Do and See in Albuquerque

Up until May, I had been happily living and working in Albuquerque, New Mexico for two years. Before that, I had not lived anywhere for that long other than my home, Long Island, NY. I feel very connected to eastern Long Island, and had trouble staying away for very long. When my now husband moved to Albuquerque for a two year training program, we decided to get married and live there together. At that time, the city was no more than a strange name on a map to me. I had no idea what to expect in moving there, and was more than a little skeptical. Being a marine biologist, I was worried about finding work and never having been associated with the military before, I was nervous about living on base and finding friends. The first time I visited, it for for less than 24 hours. Jamie and I drove my car there from the San Juan Islands in Washington and I flew to the Bahamas for a summer teaching position the morning after I arrived. While I was there, we went shopping at Trader Joe's and ate dinner on the patio of a large restaurant and brewery called Kelly's in one of the trendier parts of town. The city seemed eccentric and interesting and throughout my summer in The Bahamas, I continued to took forward to exploring Albuquerque further.

Albuquerque turned out to be an amazing place to live. Throughout my two years there, I taught middle school science at a private Muslim school, became a yoga teacher, raised a puppy, hiked a lot, and went  rock climbing, snowboarding and skydiving. I learned about organic farming, brewing beer, brewing wine, and raising goats. I visited museums and worked in a lab at UNM. I trained for a marathon and participated in local races. I ate at locally owned restaurants and sampled small breweries. I made the most of my time in such a wonderful place, but this probably makes me miss it even more.

In May, I packed up our life into a moving truck and moved with my dog to meet my husband in Valdosta, GA. When I arrived, we stayed on an air mattress on the floor of a friend's apartment. Two weeks later, I went to North Carolina for a week, then stayed in our new house for just two weeks before heading off to Thailand to teach for the summer. Back in the U.S., I spent a couple days in North Carolina, a week in the D. C. area, a week at home in Long Island, a week in the DC area again, then a week upstate NY. Now I have finally made my way back south to GA. For the duration of this summer, I have felt very ungrounded. Almost even a sensation of floating. I've felt disconnected and it has been rather strange and uncomfortable. When I have dreams about being home or am feeling a bit homesick, I still see visions of Albuquerque. When I close my eyes, I see wide open blue skies and the Sandia Mountains.  

In my recent consideration of life in Albuquerque and moving quite frequently, I decided to write up all of my favorite things about Albuquerque. A kind of homage to the city that might allow me to feel some closure and move on into the next phase of my life in Georgia. Honestly, I wish I had read something like this when I was moving to Albuquerque. Knowing how much another new and scared military wife learned to love the city might have made me feel more comfortable and excited about the move.  Military people have a tendency to talk a lot of trash about wherever they are stationed. I think it is because they did not choose to live there and it is often very different from wherever they call home. So many people that I met at Kirtland Air Force Base said they couldn't wait to get out of Albuquerque. If someone had instead told me how much they loved it there, it might not have taken long to settle in. I could surely use someone telling me some good things about my new town in GA.

A Perfect Albuquerque Weekend:

Friday Night:

Dinner at Il Vicino in Nob Hill. Order a beer from their brewery and one of their amazing personal pizzas. If your feeling hungry, share a spinach salad with your date to start the meal. 

Il Vicino- Nob Hill

Walk a couple storefronts over and see a documentary or indie film at The Guild Cinema. Enjoy fresh popped pop corn with a variety of fixings available, including nutritional yeast! 

Guild Cinema

After the movie, walk across the street and check out Tractor Brewing Co.. The beer is not the best in Albuquerque, but there is some high quality people watching to be had, outside seating, and puppies are welcome. There is usually a food truck at the curb, but recently it has only been BBQ (I enjoyed the vegan truck that used to frequent this stretch of curb).

Tractor Brewing Co.

Saturday:

Get up nice and early and grab a hearty breakfast and some delicious coffee at Flying Star. This is a local chain and there are many locations throughout the city. The tofu scramble is my favorite breakfast, but sometimes I order lunch for breakfast and have a Buddha Bowl (brown rice with steamed veggies and crunchy wontons). The soy chai latte is very nice. If you just want coffee, try their sister chain Satellite, which is more of a traditional coffee shop. 

Flying Star

If you went to Flying Star in Nob Hill, which is not the nicest location, but the most convenient, walk over to La Montanita Co-op and pick up some good nutritious snacks. They have great energy cubes in every variety you can think of and local produce that is as fresh as it gets. 

La Montanita Co-op

Armed with snacks from La Montanita, and plenty of water, you are ready to hike the famous La Luz trail. It is about 8 miles to the Sandia Crest from the tram parking lot. Along the way you will pass through several ecoclines and enjoy breathtaking views of the city and surrounding area. At the peak, enjoy refreshments at High Finance Restaurant and then take "The World's Longest Tram" back down. It is not the world's longest anymore, but it is the longest in the U.S. and it is probably too much work for them to change all the signs. Just remember, if it is too windy, the tram can stop operating. Don't get stuck at the top and then have to walk all the way back down!

Sandia Peak Tram

After that nice long hike, head to Marble Brewery. They have amazing beer and a great outdoor space. On Saturday nights, they have a band outside. Get there early if you want to have a place to sit. Dogs are allowed on the patio, but not inside because they do serve food. Treat yourself to some delectable southern cooking when "The Supper Truck" pulls up. 

Marble Brewery

The Supper Truck

Sunday:

Start Sunday perfectly with a trip to The Grove in downtown Albuquerque. This place is popular (for good reason), so it is important to get here at opening (8am on Sundays). They are famous for the Croque Madam, but I enjoy the poached eggs, the breakfast burrito, the vegetable sandwich, and the salads. Definitely have a cappuccino. 

The Grove

It is hard not to, but try not to linger too long. Drive South on 25 to Belen and get in a jump or two at Skydive New Mexico. They offer Tandems and do courses to to learn how to solo jump. Even just The ride in the small airplane to altitude is worth it; there are amazing views of the surrounding landscape that are harder to see after you jump. The air is clear and cool up high and the whole experience is very exhilarating and refreshing. The instructors here are some of the nicest, funnest people around. 

Sky Dive New Mexico

If the weather is not preferred for sky diving (gusty winds will shut down the drop zone), you can keep driving south and go rock climbing in Socorro. There are some easy beginner routes as well as more challenging climbs, but you will need your own equipment. 

Rock Climbing in Socorro

Drop in for a Sunday evening yoga class at Grassroots yoga. They have a beautiful, vast studio with hard wood floors and mirrors. The teachers are all great and offer a challenging and fun class. Once a day there is a $5 1 hour class, and last time I checked, Sunday evening was one of those classes! The studio is conveniently located and easy to find with a storefront right on Central. 

Grassroots Yoga

For dinner, cozy up at India Kitchen: the best Indian food in town by a long shot. This restaurant is owned by an Indian couple and they provide authentic Indian food with excellent service. Their popadan is amazing. And, they will actually make your food spicy for you if you ask! 

India Kitchen

Additional:

Here are a couple more of my favorite things. Not everything could fit in one weekend!

Los Poblanos Inn & Restaurant: If you need a place to stay consider this, although it can be pricy and is often booked for weddings. The farm provides the food used in the restaurant, making the place beautiful, sustainable, and tasty. If you have a special event, this is the place to eat, but call ahead for reservations. 

Los Poblanos

Anapurna's Vegetarian Cafe: This Ayurvedic restaurant has the best vegetarian food. I always enjoy the South Indian Sampler, but really everything is good (especially vegan biscotti). Try their kitchari, the most basic of Ayurvedic dishes and don't forget a soy chai (and use your one free refill)!

Anapurna's

The Nuclear Museum: A great place to spend the day when it is too cold or windy to do anything else. So much of New Mexico's history is wrapped up in the atomic bomb, it is worthwhile to investigate. 

The Nuclear Museum

Obviously there is much more to do and see in Albuquerque, but these are some of my very, very favorites. I hope this is useful to somebody new to the area or awaiting an upcoming move to Kirtland!

On the Move

Here I am: sitting at my kitchen table at a friend's bachelor pad (they have no furniture). I have just completed my first military DITY move and it was more work, more stress, and more devastating than I could have imagined. Exactly 7 days ago I ate at The Grove one last time, picked up my moving van and got this crazy process underway. I am not sure why I thought it would be easy. Sure, some of Jamie's co-workers were coming to help load furniture, but I still had to pack boxes, clean the house, run for the zoo, meet at UNM to work on data analysis, and do several last minute errands. Saturday flew by; I got all the heavy things in the truck and most of the boxes packed. I fell asleep on the therma-rest pad in less than 20 minutes and slept restlessly through most of the night. I woke up a couple times to nightmares of over sleeping and eventually woke around 6am to get back to packing. I packed and cleaned for a couple more hours before I rode my borrowed bicycle to zoo for the annual "Run for the Zoo and Walk With Us, Too!"

As always, my students were late and confused. I ended up only meeting 2 for the actual run/walk, but it was still a lovely way to enjoy the morning of my last full day in the town I had grown to love. I kept looking towards the mountains, trying to memorize their shape and contrast against sky. I memorized the rio grand and the elephants. I took in all these things I had seen over and over and committed them to memory, promising myself I would lose them. At the conclusion of the run/walk, I took off on the bicycle towards the university and Anapurna's for some soul sustaining vegetarian and ayurvedic grub. Kitchari was just what I needed. After nourishing myself, I headed across the street and got some data done. Analyzing data is like unwrapping a present. You are never quite sure what you will get, but sometimes there are pleasant surprises. No pleasant surprises yet, but there is still a lot of work to do. The scientist I have been working with did invite me to come back to do my doctoral work with her though; PhD in plant ecology? Maybe!

I cycled home at 5pm (later than planned), and Beth came over to help me pack and clean. This is when things really started to get crazy. Beth was such a huge help, I could never completely thank her, but I still didn't finish everything before I was completely exhausted. Again, I passed out on the therma-rest on the floor, but I think I fell asleep in less than 5 minutes for the first time all week.

I woke up the next day at 5am and started sprinting back and forth to the truck and running up and down the stairs frantically scrubbing, transporting, vacuuming, dusting, and sweeping. At about 7:30 it became apparent that I would not finish everything by my 9am checkout time. I called the housing office and they graciously informed me they could only push back the appointment if I drove to the office and changed the time in person. I am not sure how that could possibly be helpful in the midst of a move, but they were unwilling to negotiate. They sent their inspector to check on me at 9am, anyways, and alas, I was not finished. The inspector is short and stout. He has brown hair and brown eyes and looks as if he is afflicted with Down's syndrome, but he is not. He has strange mannerisms and a very judgmental glare. He walked into my house and appraised my work with a disapproving scan of the living room and a disappointed "so you really aren't ready, huh?" He drove back to the office and said he would try to squeeze me in for another appointment later in the day.

The little man parked in front of my house some 20 minutes later and waddled up to my front door to inform me that my new appointment was at 2pm. Great, thanks. I knew I did not need that much time, so I slowed my pace to just slightly frantic and kept working. After pulling the appliances away from the wall and sweeping behind them, dusting the tops of the cabinets, scrubbing the hard water lines in the toilets with a pumice stone, a lot of sweat, and a few tears, I felt like the house was ready for inspection. It was 11:30am.

So, I headed out for some errands before the inspection. I went to wally-world for a lock for the truck, pet-land for a 50lb bag of dog food, Salam Academy to drop off some grading, and Comcast to give them back the modem and router we haven't actually used in over a year. I also hit up Trader Joe's one last time for some lunch and road snacks. I got back to the house at 1:45, and snuck in some last minute dusting before the small, unfortunate looking inspector showed up again.

He looked displeased to be at my house again, but it is his job, so he was there. He around walked slowly, checking for dust by rubbing his stumpy fingers along surfaces as he went. I was so incredibly nervous; my stomach was tied in a knot in my chest and my heart was sucked up to my throat. It felt like a final exam; I had worked my tail off and this "walk-through" was what it all came down to: would I have to pay fines or not. I would. I was fined $20 for missing house keys, $30 for a broken set of blinds, $2 for an exterior light bulb being out, and $20 for not taking down all the light globes and cleaning their interior. The last couple fines he laid on me were what really angered me. During our first meeting several weeks ago, the little man told me that garbage could be left on the front lawn. I was appreciative, because this was actually convenient, and as I was moving, I bagged up garbage and put it on the front yard. On that final walk through, he told me that I would be charged $25 for the garbage and $25 for the recycling because it needed to be picked up prior to move out. Fifty dollars for garbage removal when he had told me it was ok to leave it? I was really mad. I packed all the garbage into my moving truck and my neighbor graciously took the recycling. I went to meet the man at the leasing office and sign the paperwork.

Despite the last minute relocation of my trash, the leasing agents still wanted me to pay the $50 because the trash was there during my appointment. I fought so hard I am actually a little embarrassed seeing as it was for $50, but I eventually won so perhaps it was worth it. With less than $100 of fines, I was finally leaving Kirtland Air Force base. I saved about $200 by doing a "self clean" (it is $300 to "pay and go"). I am not sure if the self-clean was the best option. It would have felt better if I did not have any fines, but if could have been worse, I suppose. I drove out the Wyoming gate for the last time.

I grabbed a Starbuck's iced coffee and I was officially on the road. It was 4pm. Driving east on I-40, I shed a tear as I passed through the Sandias, and then it was open road and crappy radio reception for a long time. Almost as soon as I passed into Texas, the deserts succeeded into grasslands and then trees started to appear. It was verifiably damp outside when I hit a raccoon with a huge thump and knocked the truck out of gear. I had no idea why the truck wouldn't go anymore. It was about 11pm in the middle of nowhere Texas, and my heart was beating loudly, pumping high levels of adrenaline throughout my system. All the possible outcomes of the truck breaking down then were spinning through my mind. I took a deep breath and looked past my shaky hands to my speedometer and watched it slowly reading lower and lower speeds: 45mph, 40mph, 35mph. But then, my gaze drifted just below the odometer and I noticed that the transmission was in Neutral. I shifted back to drive; the truck responded to the gas pedal and picked up speed. I took this as a sign that it was time to get off the road and pulled into the parking lot of the very first motel I spotted.

The motel was the only one for another 40 miles and I was scared they would not let me stay with Gnasher. So, I didn't mention my sweet little co-pilot and simply registered and drove over to my room. I let Gnasher out for a short, secretive walk and he did pee, but almost immediately after entering the room, he lifted his leg and marked the corner of the California King sized bed taking up most of the motel room. The bed was big enough that I just slept on the other side, but I really hope they was the sheets and blankets there!

The next day brought many more miles between Albuquerque and I. I made it to Dallas at lunchtime and visited with my Aunt Renee at her palatial Texas home and then drove on towards New Orleans. I made it to Baton Rouge and stayed at a pet friendly Motel 8 that Gnasher enjoyed much more than his first motel experience. The room was smaller and had laminate flooring, but most importantly, it was significantly quieter. The first room was next to a freight train line and very close to the highway. Every time a train or truck would speed by, Gnash's little head would perk up and he surveyed the situation for danger for several minutes before resting his head again. He was so anxious, I don't think he slept much that night, but, this night was a little better.

On to New Orleans! We woke up early and jumped in the truck to see Matt, my co-lead from last summer and his girlfriend, Brittany. I pulled up in front of his apartment about an hour and half later and we walked to a nice little breakfast joint, The Ruby Slipper Cafe. Along the way, Gnasher ate a crawfish shell and a shrimp tail, seeming to enjoy the local fare even if I was downright disgusted. At the restaurant, I was disappointed that there was butter in the grits and I became worried that this will continue to be a problem for me! I love grits and was looking forward to participating in the grits and everything traditions in my new home, but butter makes my belly upset. I had eggs and spinach and mushrooms instead with some delicious coffee and donated my decadent looking and certainly very buttery biscuit to Matt. After breakfast, Matt studied for his upcoming mega-medschool-test and I worked on my lesson plans for my upcoming summer trip to Thailand. It completely boggles my mind that Matt has been studying 8 hours a day for two months to take this test. That is a lot of studying.

When Matt was done studying for the day (I think he would have went a lot longer if I wasn't there), we went to Juan's Flying Burrito for dinner, which had a cute outside seating area on the sidewalk. The waitress was attentive and friendly and the green veggie burrito tasted virtuous and delicious. The guacamole was some of the best I've had, although the "green chile" was not green chile as I have come to know and love it. I am fearful that missing green chile will become a serious problem for me as life goes on in Georgia. We stopped by Angelo Brocato Ice Cream & Confectionary for dessert and I ordered some tangy raspberry and sweet mango sorbet. I was slightly rebuffed when I asked for chocolate chips and the sales girl quipped "we don't really do toppings here," but she was not as snotty as her comment and was easily forgiven. Matt and I walked back to his apartment with our frozen desserts and chatted about New Orleans and how it has changed. He pointed out spray painted x's on buildings and told me that in the four corners of the x you could find the date the building was searched, how many people were found, how many alive, and how many dead. It was a chilling reminder that the city went through a nightmarish tragedy and I tried to picture the streets and houses underwater as we continued on our way.

The next day, I continued on my way to Valdosta. I was excited to see Jamie and terrified at what I might find when I reached my new home. I was slightly relieved to leave New Orleans; there was a grittiness there that I had not encountered before and it made me feel uneasy. I arrived in Valdosta before dark and Jamie drove me over to our new house. It was exciting, even if I could only see the exterior for now. The house is on a beautiful piece of land and is blue with a red door. I just love it and I cannot wait to move in. For the next week, though, we will continue to stay on an air mattress on Jamie's coworker's floor.

The town is bigger than I expected and has many eating and shopping options. I am not sure what I will do for work yet and that remains the primary question about life in this biggish town surrounded by farms in all directions. Will I work? Will it be fulfilling? Will I be advancing my career and building my resume? Or, will I be frustrated and stunted? I think the work question will ultimately determine my experience here, but so far I am appreciating the green foliage everywhere I look, the morning dew and afternoon rain showers, and the sweet smells of green grass, hyacinths, and summer on the east coast in general.