few nice highrise hotels in the Downtown/Old Town area. Lodging Per Diem is $75. Albuquerque is experiencing a massive wave of hotel building, mainly in the "Mid-range" class. This apparently is driven in part by the infamous lodging shortages during the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in October. The result is that during other parts of the year, affordable hotels shouldn't be too hard to find. Even with the growth in the hotel market, lodging can be tight for the Fiesta, so if you're coming then, reserve well in advance—months rather than days. For some free lodgings try looking for cafes where bands are playing (normally on the weekends) and ask among the punk kids and see if they'll help. Even they, however, may not have much space during the Balloon Fiesta. 1 Sandia Peak Inn – Albuquerque, 4614 Central Ave SW, ☏ +1 505-569-0645. Festive appearance, with an indoor pool and free breakfast. $65 (Dec 2021). 2 Quality Inn & Suites, 6100 Iliff Rd NW, ☏ +1 505-836-8600.

Two interstate highways pass through: I-40 goes east–west and I-25 goes north–south. Where they meet is a large intersection called "The Big I". Albuquerque's Central Ave. is part of old Route 66. A minor note of caution: I-25 south of the city is a "safety corridor" in which state law mandates higher fines for traffic violations. Enforcement is spotty, but take the speed limits seriously anyway. 1 Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ IATA). The major air hub for all of New Mexico. Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, JetBlue, and United serve the Sunport with limited service from their respective major hubs, but it's Southwest Airlines that operates most traffic into ABQ, with direct service from most western cities and from some of Southwest's hubs in the Midwest and eastern United States. One tip: If you're prone to airsickness, try to get flights into this airport that arrive either before noon or after sundown, particularly during late spring and early summer. The high elevation, hot sun, and spring winds combine to produce thermals that can make afternoon arrivals an extremely bumpy proposition. There are no major safety issues (the airport's runways are long, owing to the adjacent Air Force base, with no nearby obstacles to run into), but try telling your stomach that! The rough ride is less of a problem with outbound flights. Incidentally, this airport has a number of attractive displays of New Mexican arts and crafts, and is a more pleasant place than most airports to kill time while waiting for a flight.

Albuquerque is a heavily planned city. In much of the city, the major roads are lined primarily with businesses with residential mazes on the insides. The city is divided into four quadrants, with street addresses taking the form "12345 Main St. (NE/NW/SE/SW)" in which the NE/NW/SE/SW suffix denotes the quadrant of the city containing the address. The railroad tracks, which run parallel to I-25, are the east–west dividing line, and Central Ave. is the north–south dividing line. Thus, the street address 3600 Menaul NE would be north of Central and east of the railroad tracks. This nomenclature, while useful in helping you with maps and directions, has the drawback that you can't tell whether a street runs north–south or east–west simply by looking at the address. By and large it's difficult to get truly lost in Albuquerque, thanks in large part to the looming presence of the Sandia Mountains to the east. If you can also remember that I-25 runs north–south, I-40 runs east–west, and the Rio Grande runs along the bottom of the valley in the western part of the city, you should be able to make your way around the city without too many problems. Here are some basic terms that will come in handy when asking for directions or looking at a map: Central Avenue is a principal east–west artery, running roughly parallel to I-40 and through Downtown just west of I-25 and past the University of New Mexico (UNM for short) just east of I-25. The Heights are the eastern part of town closest to the Sandia Mountains.

Albuquerque has an average crime rate compared to some other American cities, but most of it is property crime of more concern to residents than to visitors. Central Avenue is home to some of Albuquerque's main attractions, but portions of it can be somewhat dangerous after dark. The section from the train tracks (eastern edge of downtown) to University Blvd. can be a little scary in the evening. Even in Downtown, while Central Avenue is passable, smaller nearby streets such as Copper Street can be scary after dark. The Nob Hill/UNM district (between University and Carlisle) is perfectly safe at night, but Central gets progressively seedier east of Carlisle, and can get quite scary around the Fairgrounds. Consider the bus or a cab through these areas after the sun goes down. The motels by the airport and their parking lots are frequent sites for illicit deals of various types. If staying at one of these establishments, simply do not engage and nothing bad will happen. Due to its size and mild climate, the streets of Albuquerque are considered home to many people. While not typically a danger, do expect to meet up with beggars and vagrants, particularly around UNM. If you're going to be engaging in outdoor recreation (even as laid-back as watching an Isotopes day game), slather on the sun screen. The elevation of the city is 5,000 ft (1,500 m) or higher, and there is usually not much cloud cover, so one can get a bad sunburn in surprisingly short order. Also, New Mexico is very arid.