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Santa Fe – The City Different

Visiting Santa Fe is such fun! This city has something for everyone. There are loads of museums (including the Georgia O’Keefe Museum), art galleries, and incredible shops. The area is steeped in history, originally was inhabited by Pueblo Indians in the eleventh century and first visited by the Spaniards in 1598. The Spaniards founded the town of Santa Fe in 1608 and continously inhabited the city except for the time from 1680-1692, when they were driven out by the Indians. The U.S. declared war on Mexico in 1846, and gained possession of New Mexico in 1848. New Mexico became our 47^th state in 1912, and Santa Fe was designated the capital. At 7,000 feet, Santa Fe is the highest state capital in the U.S. – be sure to drink a lot of water if you visit, that will help you adjust to the altitude.

The railroad by-passed Santa Fe in the 1800’s, and the city went into decline. Mindful of the area’s potential as a tourist destination, the city enacted building codes beginning in the 1800’s to preserve the city’s Spanish architecture and keep a uniform look. Even today, new construction must abide by appearance codes, but the authentic adobe has been overtaken by faux-dobe frame and stucco construction. Today, many famous people have a second home in this upscale city.

When we visit Santa Fe, we head straight for the Plaza for shopping and people-watching. The style here is very Southwestern, with the men wearing cowboy boots, hats and ornate belts, while the women tend toward long skirts, with ruffles and flourishes – and loads of jewelry. It’s a refreshing change to see so many people putting some effort into their appearance, the “pajamification” of America seems to have by-passed Santa Fe!

There are so many wonderful boutiques in the area, all with unique clothing and jewelry. You won’t see too much in the way of business suits or sweatsuits, these fashions are colorful, exquisite fabrics, and artistic designs. The jewelry selection is amazing as well. You will find every style of jewelry from fine gold and diamonds to native American turquoise and silver and very artsy compositions of precious metals and stones of all types.

There are many shops featuring Southwestern-style furniture and furnishings, architectural artifacts, and art galleries, all very colorful and unique. Within Southwestern style are various types such as Victorian, Territorial, Craftsman, Post-Modern, and so on. Because the landscape is high desert, and the adobe buildings provide a plain backdrop, the touches of color and ornate design really stand out. But the main feature is uniqueness – you won’t see anything cooky-cutter here. The emphasis is on individuality, and even mass-produced items will be combined in a unique way.

We always stop at the La Fonda Hotel http://www.lafondasantafe.com/, it’s a grand place to visit even if you don’t stay there. The entire hotel is decorated with painted furniture and designs on the walls everywhere you look, even the posts in the parking garage are decorated! Lunch at La Plazuela restaurant is a must, it’s in a beautiful enclosed courtyard in the center of the hotel.

There are many excellent shops in the La Fonda Hotel, but we never miss a visit to Things Finer - http://www.thingsfiner.com/ This shop offers fine jewelry from around the world, featuring Russian icons and estate items, along with a selection of attractive little items such as unusual glass ornaments, decorative perfume bottles and other small doo-dads. The shop’s owners are always very gracious, offering to let us try on jewelry items that are obviously way beyond our price range. I think they take pleasure in sharing the beauty of their exquisite pieces even when a sale is out of the question.

There are many restaurants in the Plaza, and they’re all very good. Like everything else here, presentation is important, so the food always looks great in addition to being very tasty. You can choose from a wide variety, whether it’s Mexican, New Mexican, American, Italian, French, Asian, etc., etc.

After lunch, it’s back to the Plaza for more shopping, then we may head out to Jackelope, a very fun store with many departments and very reasonably-priced merchandise. You’ll find a very eclectic mix here, from folk-art figures to garden ornaments to fashion accessories.

After we leave Jackelope, our final stop is Trader Joe’s where we load up on excellent food & beverages (lots of organic choices) to take home – if you get a chance to visit a Trader Joe’s, be sure to grab a bottle or two of “Three-buck Chuck” – this is their house brand Charles Shaw wine, a very good bargain. Trader Joe’s stores are located in 22 states throughout the US, unfortunately none in Colorado where I live, so this is always a must stop when I visit Santa Fe, and I always see other cars with Colorado plates in the parking lot!

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