[fintstone]

Originally Posted by look 171

The tram is a must. We really enjoyed it. The kids were kicking our butts hiking around. A ton of nice smaller restaurants in Santa Fe. We just pick one then try another for dinner. ABQ was OK, we just hung around the university because we were there for a graduation few years back. Typical Mexican food if you ask me. But then again, We have a ton of great Mexican foods out here, so we are spoiled.

The university area (on Central) is essentially the bad part of town. Where one goes to get in trouble (where a lot of Breaking Bad was filmed), find drugs, or a prostitute (so I am told). Of course, college students have little choice if they live on campus and are walking or riding a bike. It does tend to give the town a bad name as lots of folks never explore any farther (the airport is there).

Depending on where they work, many folks that can afford it generally try to live in the far northeast area where they can commute to Kirtland AFB, Sandia National Labs, or the Airport without having to cross the Rio Grande River as thoroughfares bridging east and west are restricted by the river and petroglyphs and those are packed during rush hour. It is generally the safest area with the best schools...but, real estate is expensive. There are also some nice older areas along the north and south Rio Grande valley where people have old water rights that allow them somewhat unrestricted agriculture.

There are some decent restaurants in the Nob Hill portion (on Central near the University) but IMHO there is certainly better. We lived in Albuquerque and rarely went there to eat. Because of the college and nearby Air Force Base, there are brew pubs and similar to cater to a younger crowd, but those are really not fine dining.