NM09 Albuquerque

Many visitors have discovered what Albuquerqueans have long known: The Duke City is a diverse destination that offers wonderful vacations and a desirable place to live. AAA has ranked it as the nation’s second-least expensive vacation spot, AmericanStyle listed it as the seventh-best large city for the arts, and National Geographic Adventure includes the city among its Top 50 Best Places to Live and Play.

Albuquerque is an adventure-lover’s destination eager to share its many family-friendly charms. And with the new Rail Runner train linking Albuquerque from Belen to Santa Fe, visiting is easier than ever.

New Mexico’s largest city, Albuquerque 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 embraced the many cultures that have embraced it. Its river valley location attracted Pueblo Indians to the area long before the arrival of Europeans. At Petroglyph National Monument on the city’s west side, hike and marvel at thousands of images hand pecked into the dark basalt rock by ancestral puebloans. Native culture is alive and well here, and many pueblos lie minutes from the city. You can learn about them in Albuquerque at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

After Americans took possession of the New Mexico territory in 1848, U.S. goods and the railroad established Albuquerque as an economic hub. During the Civil War, the Confederate flag briefly flew over Albuquerque until the battle at Glorieta Pass northeast of Santa Fe forced the Confederacy to retreat to Texas. Following World War II, Albuquerque enjoyed a growth that continues today. 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 who started families and stayed here after their military careers. With the postwar boom in the 1950s, Albuquerque was a major stop along Route 66, the 2,000-mile highway that connected Chicago to Los Angeles. Albuquerque boasts one of the best stretches of the Mother Road in the country: Central Avenue — still the place to get your kicks.

Downtown Albuquerque boasts a neon-trimmed multiplex movie theater, day spas, restaurants, galleries and studios, trading posts that still buy directly from Native American artists, clubs featuring live blues to cowpunk to techno, and even opera at KiMo Theater. During summer, free outdoor concerts are frequent, and on weekend evenings the streets often close to create a pedestrian environment. Check out Gold Avenue, Albuquerque’s boutique shopping district. EDO (East Downtown) fills in the area between University of New Mexico and downtown along Central Avenue with hip shops, organic-based restaurants, and salons.

Several miles east of downtown on Central Avenue is the Nob Hill District, marked by exciting neon spans harking to its Route 66 heyday. This thriving neighborhood offers eclectic shops and delicious dining. New condos with shopping on the first floor will add to the neighborhood and the cosmopolitan vibe of this historic stretch. Locals love to dine bistro-style, and shoppers appreciate the one-of-a-kind boutiques and world imports.

The new ABQ Uptown district (Indian School Road and Louisiana Boulevard) is a luxurious, open-air pedestrian mall with shops for you (and your pet), as well as fun and fine dining and Albuquerque’s largest spa and salon.

No visit is complete without exploring Old Town Plaza, the historic heart of the city. Enjoy one of several cozy restaurants with lush, shady patios that serve everything from a quick breakfast burrito to multicourse French cuisine. Explore side streets lined with shops selling pottery, jewelry, books, clothing, and all things New Mexico. San Felipe de Neri church, built in the 1700s, is a good example of the many colonial Spanish churches found throughout New Mexico.

In Old Town, get up close and personal with some of New Mexico’s most famous residents: rattlesnakes. The International Rattlesnake Museum showcases our oftmisunderstood rattlesnakes, as well as other reptiles.

Also in Old Town, Albuquerque Museum of Art and History surveys the Duke City’s history from pre-Spanish contact through the Civil War and exhibits a permanent art collection containing classic works by luminaries such as Georgia O’Keeffe.

If you’d like to time travel, visit the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science for Start Up! Albuquerque and the Personal Computer Revolution. The first personal computer, the Altair 8800, was made and sold in Albuquerque. This drew a young Bill Gates and Paul Allen here before they moved to Seattle to start Microsoft. The museum goes from bytes to bones and features all aspects of New Mexico’s natural history, including colossal skeletons of dinosaurs that roamed the area.

Leap to the atomic age at the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, which exhibits artifacts (including a B-52B bomber and missiles) from the history of atomic energy.

Art lovers should see the National Hispanic Cultural Center. This multipurpose venue celebrates traditional and contemporary Hispanic art, music, and literature within striking architecture reminiscent of a Mayan city.

Albuquerque Biopark is collectively a zoo, aquarium, and botanical gardens linked by the Thunderbird Express.

Albuquerque could be the capital of hot-air ballooning. Many companies provide rides, and the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta paints the sky the first week of every October. Visit the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum to learn about ballooning.

Albuquerque hasn’t forgotten what makes it unique: its beautiful vistas and sweeping spaces for outdoor recreation.

In minutes, you can escape into the 38,000-acre Sandía Mountain wilderness. In the winter, Sandia Peak Ski Area opens to skiers and snowboarders. Miles of trails roll through foothills along the entire base of the mountain and are a favorite playground of hikers, runners, and mountain bikers. The more adventurous can hike to the top of the 10,500-foot mountain along the La Luz trail, or take the 15-minute ride to the top on the Sandia Peak Tram, the second- longest single-span cable car in the world at 2.6 miles. There are still more miles of hiking trails at the top. At twilight, you’ll have an eagle’s view of a spectacular New Mexico sunset, with the lights of Albuquerque shining in the desert below.