Originally Posted by
cblaisd
For a mid-March "guys trip".... Thinking of spending three days/nights in Gallup. Interested in places that don't require hiking (bad knees), museums, and ??? Any interesting day road trips? Restaurant recommendations?
There’s a small museum in Gallup at the train station. There’s a somewhat larger museum in Window Rock, about a 25 minute drive. Day / road trips might include Petrified Forest N.P., about 1 hr west of Gallup, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, about a 2 hr drive to the NE (the last 20 miles or so is a rough dirt road, sometimes requiring 4 wheel drive) Hubbell Trading Post N.H.S., about 20 miles past Window Rock in Ganado, and Canyon de Chelly N.M. near Chinle, AZ. There are a number of local restaurants in Gallup, but no “fancy” places that I’m aware of Sammy Cs in downtown Gallup is a sports bar with loads of sports and rock & roll memorabilia - I mean lots. I like Fratellis (north on US491) for pizza and Italian. Camille’s Sidewalk Cafe is also downtown - features salads, wraps, and smoothies. Earl’s, Glenn’s Bakery and Don Diegos are also local favorites.
At last count, there are over 30 hotels / motels in Gallup, ranging from seedy dives to recently-constructed buildings. You won’t find any Scottsdale class resorts, but HI, Hilton Garden Inn, Springhill Suites, etc. are all represented. The most interesting of the lodgings is the historic El Rancho Hotel on Route 66. It’s nearly a century old, has a classic “old West” styled lobby complete with a massive stone fireplace. The lobby is also festooned with hundreds of signed photos of stars of the Silver Screen (and some later). In the 30s and 40s it was the hotel of choice for actors working in classic Westerns being filmed nearby. The rooms are small.
Check out the
Gallup Journey magazine online for current events.
Originally Posted by
aztimm
I've only ever passed through Gallup, perhaps eaten there.
Albuquerque though, is definitely a place you can spend a few days. March could certainly still have weather (well for Gallup too), but there are plenty of things to do inside, and many more hotel options there.
Yes, Albuquerque definitely has more options than Gallup. If you’re staying there, plan a trip to Santa Fe. Maybe drive up the Turquoise Trail. Also don’t miss the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on 4th Street in Albuquerque. If your dates include March 19, don’t miss the Laguna Pueblo’s annual feast day celebration. A pueblo feast is one of the few events these days that one has to be physically present to experience (the pueblos disallow photography; you’ll need to leave cell phones / cameras in the car).
Originally Posted by
COSPILOT
I had to spend a few days in Gallup years ago, that town is a dump…
Meh. It’s a small city. I feel no less safe there than I do in Albuquerque. For its size, Gallup is amazingly cosmopolitan. One of the city’s favorite sons is Korean War Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi Miyamura - part of a Japanese-American community that has been a part of Gallup since near its founding.