New Mexico - Land of Enchantment

Hi! Welcome to New Mexico. This week, I'm featured on Blogtrotting, and I want to share a little piece of my world with everyone else.

New Mexico is located in the beautiful desert Southwest of the United States. You may think I'm explaining this for the benefit of other people around the world, but most New Mexicans have probably experienced that it's fellow Americans who are the ones that don't know we are a state. We've all been greeted by a friendly East Coaster with "Enjoy your visit to the United States!" or "Wow, you speak really good English."


Chimayo, N.M.
Photo courtesy Seth Goodman

I'm glad you're reading this, because if you depend on the movie industry for your information about N.M., you probably think we're a bunch of inbred, cannibalistic misfits waiting to dine on your brain. I assure you this is not the case. "The Hills Have Eyes" and "The Hitcher" are works of fiction. Promise! You can find some of my earlier posts on the topic "Everything I needed to know about New Mexico I learned from the movies" here and here.


**We really don't look like that. We like green chile, not human flesh. Scroll down a bit**




Incidentally, we do have a booming but fledgling movie industry here. With state incentives, filmmakers have been flocking to New Mexico and studios like Albuquerque Studios are sprouting. The popular, Emmy-winning TV show "Breaking Bad" is filmed and set in Albuquerque. More information on the industry can be found here.



Sandia foothills, Albuquerque
Photo courtesy Elaine Russell


N.M. is a huge state (121,000+ square miles) with a small population of about 2 million people, statewide. A large percentage of those people are situated in the Albuquerque metro area.

My all-time favorite place to go in the whole world is Carlsbad Caverns. And lucky me! It's located right here in my home state. Located near Carlsbad, N.M., in the southern part of the state, it's a breathtaking tour of cave formations that make me feel lost in another world.


Carlsbad Caverns
Photo courtesy Seth Goodman

New Mexico is a cultural melting pot, if you'll excuse the cliche. Indian and Spanish cultures blend with Caucasians to create a multicultural environment. It's a minority-majority state. Of course, there are other races and ethnic groups, but in smaller proportions.

Bandelier National Monument is an amazing relic located in northern N.M. You can see the ancient Indian ruins and climb ladders into the cliff dwellings used long ago.

Bandelier, N.M.
Photo courtesy Seth Goodman

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a tourist favorite. Beautiful hot air balloons fill the sky each fall, drawing people from all over the world. I'm no early bird, so I usually miss the balloons. If you don't mind the wee, cold hours, you may just fall in love. I took this picture from my house last fall when I came across a few lingering in the sky.



People are pretty outdoorsy 'round here. Skiing, hiking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, bicycling, etc. are quite popular. Lord knows there are plenty of beautiful, open spaces to enjoy here.


Angel Fire, N.M.
Photo courtesy Lauren Fagan

Up in the northern part of the state, you may be familiar with Los Alamos, home of the national laboratory where the atomic bomb was developed. Not too far from there is Santa Fe, a small city well-known for its big art scene. Galleries and museums practically outnumber the people. Artist Georgia O'Keeffe made her home in the Ghost Ranch area. Santa Fe is celebrating 400 years and Albuquerque is 300 years old, so while N.M. is a young state, we have a deep and rich history and some of the oldest cities in the country.

If you come here, you will probably be faced with the question "red or green?" New Mexicans love their cuisine, and we have food all our own. New Mexican food is really big on the chile - not chili -- which comes in red or green varieties. Green chile is not the same as jalapenos, and we have a hard time understanding why we can't seem to get it outside of state lines. We put it in and on everything -- eggs, soup, jelly, bread -- you name it. Some people say the answer to wanting both red and green is "Christmas," but honestly, I've lived here for 32 of my 36 years, and I have never heard someone say that. I think that it's a touristy answer, and not a locals thing.




One last thing: It's windy here in the spring, and tumbleweeds abound. Don't let yourself become a victim.





If you'd like to feature your hometown or state on BlogTrotting, click the link above.

Whitewash

My brother came to town last weekend, from Maine. He doesn't get out here very often. He brought along a chicken named BokBok, which, like the famed gnome, had his photo taken everywhere and was emailed home, much to the delight of his children.



(I'm sneaking up on him)

One day, my mom, my brother and I went to Tinkertown in the East Mountains area near Albuquerque. Tinkertown is a "museum" of little scenes a man carved and created over the years.




(my mom and brother)



There are lots of random characters stuck here and there, like Wonder Woman and nuns and these racist-looking little Aunt Jemima-y people.



Another day, Ryan and I went to Whitewash, in the foothills of Albuquerque, part of the Sandia Mountains. Ryan used to climb up Whitewash when he was a kid. It's really easy to get to, and right at the edge of the city.



I wasn't very prepared for the activity and was wearing clogs, so I got stuck halfway there and couldn't go any further since my shoes kept falling off. Ryan climbed all the way up. He's at the top of the white rock area, but you can't see him.



Here's BokBok making an appearance.



A view of Albuquerque from up there



And, finally, a random picture of my Grandma being silly.

Again with New Mexico and the movies

I've done a few posts about how N.M. is portrayed by Hollywood. Here is one.

Before, we were just a freaky place that obviously frightened people, so when they needed a creepy town for their film to take place in, they just set it in "New Mexico." Now, though, thanks to state incentives, the film industry is actually coming here to make movies and pretending they are set somewhere else.

This is all fine and dandy with me, except that a few stars have hand less-than-pleasant things to say about my home. A few days ago, the Albuquerque Journal had a story about how Tommy Lee Jones said Albuquerque is incredibly noisy. Huh? I've been different places, and I can't say it seems any noisier here than anywhere else. As a matter of fact, if you went outside my house at any given time, it would be pretty much quiet, save the sound of some birds. He says everyone's fixing their cars and stuff. Again, huh? That's all I can say to that. And, BTW, I have been to NYC and it's considerably noisier. Considerably is putting it nicely.

Next up is Jessica Alba, who complained that the only thing to do here is go to Wal-Mart and that there is no good food, just Applebee's. Sorry, Jessica, but you might not have tried very hard. If you really wanted something to do, here are some suggestions:
1. Do some shopping in Old Town
2. Ride the Tramway
3. Visit the numerous museums, including the Atomic Musuem, Albuquerque Museum, New Mexico Museum of Natural History or the Biological Park. Sure, they aren't the biggest in the country, but they are better than Wal-Mart.
4. Visit the Petroglyph National Monument or the mountains.
5. Shop boutiques in Nob Hill
6. Drive 50 miles to Santa Fe and check out all the galleries. There are lots of galleries in Albuquerque, too.

As for dining, try one of these great local places (some listed in the column):
1. El Pinto
2. Artichoke Cafe
3. Paul's Monterey Inn
4. Scalo's
5. Cafe Voila
6. Yanni's
7. Restaurant Antiquity
8. Prairie Star
9. Le Cafe Miche
10. The Japanese Kitchen

Oh, there are so many. Plus, if you head up to Santa Fe, there are about infinity more. So next time, just ask around. You'll get plenty of suggestions for a happy belly.

Everything I know about New Mexico I learned from the movies

Have you ever been to New Mexico? You're probably about to say, "I drove through there once, but didn't stop." I heard that a hundred times when I lived in California. It's so weird. Everyone says that word for word. Why doesn't anybody stop? I think I might have the answer: The movies.

Have you ever seen a movie that takes place in New Mexico that doesn't make us look like the creepiest, most backward place? Ever? As far as Hollywood is concerned, the state consists of nothing but tiny, tiny towns with dirt roads and dilapidated trailers full of creepy people that remind you of the family in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre." We all have chickens running around in our yards and sit around with scary toothless grins and glazed-over eyes. We're the kind of place where if you go to jail, you're in even more danger because the cops are a bunch of inbred freaks who want to kill you and feed you to Grandma.

Case in point: "The Hitcher," at a theater near you now! It takes place in good ol' Torrance County, N.M. Actually, I think Torrance County is kinda full of dirt roads and broken down trailer homes, come to think of it. And maybe there ARE some toothless people. Hmmmmm. I'm not so sure anymore where I'm going with this blog entry.

OK, well if you drive through New Mexico, stop in at Albuquerque. We won't eat you! We might shoot at you, but we definitely WON'T eat you.