Originally Posted by
alm5150
Clarence5ybr - So if you had the choice and if you have been to both, would you do the Sandia Peak thing or the Petroglyph thing? And you said the magic word...microbrew! I'll have to hit the Artichoke Cafe as well, 2 recommendations is good for me.
I lived an hour south of ABQ for 7.5 years, so I've done everything in question. Petroglyph is nice, but there are petroglyphs (and much more) at Bandelier. Given that you're planning on doing Bandelier, I'd do the Sandia Peak thing over Petroglyph and save Petroglyph for another trip. At Bandelier, definitely hit the 'main' area, but if you have time (and not driving back down to ABQ will give you some), go to the Tsankawi section—the 'other' part of the monument, which is a ways away from the visitor center area. While not as spectacular as what you can see in the main part of the monument, it's still interesting and scenic, and much less crowded (you need to do some ladder climbing to do the loop trail, but it sounds like you're up for that).
I you like microbrew, Il Vicino has good stuff—two locations in ABQ, one in Santa Fe. In Santa Fe, Second Street Brewery also makes some great beers.