Albuquerque

Albuquerque changes

August 11, 2011

The shop Que Chula is no longer open in Nob Hill—it only runs an online shop now. Atomic Cantina downtown is closed. The Aztec Motel has been demolished. Sad!

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Shaffer Hotel

July 19, 2010

This place in Mountainair has changed hands, and the rooms have gotten pretty sketchy. I wouldn’t recommend pre-booking here–take a room only if you can inspect it beforehand. The cafe seems to be open regularly, though, for late breakfast and lunch every day but Tuesday. I also noticed Alpine Alley, just north of Mountainair’s main [...]

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Albuquerque Restaurants

July 19, 2010

The Route 66 Malt Shop is closed. Theobroma’s downtown branch is shut, as is Cake Fetish.

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Albuquerque hotels

July 19, 2010

Sandia Mountain Hostel in Cedar Crest, in the mountains east of Albuquerque, is shut. The URL for Sarabande B&B is incorrect. It should be www.sarabandebnb.com.

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Albuquerque shopping changes

July 19, 2010

In Nob Hill, Stone Mountain Bead Gallery has moved down to the east end of the neighborhood, at 4008 Central Ave. Seventh Goddess has moved west, opposite Flying Star, to 3503 Central Ave. Downtown, Visiones Gallery is shut. And maybe I’m repeating myself, but Saints & Martyrs in Old Town is also closed.

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Jemez changes

June 14, 2010

Consetta’s, the Green Restaurant, is shut. And sincere apologies–the area code here is 575, but I failed to update many of the businesses listed.

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Albuquerque restaurants

June 1, 2010

I’m sure there will be more changes as I continue this trip, but here are two: Chef du Jour restaurant is shut. (Jennifer James is now cooking at her own place again, Jennifer James 101–and she got nominated for a James Beard award!) Relish sandwich shop is shut.

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Rt 66 Hostel

June 1, 2010

This hostel on N. Hwy. 14 in the East Mountains outside Albuquerque has shut.

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Sunshine Cafe

December 8, 2009

This little cafe in downtown Albuquerque is closing. Sniff.

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Hotel Andaluz

April 29, 2009

This hotel in Albuquerque–the renovated La Posada/former Hilton–will finally be opening in September of this year, and the website is taking reservations.

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National Atomic Museum

April 21, 2009

This museum in Albuquerque has moved to its new, bigger location at 601 Eubank SE. It has also changed its name to the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History. More info here.

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2nd edition is here! (plus transport updates)

March 13, 2009

The second edition of Moon Santa Fe, Taos & Albuquerque is available now! Fortunately, no obvious corrections to be made yet. But I’m sure a few will appear shortly. The big news in the area is twofold: 1) The RailRunner commuter train now connects Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Schedules are here. Note that, as a [...]

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ABQ Bike Paths, Madrid Toilets

October 4, 2008

This doesn’t refer to anything specific in the book–I just thought it was a big step forward: You can now bike all the way to the Balloon Fiesta grounds (thanks, Duke City Fix). Balloon Fiesta traffic is the single biggest mental deterrent for going, I’d say. The park-and-ride bus system works, but if you can [...]

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Launchpad / Golden West / El Rey

February 28, 2008

A big fire gutted Golden West (p. 146), in Albuquerque, and the neighboring Launchpad and El Rey are at least temporarily shut from damage as well.

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Two great tastes…

August 27, 2007

Jennifer James, formerly of Graze (p. 166), will be cooking at Chef du Jour (p. 161) starting September 4–this is great news! (Thanks, Duke City Fix.)

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Route 66 Hostel

July 23, 2007

This hostel in Albuquerque (p. 158) now has a website: www.rt66hostel.com.

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Blue Dragon

July 22, 2007

This cafe in Albuquerque (p. 164) is closed.

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Rt. 66 Malt Shop

March 18, 2007

It looks like this great little diner in Albuquerque (p. 162) is closing! Very sad. Thanks to Duke City Fix for the tip. UPDATE: Actually, no–just closing for a few months. It should reopen with a patio area, and maybe even a deep-fryer!

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Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

January 27, 2007

This Albuquerque sight (p. 138) has changed the schedule of dance exhibitions slightly: summer schedule is only through October, not November. Museum admission is up to $6. The website is www.indianpueblo.org. And the Pueblo Harvest Cafe (also on p. 162) now opens at 8am, not 7.

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Route 66 Hostel

January 27, 2007

Prices at this Albuquerque place (p. 158) have gone up just a tiny bit, to $18 for dorm beds and $24-35 for private rooms. It’s not much, but it can make a difference to those on a serious budget.

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Tinkertown

January 27, 2007

I realize I left out a crucial detail on this cool museum outside Albuquerque (p. 173)–it’s open only April through October. I hope no one’s been caught out by that one. Oh, and admission is $3.

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Graze

January 27, 2007

This nice little resto in Albuquerque (p. 166) is closed (as of today). The adjacent bar, Gulp, is still open.

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Al’s New York Pizza Department

January 27, 2007

This place in downtown Albuquerque (p. 163) is now called JC’s New York Pizza Department and has added a nice little bar area, with arcade games and good beers on tap. Hours have changed too: now 11am-11pm Sun.-Thurs, 11am-3am Fri. and Sat. (Yes, 3am–very handy after the bars.)

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Martha’s Black Dog

December 17, 2006

This cafe in Socorro (p. 170) is closed–it has been replaced by nice coffee place, Manzanares Street Coffee.

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Mariscos La Playa in Albuquerque

October 1, 2006

An outpost of Santa Fe’s popular Mexican seafood joint Mariscos La Playa (p. 63) is opening soon in Albuquerque, on Central Ave. west of the Rio Grande.  It’s very near Sandia Peak Inn (p. 159), on the same side of the street.

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Casa Vieja in Albuquerque

October 1, 2006

I ate at this restaurant in Corrales (p. 166) on this past research trip, and the menu has changed substantially from what’s described in the book.  It does have a few mid-range New Mexican items, but the bulk of the menu is $20-and-up entrees.  My group and I had salads and the green-chile-chicken stew, and [...]

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Other ABQ changes

September 29, 2006

Greyhound/TNM&O buses now arrive at a new depot across 1st St., next to the Amtrak station. Re: Tingley Aquatic Park (aka Tingley Beach, p. 158), I spoke too soon–the landscaping is still nowhere near finished, though I did see people fishing in the ponds, and the train to the zoo is running. Re: Faulty Trail [...]

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Albuquerque hotel news

September 29, 2006

El Vado Motel (p. 159) is closed. La Posada de Albuquerque (p. 161) is also closed, but is under major renovation.  This is great news, because the place was on its last legs.

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Albuquerque restaurant news

September 29, 2006

Chef du Jour is now open for dinner Thurs.–Sat., from 5 p.m. on, but it is closed entirely on Monday. And the phone number is 247-8998–my mistake. La Posada de Albuquerque (p. 149) is closed—it looks like it’s undergoing big renovations. Monte Carlo Steakhouse (p. 162) has helpfully labeled the entrance to the place.

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Hotel Blue: warning

August 13, 2006

A reader just dropped me a note to say his experience at the Hotel Blue in Albuquerque (p. 159) was far less than satisfactory: the pool was closed, the airport shuttle was discontinued “until further notice,” the shower didn’t work, and his non-smoking room had an ashtray in it and smelled smoky. And then there [...]

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New Sky City Cultural Center open

June 11, 2006

The new entry point to Acoma Pueblo (p. 169), which includes the Haak’u Museum, is now open. Firsthand reports say the building is very impressive, especially compared to the portable trailer that had been the starting point for bus tours.

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A few changes around Albuquerque

May 8, 2006

Martha’s Body Bueno in Albuquerque (p. 154) has moved to 3901 Central NE. The awesome tastiness of Bumble Bee’s Baja Grill, till now only in Santa Fe (p. 59), is coming to Albuquerque: one branch is opening right across from Flying Star in Nob Hill, at Central and Amherst. Pearl’s Dive in Albuquerque (p. 163) [...]

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