NM08 - Albuquerque — Duke City Shining

A round of golf or mountain bike ride, bright boutiques, amazing museums, world-renowned art, wilderness hikes, and gourmet dinners savored while watching the most amazing sunset you’ve ever seen — at 10,500 feet. Sound like a perfect week’s vacation? You can do all of this in a day in Albuquerque.

Thanks to Buggs “I should have made a left at Albuquirky” Bunny, a host of country songs, “Weird Al” Yankovic and more than a few episodes of The Simpsons, Albuquerque has name recognition. But more and more, the Duke City is being recognized beyond pop culture for what it is — an incredibly diverse, major city that offers wonderful vacations, as well as a wonderful place to live. Just a few of its recent accolades include being listed as the third fittest city in the United States by Men’s Fitness magazine (February 2008), making 16th on Popular Science’s 50 Greenest Cities (www.popsci.com Web site, February 2008), and making the top 10 Movie Cities of 2008 list by MovieMaker magazine (January 2008), along with a host of other honors ranging from economic growth to pet friendliness. Finally, it seems, Albuquerque is more than just a funny name and an airport on the way to Santa Fe. It’s a travel destination in its own right that’s excited to share its many charms with visitors.

People have long recognized Albuquerque as a great place to live and play. It was founded in 1706 and named in honor of Spain’s Duke of Alburquerque (the first “r” was mistakenly dropped by the first U.S. Post Office here). Nicknamed the Duke City, Albuquerque has evolved into an eclectic, diverse city that has embraced the many cultures that have embraced it. Its fertile river valley location attracted Pueblo Indians to the area long before the arrival of Europeans. At Petroglyph National city’s west side, hike and marvel at thousands of images hand pecked into the dark basalt rock. Of course, Native culture is alive and well here, and many pueblos are just minutes from the city. You can learn about them at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque (505-843-7270).

When the Americans took possession of New Mexico territory in 1848, U.S. goods and the railroad further established Albuquerque as a major economic hub for the state as well as the expanding country. During the Civil War, the Confederate flag briefly flew over Albuquerque until the decisive battle at Glorieta Pass northeast of Santa Fe forced the Confederacy to retreat back to Texas. Following World War II, Albuquerque enjoyed a growth not seen elsewhere in New Mexico. Albuquerque’s Sandia Air Base (today Kirkland Air Force Base and Sandia National Laboratories) established the city’s national importance and brought to Albuquerque thousands of servicemen and women and scientists, many of whom started families and chose to stay in Albuquerque after their military careers. With the post-war boom of the 1950s, Albuquerque was a major stop along Route 66, the 2,000-mile highway that connected Chicago with Los Angeles. Albuquerque boasts one of the best existing stretches of the Mother Road in the country, Central Avenue. This stretch is still the place to get your kicks.

Downtown Albuquerque has something for everyone, from a neon-trimmed multiplex movie theater, day spas, restaurants serving everything from Thai to tamales, trading posts that still buy directly from Native American artists, and clubs featuring live music from blues to cowpunk to techno. Make sure and check out Gold Avenue, Albuquerque’s boutique shopping district.

Just east of downtown, EDO (East-Downtown) is filling in the area between the University of New Mexico and downtown along Central Avenue with hip shops, organic-based restaurants, and upscale salons.

Several miles east of downtown on Central Avenue is Nob Hill, a thriving neighborhood along Route 66 with more eclectic shops and delicious dining. Locals love to while away the evening dining bistro style along the sidewalks, and adventurous shoppers will appreciate the one-of-a-kind fashion boutiques and world imports found in the locally owned shops.

The new ABQ Uptown shopping district (Indian School and Louisiana) is an upscale, outdoor pedestrian mall featuring dozens shops for you (and your pet), as well as fun and fine dining.

Of course, no visit to Albuquerque is complete without exploring Old Town Plaza. This is the historical heart of Albuquerque and a must see. Enjoy one of several cozy restaurants with lush, shady patios that serve everything from a quick breakfast burrito to multi-course French cuisine, and be sure to explore the tucked-away side streets lined with shops selling pottery, jewelry, books, clothing, and all things New Mexcio. San Felipe de Neri church, built in the 1700s, is open to everyone throughout the day and is a good example of the many colonial Spanish churches that are omnipresent throughout New Mexico. On Christmas Eve in Old Town, thousands of paper sacks filled with sand and candles called luminarias (farolitos in northern New Mexico) glow as people of all faiths gather to celebrate the season with one another.

Close to Old Town, an excellent place to appreciate Albuquerque is at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History. In addition to highlighting the Duke City’s history from pre-Spanish contact through the Civil War, a permanent art collection contains classic works by such luminaries as Georgia O’Keeffe, as well as changing New Mexico-related exhibits.

Just across from the Albuquerque Museum is the ¡Explora! Museum, an interactive, science-based children’s museum for kids of all ages.

If you like to time travel, walk across Mountain Road and visit the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. The newly updated museum boasts a new permanent Start Up! Albuquerque and the Personal Computer Revolution. Albuquerque was where the first personal computer, the Altair 8800, was made and sold. This attracted a young Bill Gates and Paul Allen to Albuquerque, who worked here before moving to Seattle and starting a little company called Microsoft. Of course, the museum goes from bytes to bones and features all aspects of New Mexico’s natural history, including colossal skeletons of dinosaurs that roamed here.

Leap from the dinosaur age to the atomic age at the nearby National Atomic Museum. The museum highlights with displays and artifacts the history of atomic energy, from its discovery to Los Alamos’s Manhattan Project and atomic weapons to peaceful uses for atomic energy such as nuclear medicine.

Slither over to the International Rattlesnake Museum in Old Town. The museum is a herpetologist’s dream, featuring our oft-misunderstood rattlesnakes, as well as other reptiles from around the world, all up close and personal in well-designed homes inches from your nose.

And art lovers shouldn’t miss the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Off the beaten path, this multipurpose performing art and gallery space celebrates both traditional and contemporary Hispanic art, music, and literature within striking architecture reminiscent of a Mayan city.

The Albuquerque Biopark is collectively a zoo, aquarium, and botanical gardens linked together by the Thunderbird Express, a narrow-gauge railroad that travels between the facilities. The Albuquerque zoo is award winning for its natural designs, and the aquarium features a 285,000-gallon ocean aquarium where sharks and sea turtles glide past viewers.

Of course, there’s also excitement in the air — literally. Hot air ballooning is synonymous with Albuquerque. Many companies provide balloon rides year-round, and in October Albuquerque is seen worldwide as the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the largest gathering of hot air balloons anywhere in the world (first week of Oct.), paints the sky a kaleidoscope of color. In a matter of minutes you can escape into the 38,000-acre Sandía Mountain wilderness, the city’s soul. In the winter, Sandia Peak Ski Area is open to skiers and snowboarders. Many single-track trails roll through the foothills at the base of the mountain and are a favorite playground of mountain bikers and hikers (Bicycling magazine has listed Albuquerque as the third best place to bike in the U.S.). The more adventurous can hike to the top of the 10,500-high mountain along the La Luz trail, or simply take the 15-minute ride to the top on the Sandia Peak Tramway, the longest cable car in the world at 2.6 miles. There are miles of hiking trails at top, and at night you’ll have an eagle’s view of the lights of Albuquerque below. Twilight is the perfect time to be at the top of the crest, when the western sky puts on a show you can only see in New Mexico. Albuquerque’s been shining for a long, long time.