FAST FACTS
Accommodations:
Name: Holiday Inn
Location: Flagstaff (on Lucky Lane just off of I-40)
Benefits: Close to several restaurants. Good “base of operations” for nearby attractions.
Drawbacks: Standard Holiday Inn room. Nothing special.
Cost: $65/night for a non-smoking room with a king sized bed.
Recommendation: Recommended.
Name: Holiday Inn
Location: Albuquerque (Near intersection of I-40 and I-25)
Benefits: Close to several restaurants. Good “base of operations” for nearby attractions.
Drawbacks: Near the intersection of two freeways, so it’s a little bit noisy. Also, room is pretty standard.
Cost: $89/night for a non-smoking room with a king sized bed.
Recommendation: Recommended
Name: El Paradero
Location: Santa Fe (220 W. Manhattan Avenue)
Benefits: Big, comfortable rooms. Great location (walking distance from Old Town. Very helpful staff. Awesome breakfasts and snacks.
Drawbacks: Can’t think of any.
Cost: Depends on the room. We paid $110/night.
Recommendation: Highly recommended.
Name:Travelodge
Location: Cortez (440 S. Broadway)
Benefits: Just outside of downtown, so relatively quiet. Good “base of operations” for nearby attractions.
Drawbacks: Breakfasts are a joke. Room was very basic. You get what you pay for.
Cost: $42/night for a non-smoking room with a queen sized bed.
Recommendation: Barely recommended.
Restaurants:
Name: La Bellavia
Location: Flagstaff (18 S. Beaver)
Specialty: Breakfasts, especially pancakes.
Cost: Omlete, potatoes, and toast cost $6.95
Recommendation: Good food, great atmosphere equal recommendation.
Name: Salsa Brava
Location: Flagstaff (1800 S. Milton Rd.)
Specialty: Central American (not Mexican) cuisine.
Cost: Tamales cost $6.95
Recommendation: Recommended because of the quality and quantity of the food.
Name: Macy’s
Location: Flagstaff (14 S. Beaver)
Specialty: Coffee and pastries.
Cost: Hot chocolate and pastry cost $5
Recommendation: Way too politically correct. Avoid.
Name: Il Vicino
Location: Albuquerque (3403 Central Avenue)
Specialty: Pizzas
Cost: Depends on the pizza. Ours cost $6.95 and is big enough for two to share.
Drawbacks: Very crowded because it’s popular. You might have to wait a while to be seated.
Recommendation: Fantastic pizzas make it worth the wait.
Name: Flying Rocket
Location: Albuquerque (3416 Central Avenue and 8100 Menual NE)
Speciality: Almost anything. Although, breakfast seems to be the most popular
Cost: Omelet was $5.95.
Drawbacks: The Central Avenue store is very crowded and very noisy.
Recommendation: Incredible food, quick service, and a great atmosphere. No wonder it’s an Albuquerque institution. A must visit.
Name: Burrito Company
Location: Santa Fe (111 Washington Avenue, directly east across from the Palace of Governors)
Specialty: The store’s name is a big hint
Cost: Blue corn chicken enchiladas, beans, and rice were $6.95
Recommendation: Great food. Highly recommended.
Name:Zia Diner
Location: Santa Fe (326 S. Guadalupe)
Specialty: American food with a southwest twist
Cost: Pastrami sandwich was $7.95
Recommendation: A touch pricey, but excellent food gets it highly recommended.
Name: Main Street Cafe
Location: Red River, New Mexico
Specialty: Anything your local greasy spoon would serve
Cost: Two hot dogs and fries were $5.95. A beef sandwich was $6.25
Downside: Only open until 2 p.m….and they mean it!
Recommendation: Decent choice. But, limited hours might mean it’s better to try somewhere else first.
Name: Yin-Yang Chinese Restaurant
Location: Santa Fe (418 Cerrillos Road)
Speciality: It certainly isn’t Southwest cuisine
Cost: Pork fried rice was $6.00. Garlic chicken was $9.95
Recommendation: Great food. An excellent diversion if one is tired of Southwest dishes.
Name: Highway Grill
Location: Aztec, New Mexico (401 E. Aztec Blvd.)
Specialty: Basic American food
Cost: Burger was $6.95.
Recommendation: Good, but nothing spectacular. Still, how many choices are there in Aztec?
Name: Earthsong Haven
Location: Cortez, Colorado
Specialty: Breakfast
Cost: $2 for a huge pancake
Downside: Strange décor. Feels like you’re eating in the middle of a library.
Recommendation: Good cheap food. If you don’t mind the décor, it’s definitely a place to visit.
Name: Francisca’s
Location: Cortez, Colorado (125 E. Main)
Specialty: Mexican
Cost: Chimichanga was $6.00
Recommendation: Filled with locals. If the locals eat there, it can’t be that bad (and it isn’t).
Name: The Magpie Coffeehouse
Location: Cortez, Colorado (on Market just south of the corner of Main and Market)
Specialty: Coffee and pastries
Cost: Pastry was $1.50. Hot chocolate was $2.00
Recommendation: Best coffeehouse in Cortez. Then again, may be the only coffeehouse in Cortez. Still, long hours and good food make this a worthy stop.
Name: Alpine Pizza
Location: Flagstaff
Specialty: Seafood…seriously, the restaurant’s name says it all.
Cost: 3 topping small pizza was $9.95.
Recommendation: Awesome atmosphere and good food make this a must stop.
Attractions:
Name: Grand Canyon National Park
Location: Northern Arizona
Reason to Go: It’s only the largest canyon in the world that isn’t underwater.
Cost: $20/car (good for 7 days)
Warning: Remember that you’re at a high altitude. One can get fatigued quickly.
Recommendation: People come from all over the world to see this attraction. Why should you be different?
Name: Petrified Forest National Park
Location: Eastern Arizona
Reason to Go: To see a large collection of petrified wood, and to see the multicolored Painted Desert
Drawbacks: Hot & dry. Once you’ve seen one piece of petrified wood, you’ve seen them all. Painted Desert can be seen from I-40 without paying the admission fee.
Cost: $10/car (good for 7 days)
Recommendation: Skip it unless you’re a geologist.
Name: Old Town Albuquerque
Location: Albuquerque
Reason to Go: To get a sense of what Albuquerque was like in the 1800’s. Great old church near plaza
Drawback: Whole thing feels artificial.
Cost: Free to wander streets. Museums in Old Town charge admission.
Recommendation: Put this last on things to see in Albuquerque.
Name: New Mexico Museum of Natural History
Location: Albuquerque
Reason to Go: Presents a good overview of New Mexico’s natural history in an easy to understand, interactive environment.
Drawback: Must pay multiple admission fees depending on what you want to see.
Cost: $5 for basic entrance. Additional fees for certain attractions within museum
Recommendation: Better than Old Town, but not by much.
Name: San Ysidro Church
Location: Corrales, New Mexico
Reason to Go: One of the oldest churches in New Mexico
Drawback: Church has been stripped of all artifacts. Is now an art gallery.
Cost: Free
Recommendation: Go only if you want to bemoan the loss of a historical structure.
Name: Coronado State Park
Location: Bernalillo, New Mexico
Reason to Go: Good views of the Rio Grande. Excellent Native American art in the museum.
Drawback: Only foundations exist of pueblo. Casino being built nearby is an eyesore. Rangers were a little pushy.
Cost: $3/person
Recommendation: Skip it.
Name: Loretto Chapel
Location: Santa Fe
Reason to Go: Beautiful stained glass, stunning architecture, oh yeah…there’s a staircase in one corner whose construction is still a mystery.
Cost: $2.50/person
Recommendation: An absolute must visit
Name: St. Francis Cathedral
Location: Santa Fe
Reason to Go: Beautiful building mixing several architectural styles. Good stained glass.
Cost: Free
Recommendation: Not a must visit, but worth a visit.
Name: San Miguel Mission
Location: Santa Fe
Reason to Go: One of the oldest churches in the United States. Excellent altarpiece.
Drawbacks: Other than the altarpiece, it’s quite empty.
Cost: $1/person
Recommendation: Worth seeing, but don’t feel too bad if you miss it.
Name: Palace of Governors
Location: Santa Fe
Reason to Go: The oldest public building in the United States. Some excellent displays on early New Mexico history.
Drawbacks: Some displays are a little too politically correct. Native Americans in front of the building selling jewelry seem a little sad.
Cost: $5/person for a one day pass or $10/person for a 4 day pass
Recommendation: A must visit, if only to say that you were in a building that has seen a lot of history.
Name: Guadalupe Sanctuary
Location: Santa Fe
Reason to Go: The oldest church dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe outside of Mexico. Interesting altarpiece.
Drawbacks: Like San Ysidro church, it’s now an art gallery. Also, it’s closed during the lunch hour
Cost: Free
Recommendation: Skip it.
Name: State Capital
Location: Santa Fe
Reason to Go: It’s a state capital building!
Drawbacks: Pretty ugly. Doesn’t look anything like a typical capital building. Nothing much inside to attract one either.
Cost: Free
Recommendation: Only visit it if you’re planning to run for office in New Mexico.
Name: Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
Location: Santa Fe
Reason to Go: A great collection of O’Keffee’s works. Good place to get familiar with her life and her various artistic styles
Drawbacks: Seems like it needs a few more of her paintings to feel complete.
Cost: $5/person
Recommendation: Absolute must visit.
Name: Aztec Ruins National Monument
Location: Aztec, New Mexico
Reason to Go: Fascinating ruined pueblo dating from the 1100’s. Awesome reconstructed kiva. Quiet alternative to crowds at Mesa Verde.
Drawbacks: A little hard to find, because it’s a little out of the way.
Cost: $4/person
Recommendation: A must visit, worth the detour.
Name: Mesa Verde National Park
Location: Near Cortez, Colorado
Reason to Go: The greatest collection of Native American pueblo ruins in the world. A UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Drawbacks: Takes some physical exertion to see all the sites. Is not for people with health issues or disabilities.
Cost: $10/car. Tours of Cliff Palace and Balcony House are $2/person/site.
Recommendation: Absolutely have to see this site.
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