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Get a WAY TO SANTA FE
7 ways to SAVOR THE CITY DIFFERENT
by Jan Schroder
There’s just something about Santa Fe. Georgia O’Keeffe and generations of artists before
and after her felt it — and this self-proclaimed “City Different” continues to draw millions of visitors each year. It’s the oldest capital city in North America, with a population of only 70,000 people.
Why explore this corner of New Mexico? Some seek spiritual enlightenment at a yoga or Zen center, or from any of a number of churches or specialized therapists. Wealthy people come to purchase fine art and rugs. Others, like me, come to experience a place with gorgeous landscape and a distinct
Since many cultures believe seven to be the most spiritual of numbers, we’ve chosen seven things a travelgirl should do in Santa Fe. Come here and you’ll add plenty more of your own.
1. stroll
You can’t talk about Santa Fe without talking about art. Since the end of the 19th century, the city has attracted artists, perhaps drawn to the special blend of colors, shapes and light in the landscape.
Santa Fe has more than 240 art galleries, and more than 100 of these are along a half-mile stretch of Canyon Road, making it the perfect place to stroll. I set out one afternoon to wander along the dozens of galleries, most of them housed in centuries-old adobe buildings that were once small farms. I stopped in wherever the spirit moved me.
I took a turn down one road and was rewarded with a garden filled with delightful huge whimsical metal sculptures.
Santa Fe is host to several art markets year-round. Visit www.santafe.org for dates.
2. sip
Start upstairs at the Bell Tower Bar in La Fonda on the Plaza to catch the magnificent New Mexico sunset. Toast to the Land of Enchantment before heading downstairs to La Fiesta Lounge for live entertainment every night and a little two-stepping between sips of signature martinis and margaritas. www.lafondasantafe.com
3. speculate
Talk about your unsolved mystery! Visit the staircase in the tiny Loretta Chapel and you’ll wonder too, how this winding wooden staircase with no means of support is able to make two turns and ascend 22 feet to the choir loft. The story is that the chapel had no staircase when it was built in 1878. After the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph a man showed up with a donkey and a toolbox, built the wooden staircase and disappeared. I hope this is one mystery that never gets solved. www.lorettachapel.com
4. shop
Just about every shop in Santa Fe has turquoise items of some kind. Heck, even the bronze statue of Kateri Tekakwitha in front of St. Francis Cathedral was wearing turquoise jewelry. But to get the most authentic items, go to Santa Fe Plaza in front of the Palace of Governors (established in 1609!), where you’ll see a row of Native American artists with their pieces displayed on blankets on the ground. It’s all part of the Native American Vendors Program. Every day spaces are given out by lottery to artists from local pueblos. The artists may change from day-to-day so if you see a piece you want — buy it. The vendors are the number one tourist attraction in Santa Fe and the money the artists make goes to support life in their pueblos.
Window shop in the other stores along the plaza, but note that prices here seem to be on the high side. Walk a block off the plaza to visit the adorable Doodlet’s, a store selling gifts and whimsical doo-dads since 1955.
Another fun place with a variety of authentic merchandise, including vintage turquoise, is Rainbow Man, an eight-room shop with knowledgeable staff who can help you find whatever you’re looking for. Be sure to walk to the back rooms, which were the secret offices for The Manhattan Project, code name for the efforts to develop the first atomic bomb in World War II.
5. savor
Seeking spiritual enlightenment, or the perfect turquoise necklace to set off your summer tan, can build up an appetite. And Santa Fe has some excellent restaurants. For a real show, dine on New Mexican cuisine while enjoying show tunes sung by the waitstaff at La Cantina. For a true Santa Fe experience, visit The Shed, housed in a hacienda built in 1692. Ask for “Christmas on the side,” a dish of red and green chiles, to enhance your meal.
A relative newcomer on the scene is Restaurant Martin, serving progressive American cuisine. Chef Martin Rios, a recent contestant on Iron Chef America, owns the restaurant with his wife Jennifer.
www.sfshed.com
www.lacasasena.com
www.restaurantmartinsantafe.com
6. see
The night before I went to Santa Fe, I watched the movie Georgia O’Keeffe on Lifetime, starring the beautiful Joan Allen and my long-time crush Jeremy Irons. Their rather twisted relationship was a factor in her first trip to New Mexico, where she visited every year from 1929-49, eventually moving there full time. She said about the Southwest, “Such a beautiful, untouched lonely feeling place, such a fine part of what I call the ‘Faraway.’ It is a place I have painted before… even now I must do it again.”
So I was somewhat prepared for the lush colors and pure sensuality of her paintings, but in person they were incredibly moving and evocative. I loved the small must-see museum that honors her, and appreciated it all the more, knowing a bit about her life story.
The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is the only museum in the world dedicated to an internationally known female artist. More than 2.2 million visitors a year make the short walk from the Plaza, to its well-chosen home inside two Pueblo Revival style buildings.
www.okeeffemuseum.org
7. stay
Santa Fe has its share of ghosts, one of whom is said to inhabit the room where I stayed at La Posada Resort. The main part of the resort is in a converted 19th-century Victorian mansion, the former home of the Staab family. After her seventh child died, Julia Staab supposedly sunk into a depression-induced madness, and is reported to make brief visits back to her home. As she didn’t sound harmful, I was kind of hoping for a visit, but she stayed away and left me in peace to enjoy my lovely room with a view of the mountains.
The resort also has a variety of casitas scattered around its six landscaped acres, originally built in 1932 to house visiting artists. Several celebrities, including Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker and Pierce Brosnan, have stayed in one while filming nearby. Even if you don’t stay here, stop in for a drink at the Staab Bar, and check out the revolving display of art in the resort, which has its very own art curator, Sara Eyestone. She works with several established artists and all art is for sale at studio prices.
www.laposada.rockresorts.com