Santa Fe ~ by Edward van Luinen

It's the light. The high desert, free of humidity and haze, displays colors so vivid you'll instantly know why artists settled here centuries ago and appreciate why you have chosen to visit. Welcome to Santa Fe.
To get started, fly into Albuquerque airport and rent a convertible. The extra expense will be justified by the views you'll be seeing. Santa Fe is a one hour drive north of Albuquerque.

Historically the first and also the highest-elevated capital in the U.S., Santa Fe offers you a scenic and relaxing vacation. A wide variety of arts, crafts, dining, shopping, spas, museums, architecture, historical sites and scenic views await you. Pick from this menu what you want during your stay.

The Santa Fe plaza is the historical and architectural center of town. If you want to see the lay of the land, Fiesta Tours on the plaza offers a 75 minute, open air driving tour guided by a charming, informed driver. The tour takes you to the Palace of the Governors, local government seat through the centuries of the Spanish, Mexicans, Confederates and Americans. From there you wend along Canyon Road, a walking mall of Santa Fe art galleries, craft shops and a few of the restaurants. The next stop is Christo Rey church, one of the largest adobe structures in the Southwest, where you see the interior. Continuing on, you explore a chic neighborhood at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. Expansive, adobe homes blend into the scrub terrain under cobalt blue skies. Note to self: add to retirement possibility list. Breeze by St. Johns University's extension campus as you return to the plaza to the end of the tour and continue exploring.

Other venues worth seeing in Santa Fe include the Loretto Chapel, site of the mysterious freestanding staircase, and the Georgia O'Keeffe museum. While shopping, check out the design warehouse on Marcy Street.
For a dramatic sunset over the Jemez mountains to the West, drive to Aspen Way in the late afternoon, just outside of Santa Fe. Your view from a scenic overlook at the top displays mesas, valleys and forests colored in different shades as the sun sets. The only sound you hear is the wind in the pines.

Ten Thousand Waves is a Santa Fe spa not to be missed. An evening spent here will transport you to a higher plane of physical well-being. Book your massages and treatments well in advance. Situated atop a hill a few miles outside of town, you are greeted by a soothing host who explains the protocol while lilting Japanese music fills the spa. Kimono-clad guests sipping herbal tea float by in the surroundings of dark wood beams, relaxation nooks and posture-enhancing seats. After your massage, soak in the communal hot tub outside, au natural if you want, while admiring the expanse of moon and stars rising above the pine forest.

Santa Fe is the capital of Southwestern cuisine, and there are no shortage of restaurants offering it. Try Coyote Café, signature Santa Fe restaurant of chef owner Mark Miller. To begin, try the Brazilian Daquiri and the Sangria de Coyote. The prix fixe menu has specialties including the "Short Stack" of Griddled Corn Cakes, the "Open Fire" Grilled Double Cut Porkchop, and the Mexican Chocolate Sundae for dessert. Another must is the roasted red pepper and tomato salsa. Coyote Café is one of the few places where the service is as excellent as the food. Other restaurant choices include The Shed, offering delicious New Mexican food, and Café Pasqual, whose renowned cookbook you can buy on premises.

Accommodations in Santa Fe run the range from locally managed hotels to the national chains. Whatever you preference, prices vary considerably. For convenience, find lodging as close to the plaza as you can. Stay at the Hilton, where the pool and hot tub bring relief after long walks. The well-informed concierge can also map out your day-to-day activities. Another nice hotel near the plaza is the Hotel Plaza Real. The suites here are spacious and feature cozy fireplaces and individual patio areas where you can enjoy a sun-drenched breakfast.
If its nightlife you must have, no problem.

Another Santa Fe bar to check out is the Swig, which offers live music and dancing. There are theme nights to choose from--disco and others--for the discriminating partygoer. Also, stop by Vanessie's, a friendly downtown bar with a relaxed atmosphere for a more lesbian crowd.

Once you have sufficiently explored Santa Fe town, you'll want to go on a series of drives to discover the stark beauty and mystery of the surrounding high desert. Make your first trip to Los Alamos, site of the secret World War II atom bomb construction. Spectacular vistas unfold as you climb the road to Los Alamos. The Bradbury Science Museum is the historical, scientific, and quasi-philosophical museum in town where the bomb is explained through an educational, hands-on exhibit.

A second scenic drive is to the Santa Clara pueblo, site of the Puye cliff dwellings and ancestral home of the Anasazi Indians. Unfortunately, the recent fires near Los Alamos closed this site to visitors. For consolation drive to El Paragua, a fine Mexican restaurant in the nearby town of Espanola. It features awesome guacamole, mesquite grilled fish and meat, and amazing sopapillas you drizzle with honey or apricot jam. On the way back to Santa Fe, stop at the roadside flea market. A few hundred feet up the road is the Santa Fe Opera. While performances run only in the summer season, go in to look at its unique construction that has created incredible acoustics.

No sojourn to Santa Fe would be complete without a trip to Taos. To get there, take the high road from Santa Fe. This will wend through spectacularly bleak mesas, small towns, and pine-grove valleys dotted with brilliant yellow autumnal aspens. The first town on the high road is Chimayo. In the village center is El Santuario de Chimayo, a church where centuries ago the mud in its well brought claims of miraculous healing powers. The town is also a weaving center; feel free to see examples of local products in a couple of the shops. The next town worth a stop is Las Trampas, site of the eighteenth century San Jose Church. The tranquil beauty is worth a stop and few photographs.

You have several reasons for visiting Taos. Stop number one is Taos Pueblo. Northernmost of the New Mexican pueblos, the pueblo charges a $10 entry fee and $10 to take photographs. Take the guided tour, which shows you the current adobe church, the ruins of the San Geronimo church, the unique multi-tiered architecture and the river. Wander into the artists studios to see some incredible pottery, paintings and silver jewelry. Homemade bread is also for sale.

Also, visit the Millicent Rogers Museum, a sprawling site dedicated to the display of Millicent's significant art collection. For some scenic beauty situated just outside of town on highway 76 is the Rio Grande gorge. Spanning the gorge is a suspension bridge overlooking stunning views of jagged rock formations cascading down to the river thousands of feet below. There is a walking path across the bridge; acrophobes can drive across and still get a good look from the scenic outpost on the western side. Finally, for a good overview of New Mexican history, visit this trio of museums: Kit Carson Home and Museum, the Ernest L. Blumenschein Home and Museum, and La Hacienda de los Martinez. You can purchase a pass to all three museums at any location.

For your lodging in Taos, stay at the Historic Taos Inn. The Inn offers beautifully appointed and spacious rooms, a pool, and a street-side patio for late afternoon cocktails and people watching. Try the New Mexican nachos. The restaurant at the Inn is Doc Martin's. Chef Scott Radek offers a tasty menu. For breakfast, try the eggs benedict.
Your drive back south to Santa Fe is memorable. The road cascades down along the Rio Grande river. Boatloads of rafters wave while drifting down the river. Stop at any of the roadside scenic outlooks for incredible views and photo opportunities.

To enjoy Santa Fe to the maximum, a health tip: the high elevation brings on shortness of breath, sunburn and potential dehydration. To compensate, limit physical exercise at first, use liberal amounts of sunblock and drink a lot of water.

Edward van Luinen is a New York City-based freelance writer and avid traveler.