Sunday
Meet the locals for a real breakfast at The Pantry (1820 Cerrillos Road). A breakfast sandwich has been the best choice since 1948. Take whatever seat you can get and watch Santa Fe wake up.
Walk the center of town, known as the Plaza, before the tourists flock and you’ll experience a treed square of green surrounded by restaurants, stores (some elegant, some curio shops) and museums. Relax on a bench and imagine it as the 1840 terminus of the Santa Fe Trail. Trade wagons and immigrants are coming in from St. Louis, and Kit Carson may be there on business. Walk upstairs from the Plaza to Café Pasqual’s Gallery (103 E. Water St.) and buy a Felipe Ortega mug. Made of traditional micaceous clay pottery, this coffee cup is elegant enough to hold a beer.
Grab a beer before leaving Santa Fe at Second Street Brewery, a pub in the Railyard (1607 Paseo de Peralta, #10). The Railyard is a retail-gallery-restaurant redevelopment anchored by the iconic Santa Fe Railroad depot. If you have time on the 45-minute drive back to Sunport, stop at El Rancho de las Golondrinas (334 Los Pinos Road), a historic ranch from the 1700s, now a living history museum and an example of the real Southwest. The original adobe compound has fascinating nooks and crannies to explore.
Finally, after dropping off your rental car at the airport, make one last stop in the terminal at the Rio Grande Brew Pub and Grill. Try the New Mexico oddity of green chili beer. Different, refreshing and a perfect way to say goodbye to the state.
New Mexico Brewers Guild
nmbeer.org has listings of all the beer stops on this trip with links to them and others in the state.
Albuquerque Hotels
Reasonable: Nativo Lodge, off I-25 north of downtown. Southwestern décor, large rooms.
Expensive: Hotel Andaluz, the newest luxury in the city, downtown.
Santa Fe Hotels
Reasonable: Santa Fe Motel, cozy, nicely done Southwestern rooms. Close walk to everything.
Expensive: La Fonda on the Plaza, just remodeled.
Funky: Luxx Hotel, every room is a visual treat. Close to the Plaza.
Best Time of Year
Summers are hot, though at 7,000 feet, Santa Fe stays reasonable. Spring and autumn are heartbreakingly beautiful in northern New Mexico. Winter snow on adobe walls is photogenic, and you can ski at Ski Santa Fe. You can’t miss anytime.
This story appears in the May issue of All About Beer Magazine. Click here for a free trial of our next issue.
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