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SANTA FE THE CITY DIFFERENT

BY IRENE MIDDLEMAN THOMAS

WAKING UP AT SUNRISE at Hotel La Fonda on the Plaza, I marveled over the soft peachy glow of daybreak touching the adobe buildings and pale green junipers and willows beyond the expansive bedside view. 

Affectionately called “The City Different” for its combination of cultures and architecture, Santa Fe, New Mexico was founded between 1607 and 1610. It is the nation’s oldest capital city and among its most beautiful and charming.

Santa Fe is renowned and beloved for its authentic adobe buildings; 200–plus art galleries (more than anywhere else in the world); its Native, Spanish, and International Folk Art markets; the Santa Fe Opera; 400-plus restaurants; as well as 20 museums, such as the wildly popular one dedicated to American Modernist painter Georgia O’Keeffe. Travel & Leisure Magazine awarded the number three slot on its 2020 list of Top 15 Cities in the U.S. to Santa Fe, and it placed on TIME Magazine’s list of the “World’s Greatest Places 2021.”

And yet, there is a quiet wonder to this capital city of around 85,000 inhabitants, situated in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains, where the historic Camino Real and Santa Fe Trail trade routes meet. As I sat in the pretty, uncrowded 400-year-old plaza topped by a brilliant blue sky, gazing at the diversity of people walking by, I felt peace.

Santa Fe Plaza and Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi | courtesy of TOURISM Santa Fe
Santa Fe Plaza and Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi | courtesy of TOURISM Santa Fe
Hotel La Fonda on the Plaza | Hotel La Fonda
Hotel La Fonda on the Plaza | Hotel La Fonda

Since the 1920s, all new buildings in Santa Fe were ordered to be built with adobe in the Pueblo Indian style, inspiring countless artists and photographers. Today, new buildings may be finished with stucco, but they must still have the adobe look. Some authentic buildings even have cutouts showing fragments of straw and pebbles. Built around 1610, the Spanish colonial

San Miguel Mission is considered a fine example of genuine adobe. The exquisite Hotel Fonda on the Plaza is akin to an art museum. Free public docent tours are offered daily.

Gastronomy is such a joy that a friend joked that “EAT!” is what her husband likes to do in Santa Fe. Indeed, with many award-winning and acclaimed restaurants ranging from rustic to high-end white linen bistros, visitors need to pace themselves. The New Mexican staple of green chile is in just about everything—but especially huevos rancheros. Blue corn can be found in tortillas, pancakes, and more. And pinon nuts are all over the place. But savvy gourmets savor such unusual dishes as Moroccan Grilled Chicken at La Casa Sena; Warm Thai Rain Noodle and Mint Salad and Dark Chocolate Terrine with Black Olives, Toasted Walnuts and a Shot of Espresso at Cafe Pasqual’s; and Pacific Swordfish with Spring Vegetable Risotto at The Compound. One of my favorite places is Dr. Field Goods, located in the unlikely spot in a strip mall next to a Dollar Tree. As the menu says, they’re serving up truly delectable, farm-to-table “Rockin’ Fresh New Mexico Fusion”. This tiny spot has a loyal and growing clientele. I was blown away by the oven roasted brussel sprouts, with bacon, cotija cheese, butter, and gremolata, as well as with the shrimp tacos, amazingly better than those I had on a recent trip to Mexico. Another relatively undiscovered find is the Masterpiece Grill in the Drury Plaza Hotel (formerly the hospital and psych ward for Santa Fe). This delightful flower-bedecked patio restaurant is reasonably priced, with superb service. Don’t miss the charcuterie platter—enormous and sublime!

Santa Fe is also renowned for its spas, and one blissful evening I visited Ten Thousand Waves, a don’t-miss oasis in the forested outskirts of town. I luxuriated in a private hot springs pool for 90 minutes, while two raccoons frolicked above in the pine branches. Ten Thousand Waves features 12 lodge rooms, a Japanese restaurant, and full spa services.

Many visitors gravitate to the excellent art museums, and the New Mexico History Museum fascinated me for hours. This interactive, socially progressive, and inclusive museum is a gem, with a wide array of exhibits ranging from the Santa Fe Trail and the tragic concept of Manifest Destiny to Buffalo Soldiers, Indian Schools, Billy the Kid, Willa Cather, Fred Harvey restaurants, the Civil War, and the history of La Fonda on the Plaza.

Purchase a 30 dollar Culture Pass, which includes entry to this museum as well as to the adjacent museums of Indian Arts and Culture and International Folk Art and the New Mexico Museum of Art, as well as to other sites in New Mexico.

For those seeking something way out, Meow Wolf, a Santa Fe–based international immersive and interactive sensation, has transported two million visitors since 2016 into fantastic realms of story and exploration. A surreal experience like no other!

Santa Fe itself is like no other, indeed, “The City Different.”

International Folk Art Market | courtesy of TOURISM Santa Fe
International Folk Art Market | courtesy of TOURISM Santa Fe
The Museum of Indian Arts & Culture | courtesy of TOURISM Santa Fe
The Museum of Indian Arts & Culture | courtesy of TOURISM Santa Fe
Institute of American Indian Arts Museum of Contemporary Native Arts | courtesy of TOURISM Santa Fe
Institute of American Indian Arts Museum of Contemporary Native Arts | courtesy of TOURISM Santa Fe
Meow Wolf | COURTESY OF TOURISM SANTA FE
Meow Wolf | COURTESY OF TOURISM SANTA FE

Plan Your Trip

With 300+ sunny days and low humidity, Santa Fe is pleasant year-round. At 7,000 feet, use sunscreen and moisturizer, and take high-altitude precautions.

GETTING THERE
Fly into Albuquerque and rent a car for the one-hour drive or take the New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter rail or Groome Transportation shuttle bus 888.775.5695, groometransportation.com

WHERE TO STAY
The AAA Four-Diamond La Fonda on the Plaza, celebrating its Centennial in 2022, is the only hotel on the historic Santa Fe Plaza. With over 1,200 pieces of art dating from 1922, it is a don’t-miss destination in itself. 800.523.5002, lafondasantafe.com

Hotel La Fonda
Hotel La Fonda