Anyone from- or familiar with- Albuquerque, NM

Don't know any particulars about Albuquerque, but you are just one hour away from Santa Fe, one of the most different cities in the US. Great climate, restaurants, art, and mountains are a powerful combo, and Santa Fe has it all. Also Taos is worth an overnight, and do Los Alamos, just outside Santa Fe, where they shipped the greatest minds during WWII to invent the atomic bomb. Two good museums, and the Indian Cliff Dwellers close by.
Enjoy your summer in New Mexico.

 

I only know it from the show COPS

 

I lived there from 1987 to 1989. It is a great town but spread out making a car more of an issue than the East Coast. You might look for a place around the university since there is going to be better bus service in that area. Living tends to be either near the river valley which is greener or towards the mountains which is high desert. When you go there rent a car and spend a day or two driving around and get a feel for it. I am sure it has changed some what since I was there.

 

ship your car shouldn't be more than 1k....so many beautiful places to go and see by driving, you can also post in Texas forum...my wife is from there and her relatives seem to go there all the time

 

Howdy Tim,

We lived in/around/near ABQ for 10 years and I absolutely loved it but the little woman hated it so we're not there anymore. Take your car. I'd drive it there, but that's me. If you're going to be working at Sandia, ask some of your future colleagues for housing suggestions or, if you are really still in dorm mode, go to UNM and ask around. As I recall, there are some pretty decent places near UNM. Google the Albuquerque Journal online and check the rentals. There are some nice rentals around Paseo del Norte but you'll need a car. Very easy to navigate around ABQ if you have a car.

You could always call APD and/or Bernalillo county Sheriff's Dept. and ask which neighborhoods are used most for filming "Cops", then go someplace else. ABQ has a gang problem and is a sanctuary city for illegals. Good news is they finally passed a concealed carry weapons law. I recommend you do that. Check out Ron Peterson's Gun shop on Central for good advice and a straight deal on a nice used handgun. I'd suggest a .45. If you're not into concealed carry, that's OK because you can carry it on your hip as long as everyone can see it.

Once you get situated try Garcia's Kitchen on N 4th for el sabor autentico de Nuevo Mexico. There's a nice Border's at Winrock Mall (I-40 & Louisiana) and don't forget to take the tram up to Sandia Peak. KANW FM 89.1 New Mexico Music will get you right into the cultural spirit of the city.

If you get sick go to UNM. Speaking of getting "sick", be advised that STDs are endemic/ubiquitous in NM - recent upsurges in chlamydia and syphilis. Also there's the occasional case of plague. Just remember to wash your hands after you use the restroom, don't befriend strange-acting stray cats and you should be OK.

Santa Fe (the "City Different") is probably worth one trip if you've never been there before but it sure isn't like it was up until the early seventies. Alot less charm, alot more bling. Ugghh.

So you wanna go flying? Check out Cutter Aviation on the GA side of ABQ International, aka The Sunport, or, if you take your car, you might feel more comfortable at Double Eagle on the West Mesa. Tons of aviation history in ABQ. Don't miss the model aircraft display inside the terminal at the Sunport. You'll be able to fly probably 355 days a year out there. The usual wx is "Clear and a hundred".

Lay in a good supply of sunscreen. Bullfrog is best.

The zoo is nice.

Anything else you wanna know, just ask. BTW, it's Kirtland with a T.

 

I go most often to Santa Fe. However the weather in Abq, is also superb. S.F. is only around 80 miles to the north. The Energy Dept, runs a nice nuclear weapons museum. The food is really good in New Mexico. In the Winter, you have snow skiing at Sandia Peak. It is probably better to go to another ski resort in the north. Pretty local galz.

 

Naw, I was just yankin your chain a bit about the guns and crime. It's there but nothing to get paranoid about. No special precautions that you wouldn't take anywhere else. There are several great jogging trails. One of them runs alongside Tramway.

Yes, the local galz are mucha bonita - slow-eyed senoritas, si, si.

Last I heard (maybe five years ago) the average age in ABQ was early 30s, so you'll find many contemporaries.

Hey, Bill Gates started his company in ABQ but when he needed a little walk-around money for his start-up the Bank of Albuquerque turned him down. Risky business.

You may find you like it and will never want to leave. I didn't. Tierra Encantada for sure.

 

ABQ is great, but I liked Taos better. Heck, I liked Socorro even more (studied at New Mexico Tech). May well migrate in that general direction if I don't move to Australia first

p.s.: Nothing beats a green chile burrito for breakfast...nothing! (cold pizza is a fair close second though!)

 

Holy Mole, David - took the burrito right outta my mouth. Breakfast burritos, Huevos Rancheros, Red or green? Which is hotter today?

When in Taos - stay at the Sagebrush Inn. Get a room with a fireplace. September or October is good.

Socorro is nice. Ever visit Fort Craig? Battle of Valle Verde, etc, etc.

 

Only heard about it in the Simpsons. Evil mayor apparently.

 

Wait a minute. Just for the summer? Sheesh. Get a suite at the Hyatt and take a cab to work. If it's taxpayer money, so be it.

This is gonna be better than summer camp in the Catskills.

Since when did a New Yawker give a **** about taxpayer dollars? Did you vote for Hillary?

 

WTF? What channel are you watching? Are you sure you're in the right thread? No comprende, senor - !verdad!

And to think half my ancestors were Swiss - well, Sweitzerdeutsch anyway. Mercenaries they were - palace guards at the Vatican.

What's a Russian dude doing in Helvetica, anyway?

 

There is something magical about those open spaces in places like New Mexico, the drive from Sante Fe to Taos is one of them. The regional food is fantastic, from the high-end places in and around Sante Fe, to the little local joints. Poverty there reaches levels that would make a New Yorker blush. I also have no idea how much radioactive stuff is buried in the hillsides, but it will be a worthwhile place to spend a summer, and you may find the spirit of the SouthWest infects you. We have talked about moving to the SouthWest in our dotage.

 

You could do worse - much worse. Best to go there in your dotage without having to depend on the local economy for your livelihood - unless you're related to somebody in the guvmint in Santa Fe, if ya catch my drift. Can you say nepotism?

A great book: "The Spell of New Mexico"

 

LOL! those breakfast burritos are to die for, though some street vendor carnitas in Taos was some of the best eats I've ever had.

Sadly can't say I visited Fort Craig (cripes, I didn't even visit the VLA which was more my kind of place ).

Ferrari content: OK, not quite Ferrari, just a measly 246 Dino...remember watching such a vehicle heading in the other direction while driving in ABQ... there aren't too many cars that draw my attention like that.

p.s.: Anyone hiring in this particular region (for pretty much anything... I'm pretty versatile - drop me a note!) Currently gainfully employed, but really miss the desert!

 

There was an episode where Albuqurqe tries to steal the Isotopes from Springfield.
I am a director for a company there.

 

Tim,

Drop me a PM if you want specific details.

ABQ is a great place full of "plusses" but with a few "minuses" too, just like anywhere else. I understand that it has also changed greatly in the past 10 years, so that people's insights into it from some time ago may not reflect on the city now.

I lived there from 2002 through the end of 2004, and will be returning in 2007 when I finish up my PhD here in Colorado.

First, yeah, you will need a car to get around effectively in ABQ. There is a bus system, but... it's just OK. When I came out there after college in 2002, I drove out from Florida with my dad over a 3-day trek. It was a fun trip, and I think of it as part of "growin' up" .

Re: places to stay, ABQ isn't all about retirement communities. They're there, like any place, but there are a number of apartment "communities" that are really nice that have nothing to do with retirement. In fact, I stayed in such a community during my 2.5 tenure there (Pinnacle at High Desert) and it was very, very nice. Your situation is unique because it's just three months or so(internship, I presume), so not every place may be willing to have you on a month-to-month basis. Also, depending on where your internship is (i.e. near the air force base or perhaps on, say), you may want to live closer to the base.

There is an Albuquerque Flying Club; I know a couple of folks with their private pilot's license and ABQ is a great place to do it... Sunny and clear most days. Check out Albuquerque's Double-Eagle airport: http://www.cabq.gov/airport/doubleeagle.html. There are others as well.

I've attached a few pics of ABQ in the summertime...

Congrats on the internship!
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More on ABQ. I do not associate "poverty" with ABQ. There is plenty of low-income folks who, like the ancient Romans did, know how to do just fine on that low-income. Meanwhile, there's a healthy middle class and as such ABQ feels like many cities. It has nice malls, new areas, old areas, chain restaurants, local restaurants, new housing, old housing, college campus, concert halls, dance clubs, bars, banks, etc.

Of course, due to the show COPS, people have been presented with a fine case of "evidence selection" (i.e., only televise the crime from certain select cities), and as such, have the wrong impression of ABQ. As much as it's weird to say it, in 2.5 years there, I never had an issue with crime personally--not even anything petty. And this was carting around in a 308/328 all the time! I did have a gal friend get her car broken in to while at the gym (classic predatory theft, found anywhere).

The food is great, once you've tasted authentic New Mexican. There is not a great many of what you would call really high-end restaurants... So we ended up finding pretty nice, full-of-character local places and working with them. We've found decent italian, great thai, etc. There's everything there. Remember, it's a decently sized city--what, 600,000+ population since I last checked? It is very much growing and as such for home ownership it's a "sellers" market but great deals can be had in areas of new growth (i.e., Rio Rancho near Intel).

The people are also great. There is a large hispanic base, but in fact ABQ is known for the combination of three cultures--anglo, hispanic, and native american (indian), although the latter doesn't have too strong a presence in my experience. What is notable though is the diversity of the place, and that in general we found that everyone gets along very, very well. I found racial tensions to be pretty much absent, although folks (paranoid white people, say) may think differently. I certainly found things much "smoother" in this regard than most places. That diversity grows on you. It's certainly a lot different than up here in "white-bred" Colorado! I find I miss the diversity.

The pace in ABQ is likely much slower than you're used to. Relaxed, with hints of laziness, I guess I would say . The traffic is light, likely much less than you're used to, which was a big plus for me. In general a low-stress existence.

Cost-of-living is pretty low, too, although in the nicest areas things like groceries etc. are more inline with the national average, I'd say. Housing in general is cheap, though no housing these days is cheap if you're looking to buy (real estate is kind of crazy...). From a renting perspective, I was able to afford the nicest in the city (which was quite nice) with a job out of college (although I did pretty will with the ol' job hunt...)... if that gives you any perspective. It's not manhattan!

Hope this helps to give you some ideas!

--Mike

 

More. You do NOT need a handgun. When you read that, keep in mind it's one guy's opinion (er, like mine I suppose). If you did that, and you're what, 21, that would be a most irregular thing to do. It would certainly pose problems if you're driving onto Kirtland (and/or gaining access to Sandia builings).

The whole STD thing, I was not aware of (obviously). I certainly didn't encounter any issues! Now if you're "associating" with girls you pick up on Central Ave., that may be a different story.

Again, it's a different place than it was 10 years ago.