15

We would prefer not to use a car, but instead walk, use public transportation, or the occasional taxi if necessary. This trip would be approximately a week.

16

We're seriously thinking about Santa Fe now, but fear that as a vacation destination, it's a bit "trendy"-expensive, many fancy restaurants, galleries, and boutiques. Is this the case? What is the general atmosphere there?

17

A week in Santa Fe without a car? Yikes.

Have you considered New Orleans (with a side trip to Lafayette and/or Baton Rouge)?

18

We're seriously thinking about Santa Fe now, but fear that as a vacation destination, it's a bit "trendy"-expensive, many fancy restaurants, galleries, and boutiques. Is this the case? What is the general atmosphere there?

Yes - it's all those things ... and a chunky brew of Native American and Spanish Catholicism, with a lot of 20th Century new culture poured over the top. It's a lovely town to visit for a couple of days indeed ... but by Day 3 or so you'd want to be heading off in all directions exploring the region, and a car is good for that.

19

Santa Fe has excellent public transportation -- $2 for a full day's pass for the buses, which include downtown and up to Museum Hill. There is a shuttlebus to Taos. There is a commuter train to Albuquerque and also airport shuttlebus from the Albuquerque international airport directly to your hostel or hotel. There is a Santa Fe International Hostel (carracar is the owner), plus 4 separate Motel 6s along Cerrillos Road, which was the original historic Route #66. Motel 6 costs approximately $40/single person/night. I don't know how much extra for a double. The International Hostel has a kitchen, where guests are allowed to cook their own food. Whole Earth Foods organic grocery store is just a few blocks away. Cerrillos Road is on the main bus route to the downtown Plaza with museums and art galleries and 400-years-old cathedral and church. There is a shuttlebus from the Plaza to the Railyard art galleries to Canyon Road art galleries. The bus to Museum Hill also takes you to a new Santa Fe Botanic Garden, plus access to many hiking trails. At the top of Canyon Road is the Randall Davies Audubon Center with a nature shop and guided naturalist tours along the mountain trails. Their bulletin board lists all of the species of birds and wild animals that visitors have seen in the area. One trail goes to the headwaters of the Santa Fe River in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

As far as boutiques -- the Santa Fe Animal Shelter has been getting so many very exquisite and expensive donations of designer clothes, jewelry, arts, crafts, books, music scores, opera librettos, and collections of LP vinyl records from Benny Goodman era, that they are now opening a new, boutique thrift shop across Cordova Road/St. Francis Highway from popular Trader Joe's organic produce market. This is not far from Cerrillos Road -- about 2 blocks. An estate sale this past summer included dozens of blouses and shirts by Ralph Lauren; some had not been worn and were just like brand new. Several of Santa Fe's renowned celebrities are animal lovers, so they have donated many beautiful clothes to the Animal Shelter, which have sold out very quickly. One elderly fashion designer bequeathed here million-dollar home on Canyon Road and everything in it to the Animal Shelter last summer.

Santa Fe also has many entertainment venues, including the Santa Fe Opera during the summer, concerts, ballet, and plays. One of the colleges put on Shakespeare plays this past summer.

20

Thank you. We might get a car for Santa Fe, but in a bigger city it would be too stressful. What kind of weather can we expect in early-mid April New Mexico?