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
Visitors now have their own health service, just blocks from the Plaza. Ultimed, 707 Paseo de Peralta (tel. 505/989-8707), a new urgent-care facility, offers comprehensive health care.
Along historic Barrio de Analco in the center of downtown, the Inn of the Five Graces, 150 E. de Vargas St. (tel. 505/992-0957; www.fivegraces.com), Santa Fe's newest and best-kept secret, offers a lovely melding of the Orient and the Old West, with elaborately decorated suites with kilim rugs, ornately carved beds, and mosaic tile work in the bathrooms. The notable spa Ten Thousand Waves, 3451 Hyde Park Rd. (tel. 505/982-9304; www.tenthousandwaves.com), nestled in piñon trees just outside town, now offers accommodations. There are minimalist Japanese-adobe rooms and casitas for those seeking silence and solitude. New to this book is the Don Gaspar Inn, 623 Don Gaspar (tel. 888/986-8664 or 505/986-8664; www.dongaspar.com), a quiet and elegant place nestled in a historic neighborhood, for those who want to feel like they live in Santa Fe.
Melding many flavors from Old Mexico in a cozy, intimate setting, the new Los Mayas, 409 W. Water St. (tel. 505/986-9930), is a fun addition to the Santa Fe dining scene. Santa Fe's most happening moderately priced new restaurant, the Santa Fe Railyard Restaurant & Bar, 530 S. Guadalupe (tel. 505/989-8363), offers imaginative new American food in a historic railyard building. Rated by local media as the best new inexpensive restaurant in town, Bumble Bee's Baja Grill, 301 Jefferson St. (tel. 505/820-2862), offers fast and healthy Old Mexico tacos and other spicy delights.
The "City Different's" newest news is a performance gazebo erected on the plaza in 2004. While the structure was being built, Native American and other artifacts were found, prompting an excavation that at press time is still under way. Visitors can observe archaeologists as they brush away dirt and time, revealing pot shards, tools, and other finds.
Tesuque Pueblo (9 miles north of Santa Fe on US 84/285) has a new church. The San Diego Church, a three-story structure, replaces an older church that burned in 1988. The Castillo Gallery (a mile into the village of Cordova on the High Road to Taos; tel. 505/351-4067) has moved next door, into a brighter and more expansive space, still operated by a fine husband-and-wife artist team.
Taos
The biggest news in the region is the opening of El Monte Sagrado, 317 Kit Carson Rd. (tel. 800/828-TAOS or 505/758-3502; www.elmontesagrado.com). This eco-resort offers impeccable, imaginative accommodations surrounding a "Sacred Circle," an open grassy area. The resort also offers fine food and spa treatments. Taos is celebrating finally having a good hotel on its plaza. Hotel La Fonda de Taos, 108 South Plaza (tel. 800/833-2211 or 505/758-2211; www.hotellafonda.com), provides comfortable, smartly decorated rooms with a dash of history. The Bavarian Lodge, above Taos Ski Valley (tel. 888/205-8020 or 505/776-8020; www.thebavarian.com), offers its guests first access to the back bowls as well as Bavarian-style rooms in an authentic log cabin. Also at Taos Ski Valley, the Edelweiss Lodge & Spa, 106 Sutton Place (tel. 800/I-LUV-SKI or 505/776-2301; www.edelweisslodgeandspa.com), has been rebuilt into an upscale condo-hotel, with luxury rooms and a complete spa. The owners are especially intent on attracting summer spa guests.
Located at El Monte Sagrado, the new De La Tierra, 317 Kit Carson Rd. (tel. 800/828-TAOS or 505/758-3502), offers regional American food in a refined atmosphere. Diners feast on food ranging from venison medallions to rosemary-skewered shrimp. For a while Taos was without Joseph's Table; this fine restaurant closed. But it has reopened in an even larger space in the Hotel La Fonda on the plaza, and it still serves some of the most imaginative food in the Southwest. It's located at 108-A South Taos Plaza (tel. 505/751-4512; www.josephstable.com). Worth the trip to Taos Ski Valley even if you're not going to strap on the boards, The Bavarian Restaurant, above Taos Ski Valley (tel. 888/205-8020 or 505/776-8020), serves up delicious Bavarian-style fare such as goulash and sauerbraten in an old-world log cabin nestled in high alpine forest. Take the shuttle from the ski area up. In the quaint Arroyo Seco village, en route to the ski area, Gypsy 360°, 480 NM 150, Seco Plaza (tel. 505/776-3166), could just be the region's best new casual spot. Serving Asian and American dishes ranging from pad Thai to Angus burgers, the place serves recipes as fresh as the ingredients in them.
A sad change has come to the Taos Historic Museums (tel. 505/758-0505): The Kit Carson Home has passed out of their hands. Exhibits from the museum will be moved to the Martinez Hacienda (Lower Ranchitos Rd., Hwy. 240; tel. 505/758-1000). The Kit Carson Home owners plan to open their own museum. Another big change in the Taos museum scene is the shifting of the Taos Art Museum (tel. 505/758-2690) collection from the Van Vechten Lineberry Museum (now closed) to the Fechin House, 227 Paseo del Pueblo Norte. Though the museum lost some space, it gained a lovely venue. A new hot spot for those who like to browse little villages is Arroyo Seco, on NM 150, about 5 miles north of town en route to Taos Ski Valley. Arroyo Seco has Gypsy 360° and fun shops and amazing mountain views.
Nights will never be the same in Taos now that the Anaconda Bar, 317 Kit Carson Rd. (tel. 505/758-3502), has opened at El Monte Sagrado resort. A contemporary feel, accented by a giant anaconda snake sculpture, as well as tasty tapas and live music draw the hippest Taoseños and visitors to the spot.
Albuquerque
Albuquerque's most happening new dining spot, Zinc Wine Bar and Bistro, 3009 Central Ave. NE (tel. 505/254-ZINC), offers inventive meals such as blackened sliced flank steak over a Greek salad, with interesting deals, such as "wine flights," which allow diners to sample a variety of wines from a particular region, all within a moody, urban atmosphere. Almost across the street from Zinc, noted chef Jennifer James has opened a more reasonably priced sister restaurant to her namesake one. Graze, 3128 Central Ave. SE (tel. 505/268-4729), offers small plates of new American cuisine with such interesting flavor spins that you reel delightfully. The penne with goat cheese and chorizo is delectable.
Head through a tunnel with turquoise embedded in the walls, and you'll find yourself in one of Albuquerque's most colorful museums, the Turquoise Museum, 2107 Central Ave. NW (tel. 505/247-8650), west of Old Town. It lays claim to the world's largest collection of the blue stone. Within the same district has moved ¡Explora! Science Center and Children's Museum, 1701 Mountain Rd. (tel. 505/224-8300). The museum features hands-on scientific exhibits for kids of all ages, even 40-something ones like me.
If you make your way north on the Jemez Mountain Trail, make reservations at the Cañon del Rio-Riverside Inn, 16445 Scenic Hwy. 4, Jemez Springs (tel. 505/829-4377; www.canondelrio.com). Formerly the Riverdancer, this inn near the Jemez River has been refurbished by new owners.