Albuquerque?
Oct 19, 2007, 12:16 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2003
Location: New York, NY
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Posts: 931
Albuquerque?
Anything to do in Albuquerque? I was gonna stop by there on my way back to NYC from the West coast to do some hiking for a quick weekend stop. I was thinking of staying at the Hyatt Tamaya resort, but now i'm thinking of staying in ABQ because I'm reading that the Tamaya resort is in the middle of nowhere, and if I'm gonna be driving to some hiking places anyway instead of staying at the hotel, I might be better off staying in ABQ.
Oct 19, 2007, 2:34 pm
#2
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: DEN
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The Tamaya Resort is near Santa Ana Star Casino, but not much else. Probably a good idea to stay in the city. You'll drive to get to pretty much anything, as ABQ is very sprawling, but a hotel in the city will at least be a central location to start from.
Edited to add: The West forum has several threads about general touristy things to do in ABQ. Head on over there to get some ideas. As for specific stuff, I moved away three years ago so I have no idea what's going on these days. Hopefully others can jump in and provide suggestions.
Edited to add: The West forum has several threads about general touristy things to do in ABQ. Head on over there to get some ideas. As for specific stuff, I moved away three years ago so I have no idea what's going on these days. Hopefully others can jump in and provide suggestions.
Last edited by silverthief2; Oct 19, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Oct 19, 2007, 8:50 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: SEA
Programs: DL Diamond, UA Silver, IHG Platinum, One Man Street Fair in my spare time
Posts: 605
You're only an hour from Santa Fe while in ABQ - granted, I'm biased, but I find Santa Fe about 1000 times more interesting than Albuquerque. Check out www.santafe.org
Oct 24, 2007, 9:33 am
#4
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: IAD
Posts: 17
I just returned from 7 full days in ABQ and I have very few positive things to say about the city. Its biggest problem, I think, is that no one lives downtown. The downtown is comprised of banks, corporate office buildings, and the cafes and stores which support them. By 5 or 6 each evening, the city's center is a ghost town.
The two main thoroughfares appear to be Central and Gold streets, both lined with cafes, bars, diners, and empty storefronts. Most establishments I patronized had a grimy, gritty college-town feel. I found only two nice bars/restaurants: Carom, a billiards club with decent leather seating and good service, and the hotel bar/restaurant at the Hyatt Regency, McGraths (which had surprisingly good food, albeit marked up 200% -- e.g. the $10 egg special).
For tourist attractions, the Sandia Tramway seemed to be the most popular destination. It's a very scary tram ride up a small mountain. A friend of mine in his early 60s relates the story how he has never been scared of heights, but when rode the tram with his wife last week, he was frightened the entire time. There are dozens of Indian casinos near Albuquerque. I visited Sandia Casino and found it crowded, dirty, and unremarkable. The balloon festival just ended, so it won't be back until next October. There's a marathon in town at the end of October.
To the original poster: if you're looking for a place to stay, I recommend Santa Fe, Taos, Scottsdale, Tuscon, Sedona, and just about any town not named Albuquerque.
The two main thoroughfares appear to be Central and Gold streets, both lined with cafes, bars, diners, and empty storefronts. Most establishments I patronized had a grimy, gritty college-town feel. I found only two nice bars/restaurants: Carom, a billiards club with decent leather seating and good service, and the hotel bar/restaurant at the Hyatt Regency, McGraths (which had surprisingly good food, albeit marked up 200% -- e.g. the $10 egg special).
For tourist attractions, the Sandia Tramway seemed to be the most popular destination. It's a very scary tram ride up a small mountain. A friend of mine in his early 60s relates the story how he has never been scared of heights, but when rode the tram with his wife last week, he was frightened the entire time. There are dozens of Indian casinos near Albuquerque. I visited Sandia Casino and found it crowded, dirty, and unremarkable. The balloon festival just ended, so it won't be back until next October. There's a marathon in town at the end of October.
To the original poster: if you're looking for a place to stay, I recommend Santa Fe, Taos, Scottsdale, Tuscon, Sedona, and just about any town not named Albuquerque.
Oct 25, 2007, 2:52 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: Back to UA, missing DL; Marriott Gold
Posts: 10,505
I just returned from 7 full days in ABQ and I have very few positive things to say about the city. Its biggest problem, I think, is that no one lives downtown. The downtown is comprised of banks, corporate office buildings, and the cafes and stores which support them. By 5 or 6 each evening, the city's center is a ghost town.
The two main thoroughfares appear to be Central and Gold streets, both lined with cafes, bars, diners, and empty storefronts. Most establishments I patronized had a grimy, gritty college-town feel. I found only two nice bars/restaurants: Carom, a billiards club with decent leather seating and good service, and the hotel bar/restaurant at the Hyatt Regency, McGraths (which had surprisingly good food, albeit marked up 200% -- e.g. the $10 egg special).
For tourist attractions, the Sandia Tramway seemed to be the most popular destination. It's a very scary tram ride up a small mountain. A friend of mine in his early 60s relates the story how he has never been scared of heights, but when rode the tram with his wife last week, he was frightened the entire time. There are dozens of Indian casinos near Albuquerque. I visited Sandia Casino and found it crowded, dirty, and unremarkable. The balloon festival just ended, so it won't be back until next October. There's a marathon in town at the end of October.
To the original poster: if you're looking for a place to stay, I recommend Santa Fe, Taos, Scottsdale, Tuscon, Sedona, and just about any town not named Albuquerque.
The two main thoroughfares appear to be Central and Gold streets, both lined with cafes, bars, diners, and empty storefronts. Most establishments I patronized had a grimy, gritty college-town feel. I found only two nice bars/restaurants: Carom, a billiards club with decent leather seating and good service, and the hotel bar/restaurant at the Hyatt Regency, McGraths (which had surprisingly good food, albeit marked up 200% -- e.g. the $10 egg special).
For tourist attractions, the Sandia Tramway seemed to be the most popular destination. It's a very scary tram ride up a small mountain. A friend of mine in his early 60s relates the story how he has never been scared of heights, but when rode the tram with his wife last week, he was frightened the entire time. There are dozens of Indian casinos near Albuquerque. I visited Sandia Casino and found it crowded, dirty, and unremarkable. The balloon festival just ended, so it won't be back until next October. There's a marathon in town at the end of October.
To the original poster: if you're looking for a place to stay, I recommend Santa Fe, Taos, Scottsdale, Tuscon, Sedona, and just about any town not named Albuquerque.
As for the tram, I've been on it and thought it was amazing and not a bit scary, as did everyone else on the trams with me. Little kids glued to the windows, everyone pointing out where they live or what they can see in the city, watching the sunset from the peak ... it's not at all how you describe it.