Escape to Santa Fe

Yesterday morning started out kind of like this:

Carrie: What are we doing today?
Amanda: I dunno... what do you want to do?
Carrie: I don't know... what do you want to do?

Carrie remembered that she wanted to go to the Golden Crown Panaderia to get some bread shaped like a turkey or something. It wasn't much of a plan, but the idea was enough to get us out of our pajamas and showered and on the road. Unfortunately, the trip didn't last too long. We drove to the Panaderia, got the things Carrie wanted, then were on our way home almost as quickly as we'd gotten out. We hadn't really thought much about what we'd do afterward. And with our nemesis, the sun, beating down on us, we figured we should retreat and take refuge in my little guest house.

For the next few hours, Carrie knitted and read and I stared at the computer. (Thank goodness for the free wifi from the University across the street!) But I began to sense something else in the room besides the two of us. Our friend Boredom was back and was threatening to suck all of the life out us. We had to get out of the house.

Within a span of fifteen minutes or so, I decided that we were going to Santa Fe, booked us a hotel room, we packed, and were on the road. Cheap hotel rooms in Santa Fe are hard to come by and I figured my best bet would be to go through Hotwire. I was forced to book blindly, without knowing the name or exact location of the hotel, but ended up with a good deal on a nice inn near the Plaza. The trip to Santa Fe only took about an hour, and before we knew it, we were in our cozy room and deciding on a place to eat.

We walked the few short blocks to the Plaza and were greeted by some sort of music festival. There were lots of people hanging out and the atmosphere was lively. We were worried that the event would cause our restaurant choice to be packed, but we were quickly seated at the Plaza Cafe and had our food before we knew it. I went with the Chicken Taqueria Tacos and Carrie got the Cashew Mole Enchilada. Both were good. My only complaint was that I didn't get a refill until I was nearly done with my meal. And you know how I am about my drink. Here's the inside of the restaurant:



We stayed up late watching TV, got up early to enjoy the complimentary breakfast at the Inn, checked out and headed back to the Plaza for museums and shopping. Our first stop was the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum, where we enjoyed the works of Norval Morrisseau.



I also saw a few things on exhbit in the gallery shop that I liked, including a super-cool piece by Randy Chitto that was kind of similar to this one:



After a few more sites and shops in Santa Fe, we made another quick decision to head north to Taos, rather than go back to the dreary apartment. Taos is about 70 miles north of Santa Fe and it was a pretty drive along the Rio Grande and through the mountains.



We didn't really have a plan for Taos, but Carrie found a mention of a yarn shop in Arroyo Seco. The little town was about five miles north of Taos and had lots of interesting looking shops. Unfortunately, it started raining as soon as we got there and we really weren't able to wander around much. We stayed long enough for Carrie to buy some yarn and for us to have some really good ice cream at the Taos Cow and then we headed back towards Taos.



When we reached Taos, it was still raining, there was no parking, and many of the shops were closing, so we decided to just head on home. To make things a little more interesting, Carrie suggested we follow an alternate route presented in Frommer's New Mexico (9th Edition). I was all for an alternate route, especially since the book suggested it was mostly downhill and offered spectacular views. But the road was so crazy (and slippery) that I wasn't really able to enjoy the views.



I became less interested in all the little towns we passed through, and much more focused on how many more miles it would be before we were back on a real road and heading to Albuquerque. Fortunately, the detour only added twenty minutes or so to our trip and we did get to see some fantastic geography. I just wish that someone else had been driving.