Arizona, New Mexico & the Grand Canyon Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Aaron Anderson [116]
Hungry after museum-hopping? Visit the French Pastry Shop. Order the divine crepes, filled with everything from ham and cheese to strawberries and cream, or a cup of the best French onion soup in town. After lunch, grab the M Line bus from the Plaza or hop in your car and drive 3 miles southwest to Santa Fe’s other main museum district, renowned Museum Hill. Our favorite museum in Santa Fe is located here. The Museum of International Folk Art houses more than 100,000 objects from more than 100 countries. The exhibits aren’t simply arranged behind glass cases; the historical and cultural information is concise and thorough; and a festive feel permeates the rooms. The Hispanic wing displays religious art, tin work, jewelry and textiles from northern New Mexico and the Spanish colonial empire, dating from the 1600s to the present.
After lunch head to Santa Fe’s Rodeo Dr, Canyon Road, for a little million-dollar painting browsing. Once a footpath used by Pueblo Indians, then the main street through a Spanish farming community, Santa Fe’s most famous art avenue began its current incarnation in the 1920s, when artists led by Los Cincos Pintores moved in to take advantage of the cheap rent. Today more than 90 of Santa Fe’s 300 galleries are found here. From rare Native American antiquities to Santa Fe School masterpieces to wild contemporary work, it’s all for sale. It can seem a bit overwhelming, so we’d suggest just wandering. Stop in at the Pushkin Gallery. Owned by the family of poet Alexander Pushkin, this gallery shows Russian masters including Nikolai Timkov and Vasily Golubev as well as more modern work. After you’ve gallery hopped your heart out, it’s time for a different kind of Canyon Rd shopping experience. At El Milagro Herbs, the resident herbalist mixes invigorating body sprays, healing tinctures and relaxing bath salts. Try the Desert Dweller Deep Moisturizing Lotion; it cures even the driest skin. In the heart of the Canyon Rd chaos is one of the city’s best dinner joints, El Farol. The ambience is rustic adobe, the steaks are plump and chef James Campbell Caruso’s tapas are delectable. If you’re in town on a Wednesday night, there is a flamenco dinner show ($60). After eating, it’s time for dancing at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame. The famous watering hole boasts Western-style feminist flair, an outside patio and live music after 9pm. Try the unique smoky-tasting Mescal margarita on the rocks.
Check into one of Santa Fe’s classiest hotels for two nights. Steps from the plaza, the Inn & Spa at Loretto offers superspacious rooms done up in modern Southwestern style. Have a good-night cocktail at the lobby bar and look up at the ceiling. Each panel is hand-painted. Don’t sleep in; you’ll want to get to Tia Sophia’s for breakfast before the line gets too out of control. This is the city’s favorite morning eating option, and you’ll find celebs and locals alike stuffing their mouths with delicious green chile–soaked egg, cheese and meat burritos.
Construction on the St Francis Cathedral began in 1869, when Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy was sent to Santa Fe by the pope with orders to tame the wild Western outpost town through culture and religion. Convinced that the town needed a focal point for religious life, he initiated work on what is now the city’s landmark building. Visit the small chapel inside, where the oldest Madonna statue in North America is housed. Constructed between 1873 and 1878, the nearby Loretto Chapel is modeled on St Chapelle in Paris and home of the city’s most photographed site – the Miraculous Staircase. Legend has it the staircase