Santa Fe, NM

"Dreams come true, yeah they do, in Santa Fe."

Shout out to "Newsies" for having such an incredible song that continued our theme of listening to songs with the namesake of the city we're in. Court said, "if Jack Kelly wants to go to Santa Fe, then so do I!" (credit the intro to Court as I have not seen Newsies)

Last night we ordered from Tomasita's. I had chalupas for the first time, and a sopapilla for desert! We also looked at The Shed, and Tortilla Flats for dinner take-out, both looked really delicious.

We woke up to a sweet surprise-a blanket of snow outside our door! Good thing we packed an ice scraper! Everything that was packed into the van needs to be used at least once before we go home...well, maybe except for the jumper cables and spare tire.

After defrosting the van, we explored the Santa Fe Plaza. Although quieter than normal because of COVID, you could really feel the history of the city just by walking the streets. Santa Fe is the oldest capital city in America, and was the seat of power for the Spanish Empire north of the Rio Grande. The city recognized the importance of preserving their Spanish-Pueblo architecture and diverse cultural history- and it shows. The Old Sante Fe Association, created in 1926, is dedicated to growing the city in a way that preserves its history. To read a nice timeline and backstory on why Santa Fe is such a historic city in the American West, I recommend the Sante Fe Tourism Page.

If it was not COVID, I think a historic walking tour would be a great way to experience the city. Around every corner was a hotel listed on the National Registry of Historic Hotels, or a building with rich history that you wouldn't even know. We saw a plaque on a seemingly random adobe building that told us how it was the spot where Billy the Kid was put into jail and tried! We passed a donkey statue at the entrance to an alley and thought nothing of it- I just read about how it marks the entrance to "Burro Alley," which used to be a hangout for gamblers, & thieves- now it's shops & restaurants just tucked away!

We knew we needed to spend the day walking around the Plaza and Canyon Road, so we fueled up for second breakfast at Cafe Pasqual's - which is now just a walk-up window on the street corner for COVID. We bought chai tea lattes and warm gingerbread loaves with lemon glaze.

We've been very intentional on the trip to buy local. We've opted for local restaurant take-out instead of chains, same with coffee, snacks, & souvenirs. If we're going to be out here during COVID, we wanted to at least shop local and support the small businesses impacted the most, and especially buy souvenirs that were handmade locally when we could. Trying the local food while traveling is always a better option anyway.

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After our warm gingerbread, we walked down to Canyon Road. We didn't venture inside any of the galleries, although they were open, but we checked out the outdoor sculpture gardens. Canyon Road is about 1 mile, and there was hardly anyone out at 11am on a Tuesday morning, so we took our time strolling. The light blanket of snow made everything so much prettier, especially contrasting with the red/orange adobe buildings.

We did head back to the Plaza- we had our eyes on a few handmade pieces of jewelry that were made by a local man. He was selling them on a table outside so we walked past a few times. It started snowing again in the afternoon!

Eventually, we needed to refuel again and found the chips & salsa at an outdoor rooftop spot called Coyote Cantina. Luckily, there was only one couple there so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Before this, we did buy some local honey from a really lovely honey shop called Santa Fe Honey Salon & Farm Shop- they had beeswax candles, infused honey, + so much more. I got one infused with red chile.

I had fun taking photos today around the Plaza & Canyon Road. We made our own dinner tonight. Tomorrow we start the trek home.