New Mexico's Pueblo tribes have one character that stands out among many as a symbol of the spirit of this state: the fun-maker, called by a variety of names, most notably Koshare. Within the Native American dances, this black-and-white-striped character has many powers. He can cure some diseases, make rain fall, and increase fertility. Above all, the irreverent joker exposes our deepest foibles.
As you travel throughout northern New Mexico you may see evidence of the Koshare-like powers in the land's magical beauty and in the tender relationships between cultures. This place has witnessed immense geologic upheavals, from volcanic explosions to cataclysmic ground shifts. It has seen tragedy in the clash between Spanish, Native American, and Anglo cultures. And yet, with its Koshare nature, it has transformed those experiences into immeasurable richness. Today, it is a land of stunning expanses, immense cultural diversity, and creativity -- a place where people very much pursue their own paths.
The center of the region is Santa Fe, a hip, artsy city that wears its 400-year-old mores on its sleeve. Nestled on the side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, it's an adobe showcase of centuries-old buildings that hug the earth. Many of these are artist studios and galleries set on narrow streets, ideal for desultory browsing. And then there's upstart Taos, the little arts town and ski center of just 5,000 people that lies wedged between the 13,000-foot Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the 700-foot-deep Rio Grande Gorge. Taos is a place of extreme temperatures and temperaments. Winter snows here bring light powder, excellent for skiing; spring's warmth fattens the rivers with runoff, allowing for terrific rafting and kayaking; and summer and fall are full of sun, great for a variety of outdoor activities. Taoseños, the locals, eschew regular work schedules -- some businesses even shut down on good ski days. Albuquerque is the big city, New Mexico style, where people from all over the state come to trade. You'll see cowboys and Native Americans with pickups loaded with everything from saddles to swing sets to solar windmills, heading in all directions. You'll also find excellent restaurants and fun attractions such as a tramway to the top of the Sandia Mountains and lava flows covered with petroglyphs.
Not far from these three cities are the 19 settlements and numerous ruins of the Native American Pueblo culture, an incredible testament to the resilience of a proud people. And through it all weave the Manzano, Sandia, Sangre de Cristo, and Jemez mountains, multimillion-year-old reminders of man's recent arrival to this vast and unique landscape.
Northern New Mexico has come by its "mañana" reputation honestly. Usually change happens...tomorrow. But there are some lively additions in the region well worth exploring.
Santa Fe
More and more people are choosing to fly directly into Santa Fe with United Express (tel. 800/241-6522; www.ual.com) offering service through Denver. Additionally, America West (tel. 800/235-9292; www.americawest.com) serves Santa Fe from Phoenix. In order to save money, most travelers still choose to fly into Albuquerque and take ground transportation north.
Santa Fe's best hotel buy has just entered the luxury category. Hotel Santa Fe, 1501 Paseo de Peralta (tel. 800/825-9876 or 505/982-1200; www.hotelsantafe.com), the only Native American-owned hotel in the "City Different," recently opened (adjacent to its main hotel) the Hacienda, a 35-room complex of luxury rooms and suites that caters to the traveler who likes to be pampered. Each of the large rooms has a corner fireplace, handcrafted Southwestern furnishings, butler service, and views of the Sangre de Cristo and Jemez Mountains.
Santa Fe's newest hotel, the Old Santa Fe Inn, 320 Galisteo St., (tel. 800/745-9910; www.oldsantafeinn.com), offers quaint, Southwestern-style rooms, 4 blocks from the Plaza at affordable prices; winter rates start from just $89 a night.
Santa Fe's high-end restaurant scene has some new additions, most notably The Compound, 623 Canyon Rd. (tel. 505/982-4353), which serves daring creative American food in an artful old adobe. Another new addition, Rociada, 304 Johnson St. (tel. 505/983-3800), a cozy country French spot walking distance from the Plaza was rated by Conde Nast Traveler as 1 of the world's 60 best new restaurants. The new Cafe Dominic, 320 S. Guadalupe, (tel. 505/982-4743), offers sophisticated flavors with casual ease. In a comfortable urban environment, the restaurant serves great breakfasts, soups, salads, sandwiches, New Mexican food, grilled fish and meat, and pasta. And if you're downtown and want a tasty steak in an upscale ranch atmosphere, head to the Rio Chama Steak House, 414 Old Santa Fe Trail (tel. 505/955-0765).
The "City Different's" newest museum, the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, 750 Camino Lejo, (tel. 505/982-2226; www.spanishcolonial.org), displays over 3,000 works of art in a variety of mediums: retablos (religious paintings on wood), bultos (free-standing religious sculptures), furniture, metalwork, and textiles.
Santa Fe's night scene gained a little spark in the past year with the opening of Swig, 135 W. Palace Ave., Level 3 (tel. 505/955-0400), a hip new martini bar that's now the place to be seen.
Taos
Rio Grande Air (tel. 877/I-FLY-RGA; www.iflyrga.com) now offers service from Albuquerque and Durango into the Taos Municipal Airport. The airline runs two flights daily.
Taos has a new dining spot worth mentioning. Especially convenient for those staying north of Taos, the Old Blinking Light, US 150, mile marker 1, (tel. 505/776-8787), provides tasty American food in a casual atmosphere. Decorated with Spanish Colonial furniture and an excellent art collection, this restaurant serves salads and burgers, steaks, seafood, and Mexican food.
Taos Ski Valley (tel. 505/776-2291; www.taosskivalley.com) has given its beginning skiers a long-needed warming hut at the base of their hill, with locker room facilities and restrooms.
Albuquerque
New Mexico finally has a spa and golf resort akin to Arizona's famed Phoenician: the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa, 1300 Tuyuna Trail (tel. 800/55-HYATT; www.hyatt.com), 20 minutes north of Albuquerque in the village of Bernalillo. The largest resort ever developed on Native-American land, this 350-room Pueblo-style hotel offers a full range of spa treatments, golf, and views of the Sandia Mountains. Nestled among century-old cottonwoods, Albuquerque's newest bed & breakfast, Los Poblanos Inn, 4803 Rio Grande Blvd., NW (tel. 505/342-1302; www.lospoblanos.com), sits on 25 acres of European-style gardens and peasant-like vegetable and lavender fields.
One of Albuquerque's hottest new dining spots, Jennifer James, 2813 San Mateo NE (tel. 505/884-3665), serves excellent contemporary American cuisine with lots of panache. Meanwhile, the new Flying Star Café makes good on its promise of serving up-town food with down-home ingredients. This restaurant has actually been around Albuquerque awhile under the moniker of Double Rainbow, but it's been renamed and revamped into a more hip and urban scene with excellent contemporary international food. The Flying Star has four locations: 3416 Central NE (tel. 505/255-6633); 4501 Juan Tabo NE (tel. 505/275-8311); 8001 Menaul NE (tel. 505/293-6911); and 4026 Rio Grande NW (tel. 505/344-6714).
Many travelers like to include a little dice throw and slot machine play in their trip to New Mexico. Those who do are in luck with the recently opened Sandia Casino, north of I-25 and 1/4 mile east on Tramway Blvd., (tel. 800/526-9366; www.sandiacasino.com). The $80 million structure sits on Sandia Pueblo land with outstanding views of the Sandia Mountains. Taxi Tours of New Mexico (tel. 505/250-5146), offers personalized city tours ranging from one to many hours. A 2-hour tour takes visitors downtown along Route 66 to Old Town and out to Isleta Pueblo.
The Albuquerque club scene is constantly changing, with new hot spots opening and old ones taking on new shine. Near the University of New Mexico, Kelly's BYOB, 3222 Central SE (tel. 505/262-2739), is set in a renovated auto/body shop. The place has excellent brew specials and live music Thursday to Saturday, usually with no cover. The Martini Grille, 4200 Central SE (tel. 505/255-4111), on the eastern side of the Nob Hill district is the place for young professionals, who sample more than 30 flavors of martinis within a cavelike atmosphere. Live entertainment plays most weekends and some weeknights.
Laffs Comedy Caffé, now at San Mateo Boulevard and Osuna Road in the Fiesta del North Shopping Center (tel. 505/296-5653; www.laffscomedy.com), has moved from their Northeast Heights location to the West Mesa. The club still offers top acts from each coast, including comedians who have appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman and HBO.