By Cynthia Dial for JustLuxe.com
I am no novice to Santa Fe, having
visited multi times over many years, yet I remain impressed at its eternal
exclusivity. Long ago my attendance at Sunday mass in its downtown Cathedral
Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi revealed an usher, simply collecting
donations this day, but best known as 60s heartthrob, Tab Hunter. Most
recently, the last evening of my last visit provided yet another treasured
memory – an intimate, tented and chandelier-adorned tailgate dinner preceding a
performance of the Santa Fe Opera. The crowning jewel of this crystal-stemware,
sterling-silver type of affair was its tableside preparation by James Beard
award-winner, Todd Hall, executive chef of Julia, La Posada’s signature
restaurant.
Photo by Cynthia Dial
Not every trip to New Mexico’s
capital city is punctuated by star sightings, but any visit can mean mornings
with Native American artisans selling their wares, afternoons spent gallery
hopping along Canyon Road and evenings enjoyed over meals in James Beard-recognized
restaurants. Santa Fe is a don-your-turquoise-and-silver and kick-around-in-your-cowboy-boots
kind of town – sophisticated, yet laid-back. It’s these distinguished
attributes that provide countless reasons to visit, all are determined by taste
and choice – yours.
Photo by Cynthia Dial
A little backstory. The city is
older than the U.S. itself – when the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, Santa
Fe had its own governor. A product of Spanish heritage, Native American roots
and Old West ways, Santa Fe has a rich and distinctive narrative, one like no
other. At an elevation of 7,000 feet (nearly a half mile higher than the
nation’s mile-high city, Denver), it enjoys more than 300 days of annual
sunshine and four distinct seasons. Reflective of its forever edict, no
building taller than four stories, and its adobe-style architecture, it remains
a world-class city with a small-town vibe.
Photo by Cynthia Dial
With such historical beginnings,
the best place to begin exploration of the nation’s oldest capital is La Posada
de Santa Fe Resort and Spa. Built in 1882 as the Territory’s largest home, the
Staab Mansion quickly became the hub of entertainment with Julia Staab at the
helm. Considered the unofficial hostess of New Mexico, her guest list
overflowed with the region’s “who’s who” of the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. Surrounded by casitas (now rooms) originally built for traveling
artists, La Posada is also known as the Art Hotel of New Mexico. It earned the moniker
because of its long ago display and sale of original art, including the work of
Georgia O’Keeffe. Though this was two decades before Santa Fe’s galleries began
to flourish, this tradition continues today. It is under the guidance of noted
art curator Sara Eyestone that artists display exclusively at La Posada, which
also hosts a weekly Friday afternoon art reception and chef’s tasting.
Photo by Cynthia Dial
A compact and walkable town, Santa
Fe is easy to explore so let’s start at its heart – the Plaza. Noted as a National
Register of Historic Places, the city’s 400-year-old central park and home to a
classic bandstand and the American Indian War Memorial monument is the perennial
gathering spot of tourists and locals. It hosts such seasonal events as August’s
internationally-renowned Indian Market and is decked out each Christmas with
thousands of glittering lights and farolitos. Palace of the Governors was
constructed in the 17th century as Spain’s seat of government. Beneath
its portal Native Americans sell their own tribe’s authentic handicrafts, all made
from traditional materials (no fake turquoise will be found here) – from
jewelry to pottery to kachina dolls – every day of the year. It’s worth noting that
these items are tax exempt, but “thinking about” a purchase may mean losing out
as artists appear on a rotating basis.
Photo by Cynthia Dial
Overflowing with galleries and
museums, there’s no shortage for the art lover. Every creative foray should
begin at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and the short movie on the artisan’s life,
followed by a stroll amongst her creations. It’s said that Canyon Road is to
art what Rodeo Drive is to fashion. Located a short walk from downtown, the
noted street is dotted with one gallery after another. McLarry Fine Art and its
sculpture garden showcase the work of celebrated Southwestern artists, while
Morning Star Gallery displays museum quality antiques from more than 50 Native
American tribes. On Museum Hill you’ll find four additional art centers, plus
The Botanical Garden.
Photo by Cynthia Dial
Shopping is distinctive in Santa
Fe. It has its own look, its own flair. Whether your quest is for handcrafted
jewelry, custom cowboy boots or an antler-enhanced chandelier, it can be found
here and it is top quality. Ortega’s on the Plaza is known for its
custom-designed jewelry by the world’s top artists, including Don Lucas and
Federico. Though at first glance it appears a museum, Andrea Fisher Fine
Pottery sells a large selection of American Indian pottery, including San
Ildefonso Pueblo’s distinctive black-on-black earthenware by Maria Martinez,
known as the “Picasso of Southwest pottery.”
Photo by Cynthia Dial
So creative is its preparation that
Santa Fe’s food scene is described “appetizing art.” With its title as the
birthplace of Southwestern cuisine, its love affair with chiles (red or green
is the perpetual query) and more than 200 restaurants to showcase its edible
imagination, Santa Fe has a collection of top chefs and a remarkable line-up of
eateries.
Photo by Cynthia Dial
Located in an 1835 adobe and a
former stagecoach stop, El Farol, the city’s oldest restaurant, is known for flamenco
entertainment. Eight-time James Beard award nominee, James Campbell Caruso, is
chef-owner of La Boca, a lively tapas restaurant and wine bar. Noted as Santa
Fe’s first fine dining restaurant, The Compound features the seasonal
contemporary American menu of Mark Kiffin (James Beard-named “Best Chef of the
Southwest”), with such popular inclusions as stone crab polenta and olive oil
ice cream. Frito pie, a different but authentic treat, is found at the back-of-the-store
food counter of the Plaza’s Five& Dime (formerly Woolworth’s, where it’s claimed
to have been invented). A regional treat, it’s an open bag of chips topped with
chili and cheese. For hands-on but delicious encounters with the town’s touted
dining arena, Santa Fe School of Cooking serves up classes and restaurant
walking tours.
This small town has a full
calendar; but among such offerings as the Chamber Music Festival, Independent
Film Festival and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, it is best known for the Santa Fe
Opera (established 1957). Called the all-star game of the music world and set
in a dramatic, open-air theater on a 100-acre backdrop, this is the hottest
ticket in the coolest of towns.
Photo by Cynthia Dial
Beyond Santa Fe’s distinguished culture
and cuisine are equally unique activities. The state’s 19 pueblos give a peek
into the Native American lifestyle, with Taos Pueblo one of the grandest. Nearby
Los Alamos is known for the Manhattan Project, which created the atomic bomb.
Its Bradbury Science Museum documents the highly sensitive and secretive World
War II mission. Bandelier National Monument
has some of the area’s finest hiking, especially in its little known Tsankawi
section, which I discovered only with assistance from Monique, hiking guide/owner
of Great Southwest Adventures. This trail running atop a mesa has Native
American cliff dwellings, petroglyphs and vantage views that are so rich in
history its signage reads: “Take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but
tracks.”
#travel #traveltips #travelingcynthia #travelpics #santafe #newmexico
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