Moon New Mexico UPDATE

I’m out on the road now, researching for the next edition. It’s been a long time–so I’ve come across a lot of closures, I think exacerbated by the recession. Apologies to everyone who has been frustrated while using the guide–I hope this new info helps some people.

Truth or Consequences

The Red Haven motel is shut.

Las Cruces/Mesilla

Meson de Mesilla, the B&B and restaurant, is closed.
The Mesilla visitors center has moved across the street, into the new town hall.

Alamogordo

Nature’s Pantry has moved to 2909 N White Sands Blvd–north side of town.
Old Montreal Cafe is closed.
Plateau Espresso is oddly marked on the map–it’s a bit farther north on Scenic Dr.

Deming

Patio Cafe is closed. (The one in Columbus is still there, fortunately.)
Deming Truck Terminal is closed.
Joe Perk is closed.
Teapot Dome is closed.
…which makes you worry you can’t get coffee in Deming! Not so–there’s a new place called @thebrew, around the corner from where Joe Perk was.

Silver City

Vicki’s Eatery has moved to Market St between Arizona and Texas.
Dos Baristas has changed to a different coffee joint. Can’t vouch for coffee quality.
Spaghetti Western has changed, and is now 1zero6, under same ownership–I ate there one night, and it was excellent. Menu all over the globe, and limited to a few choices each night. BYOB.
Silver Brewing Co. is closed.
Miko’s Tacos is closed.
The Twisted Vine is closed.
…all these closures in Silver might make you think the place is dead. Not so! There are in fact many new and tasty and interesting developments, to be mentioned in the next edition.

Capitan

The Greenhouse Cafe is shut. It’s now called Cafe Z–have to get back and check it out on a day it’s open.

Roswell

A Taste of Europe is closed.
The visitors center has moved, just a few blocks north on the same side of the street. It’s part of a larger convention center.

Portales

Desert Bloom Inn is closed.

I’m still on the road, so more news to come…

American Eagle (the American Airlines subsidiary) has finally started direct flights between Dallas and Santa Fe. Response has been enthusiastic, so it looks like the flights will be a permanent thing, beyond the 60-day trial.

Direct flights from Los Angeles to Santa Fe are set to start in November.

Taos is jumping on the successful Rail Runner link between ABQ and Santa Fe: Starting June 4, Taos Express will run a shuttle bus will between Taos and the Santa Fe Rail Runner depot, timed with the train’s arrival, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Round-trip price is $10, and you can transfer to the Taos Chile Line town bus for free.

The big news in the area is twofold:

1) As I mentioned earlier, the RailRunner commuter train now connects Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Schedules are here.

Note that, as a side effect, as far as I can tell, there is no longer a regular city bus linking the ABQ airport to downtown–there is now a free shuttle. Which would be nice, except it runs less frequently and is timed to coordinate with the RailRunner’s departures to Santa Fe. Still, if the times work in your favor, you could easily enjoy a car-free visit to Santa Fe (and Albuquerque).

2) Allegedly, daily direct flights to Santa Fe will be starting June 11. They’ll be operated by American Eagle (American Airlines) out of Dallas-Ft. Worth.

This has been on the table before, and very close to starting, so I’ll believe it when I see it.

The Rail Runner commuter-rail service between Albuquerque and Santa Fe has officially started. This is just about the coolest thing to happen in New Mexico in decades!

For visitors, this means you could take the dedicated shuttle from the ABQ airport to the Rail Runner, and hop on the train direct to Santa Fe. No rental car, no hassle–ideal especially for a weekend getaway.

I say “could” and not “can” because a lot depends on the train schedule–it doesn’t run super-frequently (about once an hour during rush hours, with nothing in between). The last train to SF departs the ABQ Sunport stop at 6:09pm. But hopefully service will increase due to demand.

But the trip takes a little less than an hour, and you arrive in style in central Santa Fe–suave! Roundtrip is $8.

For schedules and other info, see the Rail Runner website: www.nmrailrunner.com.

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 get there under your own power–so much cooler! And a pre-dawn bike ride would be great.

In other news, there’s now an actual flushing public toilet in Madrid! (Previously, porta-potties were all that was available.)

I just got a helpful email from the Mesilla visitor center (adjacent to Las Cruces):

On page 254 under the Mesilla listing, please change the visitor center information to the following (as it has moved): 2231 Avenida de Mesilla, 575/524-3262 ext. 117. Instead of “small” visitor center, it is now located inside Mesilla Town Hall.

Just FYI, ABQ’s transit system is now called ABQ Ride, not SunTran (p. 70).

I’m in NM, and I have a lot of changes to post for Santa Fe and Taos (and probably more for ABQ to come), but I won’t get to it for a few more days. If you’re just about to leave for a trip, email me and I can tell you–otherwise, check back in another week to freshen up your book.

The Roswell visitors center (p302) is now at 912 N. Main St., in the convention center, and the new phone number is 575/624-6860.

Taste of Europe restaurant (p301) is closed.

Thanks to a reader for letting me know about these changes, as well as the corrections in the previous post.

If Moon Santa Fe, Taos & Albuquerque isn’t enough for you, get ready for Moon New Mexico, with many pages devoted to the farthest corners of the state. It comes out September 28. And there’s an update page set up for the book, just waiting for news!

I talk about New Mexico on this fun podcast, the Amateur Traveler. As you might imagine, there’s a lot of discussion of New Mexican food, and a very rambling outline of all the various places you can visit in the state, including Pie Town and Truth or Consequences.

You can download the podcast at the Amateur Traveler website, or go via iTunes–I definitely recommend the iTunes-enhanced version, which includes some great photos.

Many of those photos happen to be mine–I just uploaded a bunch of the pics I used for the book to my Flickr stream.  Easiest to see them in the New Mexico set.