Albuquerque Travel Forum

Hi All, I will be staying at a hotel on Central Avenue east of Broadway and was thinking of walking to the Convention Center (about a 15 minute walk). Would this be safe for a lone woman? This would be during the day. I ask because I've read there are some sketchy areas in downtown. Alternatively, I could take the bus to 2nd Street and walk from there.

Thanks :)

There are some sketchy areas downtown and unfortunately walking from your central avenue motel to the convention center will take you through one of them (basiacally under the interstate and 2 or 3 blocks in either dirrection). I wouldnt hang out at the busstop you mentioned either, but if your walking purposefully during the day you should be OK.

If you wanted to walk around for the sake of exercise go from your motel to the University and walk around there.

If you have some free time you might enjoy taking the Rail Runner from downtown to Santa Fe and sightseeing for a few hours.

You're staying in the sketchy area of Central Avenue. If you can, rebook and get one of the hotels around Central/10th or, if you can afford it, the Downtown Hyatt. Hotel Blue isn't bad. There's also the Silver Moon, which I don't particularly like, but it isn't terrible. You can walk without issue from 10th to the Convention Center during the day, but anything east of the railroad tracks is fairly unsafe, especially for a female alone. I'm male and am not totally comfortable walking around there alone.
A little more extreme would be to use the RailRunner, which is like a block from the Convention Center. There's a cheap (usually about $50/night) Super 8 in Bernalillo that's adjacent to a RailRunner station, although Bernalillo is pretty far out there. Some airport hotels may shuttle you out to the RailRunner station near there as well, but you'd have to call to check.
If you're stuck though, then just be careful, don't walk around after dark and, if you can, get someone to walk with you.

Yuck, this sucks! Most of the nearby hotels are booked up already because there is a big conference going on. I'm also limited to what I can afford because I'm being funded through travel grants, but they expect us to travel on a tight budget. Do you know what the rate for taxis is in Albuquerque?

How sketchy are we talking about? I've walked around alone in Cape Town and Naples before. Wasn't fun or very safe, but...I'm not expressing doubt, just curious what to expect.

Thanks again!

How about midtown/university blvd area?

I've lived in Albuquerque for nearly 10 yrs - the walk itself is not as big an issue as the hotel you have likely booked. The hotels east of Broadway on Central are very sketchy themselves. They are notorious for the drug users and hookers that routinely are found there. If your hotel is actually on Central near Broadway, I would cancel and book in another location. Taxis are easy to come by and not too expensive. You will be disappointed with your hotel if you are truly in this location!

...And I'm not easily discouraged from going to or staying in most places...but I know this place well enough to say I would never allow my friends or family to stay in these hotels.

Barbara, you have already gotten some very good advice. I am assuming that your conference is at the convention center and you will not have a rental car. The Midtown area is nice but transportation from there to the convention center might be problematic. One thing you might do is write CesVT. She recently stayed at the Econo Lodge Downtown, which is located at I-40 and Central. I bet she could give you some firsthand information about what it is like in that area for a woman traveling alone.

Oops, make that I-25 and Central.

What hotel are you staying at?
This is a spotty area but is reviving. There are new businesses and condos popping up there. One of the best restaurants In abq, the Artichoke Cafe is 1 block east of Broadway on Central.
Some of the worst motels have closed. If you can't find a place closer to the convention center, I suggest you just take a taxi, which should cost less than $10. Walking during the day should be no problem.

It was the Econo Lodge, which received decent (though few) reviews on Trip Advisor, but I rebooked to a midtown location which appears to be right on the bus route and actually turned out to be a better overall deal anyways. This way I don't have to worry about walking and can lock myself in my room after 6 pm...j/k :)

So please don't tell me midtown is bad too!!!

I'll think you'll be much happier at this one! I'm glad you were able to make the change and hope you enjoy your time in ABQ. Keep heading west on Central until you hit Rio Grande BLVD and you'll be able to wander (safely)around Old Town - the place where ABQ began over 300 yrs ago. The surrounding neighborhood to the east has alot of interesting local architecture, as well.

What is the new place? I may be able tell you of nearby places that maybe of interest to you.
I really don't think you need to lock yourself up at 6pm!! There are some good places you could visit.

Wow, I was very sorry to see that you were talked out of staying in Downtown Albuquerque. I know the hotel you were going to stay at, and you would have been just fine walking from there to the Convention Center during the day. That stretch of Central has a yoga workout studio, popular coffee shops, some nice restaurants, a new age bookstore and a lot of new loft apartments you would have walked past. It is an up-and-coming area with a lot of beautiful Victorian houses on both sides of Central. I hope next time you are here you will consider giving our downtown a chance. As I'm sure you will see while you are here, Downtown Albuquerque has a lot to offer. Enjoy your stay.

That area is called EDO (East of Downtown) and has nice upscale places to eat and new condos. I ride the Rapid Ride bus near there and walk to that area all the time day and night to eat and see movies. The Hotel you picked is ok also. My daughter has been going there for years with her friends riding the bus to eat and see concerts and that was when she was in High School. I see the other comments and wonder if they really know the city at all. I was talking to others that live in that area and told them to read the reviews. They were shocked to see what people write about the area and it is too bad.
Have a good time.

That's true that this area is being dramatically revamped and is not a bad area - especially during the day when the area is very alive and busy. But, as I stated, the hotels next to the interstate have not kept pace and are actually a few blocks from the revitalized district . I recall in the recent past one of the hotels being closed for a period of time while the city forced it to be 'cleaned up' or face the bulldozer. As I stated in my intial reply, I wouldn't worry about the walk, I just wouldn't recommend drifting off to sleep in a $29 a night room with an outside entrance and a 'night crowd' that doesn't exactly follow the rules of society.

Actually, dmac733 is right-- the Econo Lodge Barbara was originally booked at is a nice, modern motel with fenced parking, a swimming pool and free high speed internet. I think she would have enjoyed trying the Artichoke Cafe, Standard Diner or Grove Street Cafe And Market for breakfast, lunch or dinner as she walked to and from the Convention Center. Those three restaurants offer some of the best dining in Albuquerque. The problem Motel in that area (Gaslight Motel) was closed and demolished some time ago. The other two older Motels on that section of Central have been nicely renovated in the past few years.

Anyway, like I said before, I hope the next time Barbara is in Albuquerque for work or play that she will consider staying in or near our great downtown--lots to do and see and close to some of the best attractions the city has to offer.

Thanks everyone for the continuing feedback. That's the problem with never having been somewhere and then trying to decide where to book. Everyone has a different take on a situation/place/etc. based on their personal experiences. I will still make the effort to visit the downtown area and try out some of these restaurants. Fortunately the new hotel I booked at was a better deal anyways, so I don't feel that I lost out too much - except for some good exercise! All the best.