In 2002 I drove cross country. I spent a night in Albuquerque and never made it up to Santa Fe. That was a huge miss on my part. I took another trip through the Midwest that was a loop that began/ended in Denver. Again I missed Santa Fe. Finally, on a 2020 cross-country trip we stopped here for two nights. I wish I had visited earlier when home prices were lower because I would seriously consider moving here.
Santa Fe holds two distinct characteristics as a U.S. state capital: 1) the was founded in 1610, three years after Jamestown, making the city the oldest U.S. state capital and 2) at 7,200 feet it is the highest elevated U.S. capital—Cheyenne at 6,000 and Denver at 5,280 are the second and third highest, respectively.
Santa Fe holds another distinction. It’s awesome. The adobe architecture and old town make it feel like you are in another country. It’s clean. It’s orderly. It’s walkable. There’s great restaurants around every turn—most serving southwestern fare/Americanized Mexican but the city has a wider range of ethnic and American cuisines. There’s a first class local coffee chain, Ohori coffee, and quite a few other roasters that have sprung up over the years. There’re microbreweries. The Railroard park combines outdoor recreational and commercial activities.
There’re also a ton of art galleries. If you walk a block or two you are bound to pass one. Unfortunately, all the galleries were closed because of COVID restrictions. But I had already made up my mind to return at some point in the future.
Santa Fe holds two distinct characteristics as a U.S. state capital: 1) the was founded in 1610, three years after Jamestown, making the city the oldest U.S. state capital and 2) at 7,200 feet it is the highest elevated U.S. capital—Cheyenne at 6,000 and Denver at 5,280 are the second and third highest, respectively.
Santa Fe holds another distinction. It’s awesome. The adobe architecture and old town make it feel like you are in another country. It’s clean. It’s orderly. It’s walkable. There’s great restaurants around every turn—most serving southwestern fare/Americanized Mexican but the city has a wider range of ethnic and American cuisines. There’s a first class local coffee chain, Ohori coffee, and quite a few other roasters that have sprung up over the years. There’re microbreweries. The Railroard park combines outdoor recreational and commercial activities.
There’re also a ton of art galleries. If you walk a block or two you are bound to pass one. Unfortunately, all the galleries were closed because of COVID restrictions. But I had already made up my mind to return at some point in the future.
COVID may have prevented the crowds but it's easy to tell Santa Fe Plaza is remains the city's gathering place even after 400 years. There's brick paths with benches leading to a rotunda in the middle. I'm not sure if the original plaza was all stone or similar material similar to other Spanish/Mexican plazas I've seen in my travels but the green plaza feels more like an American town square than a Spanish outpost.
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But the buildings surrounding the plaza and off the side streets retain a distinct Spanish flair.
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On the north side of the Plaza is the Palace of the Governors, which was built in 1610, making is the oldest public building in continuous use constructed by European settlers in the continental United States. It is now a history museum. I've always liked walking under the covered sidewalks and Santa Fe's Old Town area has them everywhere.
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Santa Fe's Old Town area has a collection of historical buildings including three churches. From left to right: San Miguel Chapel, the oldest church in Santa Fe, built in the 1600s, Loretto Chapel, with its Miraculous Staircase, and The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, the newest, built in the 1800s, of the three but the grandest. Unfortunately, all were closed - another reason to return to Santa Fe.
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Growing up I had the plane room and my brother had the train room. My parents were big into theme rooms. They would then get use toys to match the themes. My brother had a 1983 Hot Wheels Train Set that folded into a carry case (I just spent thirty minutes looking at it on eBay - the toy was awesome). It was almost as cool as Castle Greyskull. It came with a couple model trains, one of which was the Santa Fe train. And boom, just like that, the Santa Fe railroad was lodged in my brain as this amazing brand, amazing concept. I finally made it to the Santa Fe Railroad Depot, and it's a cool spot. Where once there may have been a bustling rail depot, there is now a microbrewery and a market. But all the vintage buildings look great.
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On the other side of the street is a park - one of the few spots where I actually saw New Mexicans outside their house.
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New Mexico's capitol building is an inconspicuous round building in the center of town.
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Santa Fe has some great meals too - the image on the left is an example of Southwestern cuisine from Tomasita's. I got a good breakfast burrito from El Chile Toreado, and on the walk back from picking up that burrito I stumble upon a Santa Fe caboose.
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