Is there much to do in Albuquerque

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by Gogar

Good lord next time go big and step it up to a number hotel!

Yeah I know huh?
My admin was out and we had a temp.
I gave her the address of where i was going.
She said the howard Johnson's is right down the street. How about the howard johnsons?
i said I dunno, is that a good place? I usually just stay at a hilton or at least a Hampton Inn.
She said she didn't know either. It certainly wasn't cheap by any stretch so it must be good, right?
I said I guess it's OK.

Now I know better.

[fintstone]

I usually stay at one of the Marriott chain in ABQ (nit bad and priced well)...but the Airport Sheraton is not bad and convenient.

[brainz01]

I'm taking the wife and kids back to ABQ next month for the Balloon Fiesta and to see my mom. I've not done the Fiesta in at least 35 years. Kids always think the balloons are neat.

I grew up there from the late 70s to early 90s. It was a sleepy town with a sizeable military/defense/DOE community, and it was a fun place to grow up as a kid. I lived near open space (Bear Canyon Arroyo) and could go disappear for hours exploring - - but watch out for afternoon thunderstorms - - the flash flooding can be intense (and deadly). If you were a Breaking Bad fan, the vacuum cleaner guy's pickup point was the base of a real life dam built for such flooding - - I used to walk across it every day for middle school.

The city started to go downhill in the late 80s/early 90s. The growing drug trade made ABQ an important logistics hub, and suddenly it seemed like violent crime was everywhere, and not just the "bad" neighborhoods in the valley (generally along and west of I-25). The gang-bangers, illegals, and other thugs overwhelmed the city and law enforcement.

My brother used to be an ER doc at Presbyterian. He called it the knife and gun club. Apparently the most dangerous dangerous thing you can do is be "mindin' your own business" - - that's how it always starts.

I'm sure there plenty of other dangerous cities, but best to keep your head on a swivel: ABQ can be sketchy as hell, particularly late at night and in the downtown/university area.

All that said, the mountains and outdoors and weather are great in NM and I like to go "home" periodically for a visit. And as others have pointed out, there's some really cool, empty highways with a varied mix of scenery: mountains, deserts, ghost towns, oil patch, rivers, gorges, and more. It's a neat state for a roadtrip.

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[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by fintstone

...but the Airport Sheraton is not bad and convenient.

That's my place for those early flights and late international arrivals. You can walk between the airport and the hotel.

Easy from there into Kirtland AFB, too.

Even a block away (Gibson and Yale - or University) seems a little sketchy, but the airport hotel feels really safe. I guess it's in the "bubble" near the airport.

I'll be there monday night for a 0600 to CA on tuesday...

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by brainz01

I'm taking the wife and kids back to ABQ next month for the Balloon Fiesta and to see my mom. I've not done the Fiesta in at least 35 years. Kids always think the balloons are neat.

My brother used to be an ER doc at Presbyterian. He called it the knife and gun club. Apparently the most dangerous dangerous thing you can do is be "mindin' your own business" - - that's how it always starts.

Balloon Fiesta is awesome - it's worth the traffic.

We had a little one in the NICU at Pres for 4 months. Wow did we see some stuff down there!

Growing to be a good beer city - and https://farmandtablenm.com/ is good food. Mary and Titos is awesome New Mexican breakfast and lunch.

I live 100 miles north of ABQ and to me it's an airport to somewhere better and the home of one of my peer/colleague labs that I am "blessed" to visit a few times a month. I'm not in love with the place...

[Skytrooper]

My son lives in ABQ. I visit several times each year. I need my Hatch fix (red and green). The Nob Hill area has been undergoing revitalization efforts and is really coming along well IMO. There are some very nice eateries and craft breweries along the strip. There are so many restaurants in the ABQ area that you really have a decent pick for whatever type cuisine you want.
If you like to hike then head up to Tijeras and hike in the cooler mountains of the Cibola forest. There are many trails there, or head to the petroglyphs, and ancient volcanos on the west side.
Go to the Unser museum, my wife and I had a real fun time there.
There is a lot to see and do in Abq.