Santa Fe, If I Found you Would you let me Come and Stay..

Newsies?  Anyone?  From the moment I heard Christian Bale sing about this beloved town, I knew I had to make it there someday.

My dad left me in Albuquerque to fly back to California, and I suddenly realized I was facing my new future in New Orleans dead on.  Why not prolong the journey a little longer?  My very good friend, Brendan, and I wanted to meet up somewhere on the road.  He was coming from Colorado Springs, CO and we both decided the planned Amarillo, TX meeting place wouldn't suffice for the epic evening.  Santa Fe it was.

If you haven't been to Santa Fe before, it is well worth the trip.  The streets are lined with cozy adobes and the town center is lively with shops, many filled with beautiful Native American art pieces.  Since I had an hour or two to kill before Brendan arrived, I started at the town park, and wandered to get a good cup of coffee.  The local recommendation was Holy Spirit Espresso.  The gem that owned this shop was a sun weathered hippie with a goofy smile and a contagious laugh (thank the lord you will find him featured on the website).  In his own, convoluted way he gave me directions to a nearby bookstore where I could find some good information to get acquainted with the town.

While in the bookstore, I met the most amazing friend couple, Alex and Stevie.  They are good friends from college who are moving to the American cities/towns they always dreamed of.  Santa Fe today and New Orleans in 6 months!  We had a lot to talk about and they got me to thinking of who I have in my life that I could suggest a cross country move to and they would be down for the ride... Despite only knowing them for a good hour, Stevie insisted that I stay with them if my plans for the night fell through.  I was grateful for good people on the road.. Hopefully I will meet them in New Orleans.

I scoped out a rooftop pizzaria/brewery to meet Brenden at.  The reunion was full of laughter, stories, fresh beer, and pizza till our bellies were full.  We then wandered the southwestern streets for a bit, danced with his puppy dog, Emmylou, and found a place to stay the night.  Bob, our new friend at the front desk, recommended Maria's  for dinner.  After watching some of the Academy Awards (RANGO WON!!) we headed down to Maria's for celebratory margaritas (you should see their margarita menu), and incredible food.  I also bet against restaurant staff for the rest of the award winners... and won.

Onto more Santa Fe night wanderings, an underground dive bar, and more local friends.  Christian Bale, you knew what you were talking about.

Town Park.

Brendan overlooking the park (yes, I made him pose).

Holy Spirit Espresso by night.

Double exposure experiments.

Underground Matador bar.

Southwestern light inspirations. 

New record friend who was just jammin' the good stuff at Matador.