Pros: Tent Rocks, access to all terrain within an hour, food
Cons: dry climate. I mean super dry.
I'm not sure what we expected Albuquerque to be like, but it was very different than we thought. It's very artsy and Derik liked the design of the city, with the many "pueblo deco" aspects.
Derik is a huge "Breaking Bad" fan, and since the show was filmed in Albuquerque, we got to see a lot of places that were featured on the show. You can even buy blue rock "meth" candy from Candy Lady.
Interestingly, we met a woman from Albuquerque at a South by Southwest event in Austin. We mentioned to her that we would be visiting, exchanged numbers, and met up with her our first day in ABQ. She took us to an art exhibit hosted by her friend, complete with a live painter, and to listen to a live band. She was so kind to us- suggesting things to do, and even paid for our meal.
We then met our couchsurfing hosts. An engineer and a nurse, they showed us around, gave us suggestions, and had lots of knowledge to share, especially about New Mexico. We had our own room at their house- a first so far! They were kind enough to let us stay a day early, due to the tent fiasco. Speaking of, we were able to fix the tent!
To our surprise, we didn't spend much time in the city. We hiked Sandies mountain (elevation 11,000 ft!) and there was still snow on the ground! It was hard to breath- I felt so thankfully to have lungs that work on their own, as I felt I could sympathize with with someone who has COPD during that hike (haha, but for real). The highlight of our time was Tent Rocks. That hike is not for the light hearted- it was 4 miles of rocky and uphill terrain, but it was SO beautiful! After, we drove to a hot spring that wasn't actually very hot but Derik saw a bobcat, so there's that.
This area of New Mexico is truly beautiful- mountains, rock, snow, desert, tall trees, wildlife, river, all within an hour of the city. There are also Native American reservations surrounding the city.
Food: red or green? This is the state question for New Mexico, referring to red or green chili. I must say, we both lean on the green side. Biscochitos, the cookie of NM, is SO good! Chicharrons, though they don't sound appetizing (google it), are also good and were Derik's favorite NM food.
Albuquerque was a great stop but I must say, "Albuquerque sucks". (Our host told us to say that so that people wouldn't try to move there, Haha).
Cons: dry climate. I mean super dry.
I'm not sure what we expected Albuquerque to be like, but it was very different than we thought. It's very artsy and Derik liked the design of the city, with the many "pueblo deco" aspects.
Derik is a huge "Breaking Bad" fan, and since the show was filmed in Albuquerque, we got to see a lot of places that were featured on the show. You can even buy blue rock "meth" candy from Candy Lady.
Interestingly, we met a woman from Albuquerque at a South by Southwest event in Austin. We mentioned to her that we would be visiting, exchanged numbers, and met up with her our first day in ABQ. She took us to an art exhibit hosted by her friend, complete with a live painter, and to listen to a live band. She was so kind to us- suggesting things to do, and even paid for our meal.
We then met our couchsurfing hosts. An engineer and a nurse, they showed us around, gave us suggestions, and had lots of knowledge to share, especially about New Mexico. We had our own room at their house- a first so far! They were kind enough to let us stay a day early, due to the tent fiasco. Speaking of, we were able to fix the tent!
To our surprise, we didn't spend much time in the city. We hiked Sandies mountain (elevation 11,000 ft!) and there was still snow on the ground! It was hard to breath- I felt so thankfully to have lungs that work on their own, as I felt I could sympathize with with someone who has COPD during that hike (haha, but for real). The highlight of our time was Tent Rocks. That hike is not for the light hearted- it was 4 miles of rocky and uphill terrain, but it was SO beautiful! After, we drove to a hot spring that wasn't actually very hot but Derik saw a bobcat, so there's that.
This area of New Mexico is truly beautiful- mountains, rock, snow, desert, tall trees, wildlife, river, all within an hour of the city. There are also Native American reservations surrounding the city.
Food: red or green? This is the state question for New Mexico, referring to red or green chili. I must say, we both lean on the green side. Biscochitos, the cookie of NM, is SO good! Chicharrons, though they don't sound appetizing (google it), are also good and were Derik's favorite NM food.
Albuquerque was a great stop but I must say, "Albuquerque sucks". (Our host told us to say that so that people wouldn't try to move there, Haha).
Favorite part...but Derik saw a bobcat, so there's that! Haha! Cracking me up!
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