Albuquerque Travel Forum

i will be traveling to albuquerque alone for a weekend. i am not sure that i will have a rental so i want to know the best location to stay that is close to things.

do people do a lot of walking in abq or is it primarily a driving city?

i am staying at a holiday inn. which is better for me in terms of walking or taking public transportation to and fro? 10330 HOTEL AVE NE or 2500 MENAUL BOULEVARD?

thanks much!

jordyn

Also...i love wine tasting so i would like to know which of the wineries to be sure to hit over the weekend. should be convenient as i may not have a car.

Jordyn, you have some tough constraints since Albuquerque is primarily a driving city. I would have to say that neither of the two Holiday Inn locations is good for walking or public transportation. If you stayed in either the Uptown area or Knob Hill area, you could walk to a few things and/or catch the Rapid Ride, but I think you would prefer to have a car. As for wine tasting, check out http://www.nmwine.com/index.html for options; however, most of them are outside of town. My initial thoughts were Gruet, Anderson Valley and Ponderosa. BTW, thanks. When I checked for local wineries, I discovered that I guy I used to work with (who retired), now has the Corrales Winery. You did not say which weekend you would be here, but maybe we can show you around or have a VT meet. Let's see who else responds to your post and what their ideas are. Ray

thanks for the information. i will wait to see what additional feedback i get then make a decision...

ray, what about santa fe? would there be the same necessity in terms of having a car? if that would be a better choice, what are my options to get there from albq?

Jordyn, Santa Fe is a very good idea! If you stay near the Plaza, you can walk to many things there. When SFHulaGIrl (Tina) was here, we took her to Santa Fe via Madrid on the Turquoise Trail, but there are also shuttles that go to Santa Fe using I-25. You may want to glance at her Santa Fe tips and e-mail her directly. I also did Madrid tips about when we were there. Tina got a good deal on a hotel (for Santa Fe) at Las Palomas, which is near the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. Also, don't tell anyone else, but Otra Vez en Santa Fe (800-536-6488) is a good option. If you decide to try Santa Fe, you may want to re-post your questions in the Santa Fe forum. I think there are several VT members that watch that forum that may not do the Albuquerque forum. Again, depending on the timing, I may be able to help with the transportation.

Jordyn, you got me thinking about what would be a good trip out of Albuquerque that included wine tasting. If the weather were good (and it usually is), instead of going through Madrid to get to Santa Fe, here is another option. Start in Albuquerque with the Gruet Winery, then Anderson Valley, Casa Rondena, and the two Corrales wineries before heading to Bernalillo and the winery there (cannot remember the name). From Bernalillo head to the Jemez Pueblo, Ponderosa Winery, Guadalupe Gorge, Soda Dam, Battleship Rock, Baca Ranch Caldera, etc. Hwy-4 to Jemez Springs is also the back way to Los Alamos and White Rock. The Balagna Winery in White Rock has the most spectacular tasting room deck that you will ever experience (wine is just okay). Between Los Alamos and Santa Fe, make a short stop at Bandelier Monument and dinner at Gabriel's. Wow, this is even better than I thought before I started writing. It would probably take most of a day though.