I thought of the UNM campus as well. When I was there I went to two UNM football games and the area was hopping pretty good, but any other time it was kind of dead. So I didn't mention it as I didn't know how it would be in the winter.

I notice no one answered your question about public transportation.

I had a car but when I went to the NM state fair, I took the bus to avoid the parking hassles the hotel warned me about. The bus was easy and cheap. They do have a bus system, but I don't have a clue as to how extensive the network is and how often it runs.