Albuquerque
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Albuquerque is full of natural wonders and manmade marvels. Situated between the Rio Grande and the Sandia Mountains, Albuquerque's "High Desert" climate offers brilliant blue skies, intense sunlight, and crisp, clean, high-altitude air. The city is sometimes reffered to a The Burque, The Duke City, or ABQ.
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Nature and Scenery
Our many natural attractions include the hiking trails along the crest of the Sandia Mountains (stop at the High Finance restaurant for a cocktail at 10,000 feet), the Petroglyph National Monument, the Bosque River Trail (bike or hike along 37 miles of cottonwood forest), and many other sights beyond the city limits such as Tent Rocks, an hour and a half northwest of town.
Culture
Culturally, Albuquerque has always been a melting pot, from the many native tribes who have inhabited these parts since ancient times, to the vibrant Hispanic and Latino population, to the Anglos, Albuquerque embraces its cultural diversity. Isolated in the middle of the desert, though, it's always had a more introverted focus, which carries through even to its museums. The Art and HIstory museum, the Zoo and Aquarium, the Natural History Museum, and even Explora the Children's Museum hone in on subject material relevant to Albuquerque.
Museums
Coming Soon! (to include the Art and HIstory museum, the Zoo and Aquarium, the Natural History Museum, Explora the Children's Museum)
Sightseeing
Coming Soon! (to include daytrips, Petroglyph, Tent Rocks, Bandelier/Jemez, Route 66 attractions, Kimo theater)
Events and Festivals
Coming Soon! (to include Balloon Fiesta, state fair)
Dining and Shopping
The city's finest restaurants and shops are located in a string of pearls along Route 66, Central Avenue. Nob Hill boasts local fare and locally made clothing and knickknacks. The University area caters to a student population. Downtown serves as the center of night life. Old Town speaks to the 300 years of history in Albuquerque.
Restaurants
Coming Soon!
Shopping
Coming Soon! (subdivide into multiple sections?)
Night Life
Bars and Clubs
Coming Soon!
Live Music
As for live music, there are plenty of venues all over the city:
- O'Neill's Pub[1], on the eastern end of Nob Hill, hosts bluegrass, americana, and folk music every Sunday
- The Launchpad[2] downtown has some of the best acoustics and the most rocking bands in town
- Right next door is the historic El Rey Theater[3] with a broad repertoire of bands
- Many of the bigger names in music walk through the doors of the Sunshine Theater[http:// www.sunshinetheaterlive.com] in the heart of downtown
- No night is complete without a stop at Burt's Tiki Lounge[4], one of the funkiest dive bars around. Always great music, never a cover
- Looking for a more high-brow venue? Look no further than Popejoy Hall[5], home of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra
Transportation
Albuquerque has been working to improve its bus system, but there are still a number of gaps in the network, and schedules are not always convenient. They have introduced a number of new services, including the D-Ride, a free downtown circulator, and the Rapid Ride (the Blue Line travels from the upper west side to UNM, the Red Line travels along Central from Unser to Wyoming, and the new Green Line will extend the Red Line's service east to Tramway). If you're coming from the airport, take the #50 bus, which runs from the airport through UNM to downtown. You can download system maps at ABQ Ride's website[6]. Fares are $1 for the first bus. If transferring to multiple busses pay $2 when first boarding for unlimited rides all day.
One of the new jewels in Albuquerque's crown is the Rail Runner[7], a commuter train that runs from Belen (50 miles south of Albuquerque) to Santa Fe (70 miles north of Albuquerque). It's luxurious and affordable with amazing views, and has service every day except Sunday. The train runs from Albuquerque to Santa Fe (and back) for $8.
Additional service from the airport includes the Sunport Shuttle, which will take you anywhere in town for a low price. Call 505-883-4966. There's also the Sandia Shuttle[8], which runs from the airport directly to Santa Fe. Call 505-242-0302.
If you don't want to get around by fossil fuels, you can always bike! In 2006, Bicycling Magazine rated Albuquerque the #3 most bicycle-friendly city of its size in the country! Check out these helpful links:
- City's Website[9]
- BikeABQ[10]
- New Mexico Touring Society[11]
- New Mexico Cycling[12]
- Bicycle Coalition of New Mexico[13]
Weather
The winter months - generally November through February - are fairly chilly, with temperatures in the upper teens at night, and in the forties during the day.
After that it starts to warm up. March through early May is our windy season, with blustery winds and occasional sandstorms in the late afternoon.
May is generally pleasant, and June starts to get pretty warm (upper 80s), though by then it's usually been quite a long time since we've had precipitation, so the humidity is next to nothing.
Then we start getting into my favorite times of the year. July and August are Monsoon Season, where we receive about 5" of the annual 9" of rainfall. During this hottest time of the year, temperatures often get close to 100º (we finally broke into triple digits one day this year for the first time since 2006). The afternoon cloudbursts cool everything down, and give us great rainbows and sunsets, so it's pretty fabulous.
August and September are chile roasting season, where the air blossoms with the smell of roasting green chile, easily the most fabulous aroma in the universe. September and October is ballooning season, with brilliant blue skies and crisp weather, and then we head back into winter.
