If you find yourself on the interstate going towards El Paso, stop by Hatch NM. It is home to the world famous Hatch chili. Its like breathing pepper spray when you get out of the car. Some great road side vendors selling chili and salsa.

https://www.sunset.com/travel/southwest/day-trip-hatch-new-mexico

Further south is Mesilla NM. Its old town plaza in Adobe style is a National Historic Landmark.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesilla,_New_Mexico

We lived in El Paso for 2 years recently. There is so much around this area and where you are going first. Makes me want to go back. Have a great trip.

oh..nevermind. :)

This post bugs me.

The National Atomic Museum is pretty good. It has changed names and locations a few times, but last I was there about five years ago, it was pretty good. Carlsbad Caverns is far from everything. Mrs. Lee took her parents there about six weeks ago and the elevator was working then. Hatch is the kind of place you stop in for lunch and then turn around. Blink and you'll miss it. White Sands is pretty cool. When Mrs. Lee was there, they had to stop traffic for 30 min. for a missile test. That radar array site is pretty far from the hwy, IIRC, like way too far out of the way. One of these days I will ride the bike out to see the Trinity Site, but I think it's only open to the public one or two days a year.

Seeing as you do a bit of construction, maybe head up to Taos. Neat town, good restaurants and you can check out the Earthships and their construction....
https://taos.org/what-to-do/landmark-sites/earthship-biotecture/

In early April and October.

Neat place to visit - you have most of the attractions already summarized. Don't expect too much. It is a bit one-dimensional in my book, especially if you come from a buzzing place like LA. You can only eat so much SW food. I like driving on empty roads, so always get a kick going to NM. At one time I was considering moving there, but that was out the window pretty quick after a closer look staying there for a few days with the family, in winter. :eek:. We stayed downtown, it was a neat visit, just not convincing as a new home town.

G

Unser family racing musuem: Unser Racing Museum - Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico

Funky place to explore: Visit Madrid New Mexico

AAA baseball: The Official Site of The Albuquerque Isotopes | abqisotopes.com Homepage

Mesmerizing college restaurant: Home | Frontier Restaurant

Walking tails: https://www.cabq.gov/parksandrecreation/open-space/lands/paseo-del-bosque-trail

Come watch the locals race vintage sports cars: Southwest Motorsport

This mirrors my experience. When I was looking to move out west, we checked out ABQ. Didn't take too long to make that decision. Once we moved to Phoenix, I went to visit my company's office and some customers in ABQ a few times. That reaffirmed my decision. I would definitely go back to visit, but that's about it.

It is a silly place.

while i could never live there, i could eat a lot of green chili dishes. :)

I could live there later in life once I want a quiet place and be away from people. But you know, it isn't actually inexpensive to live there either, in terms of decent housing close to town.

As far as their chilies go, you are always asked if you want red or green and it seems a big question. To me it all tastes the same. We joked about that being the only real choice in food in NM. :D

G

you are dead to me; :)

that is like saying, a red apple taste like a green apple.

Yeah, really man. It all taste the same. I can't really taste the difference between the red and the green. They are both hot and that's all that matters. As they say, burns going in, burns coming out.

I couldn't live in NM but it would be nice to have a vacation home where I can escape from people a couple months a year. I just can't get up and look at mother nature day after day. I need the city

Thanks guys. Looks like there are a few must see places already. I will get to those for sure. Too bad these places are from one end of the state to the other.

I consume a huge amount of chili peppers. Fresh, dried, raw, cooked... there's not a day that goes by I am not eating chilies of some kind, in something. That said, the only chili I cannot stand the flavor of is a roasted Hatch green chili.

I'm not sure what any of this has to do with a trip to Albuquerque, but the food there is probably the least interesting part of a visit there, at least for me. The last time I was in the area, the closest I got to Albuquerque was watching it go by from the interstate. I still wish I had stopped at the atomic museum.

Same. I almost moved to ABQ in 2016...Loved the weather and the empty roads, but there's just not enough there to make it my new hometown.

The cost of living was the same as Clearwater, FL and I loved the Tampa Bay area so much more, so I had no reason to go to NM.

I also learned that I can't live away from the ocean.

More than double the national murder rate; more than double the national rape rate; 3.5 times the national robbery rate; almost 3 times the national assault rate; more than double the national burglary rate; almost 3 times the national theft rate; 6 times the national motor vehicle theft rate.

Come see the Dead Hooker Truck Stop at Menaul & University! A place so onerous that grizzled truck drivers won't go there.

Take the kids to the desert and see where the West Mesa Killer dumps his victims! Look for souvenirs and try to find a new grave!

Visit one of our fine public schools; consistently ranking 50th or 51st crappiest in the nation! Almost 40% of the girls who start high school have a baby before graduating. That's okay as almost 60% of entering students don't graduate!

Walk downtown to engage and interact with our many homeless, vagrant drug addicts and alkies! Try not to get spit on if you don't give them money! Fun for the whole family! Don't step in the tubercular loogie!

Count the number of police you see on the street! Less than 40 patrolling city and county coppers on the street at any given time!

Yes, there is fun. The state joke is, "At least the weather is nice." A quarter of an inch of rain since September.

We have plague!

Skip Albuquerque. The whole place looks like it needs a wipe, a flush, and a shower.

Wow, James, that's quite an indictment. And you sound as if you know what you're talking about - have you lived there a long time?

If someone died and made you king, what would be your first move?

Broke a$$ Albuquerque. Wasn't so bad 15 years ago, but its a toilet now. Wish I could sell my rentals and do something else with them. I HATE hiring people there. 45% of the population is on subsistence.