We’ve been to Albuquerque more times than I can count so most places we visit are revisits. One new places this time: Books on the Bosque, which kindly hosted an event for my new book “Our Diaries, Ourselves.” Nice people and store.
I remain impressed with the Albuquerque Museum, which has a great permanent art collection oabout New Mexico, often by New Mexicans and thought provoking exhibitions including the latest by Delilah Montoya whose photos, prints and installations are about Chicano life and especially our brutal and messed up immigration system sadly are as topical as ever. Next up: an exhibition on the ABQ stretch of Route 66.
Lunch (good salads) at Vinaigrette was as good as ever but in a new location— the former home of another restaurant, Modern General, which is no more. We also had good sandwiches at Villa Miriam.
A bunch of storefronts in Nob Hill along Central are vacant so it was good to see the good Japanese/french bakery ihatov (which sounds like Hebrew or Native American but may be Japanese) is still on Central avenue (aka Route 67, on a tarted up but still a little honkytonk stretch.) Excellent morning bun (sort of a busy carrot cake with various dried fruits).
Dinner was at Sawmill market, a hip food court that has long wooden tables and a dizzying array of options. It worked well for our party of six. We all got hamburgers they were closest and easiest but got lunch today we tried the tacos, which were better than the burger.
We also enjoyed shopping around the central plaza in Old Town, with its adobe buildings, wooded colonnades with hanging dried chiles, and pretty courtyard gardens.Several shops have interesting work by locals and/or southwest artists – and their wares are refreshingly affordable compared to Santa Fe.
TakeBetsywithyou 