ABQ: Holidays

ALBUQUERQUE

Holidays

The ABQ Visitors & Convention Bureau website has a list of holiday events around town.


Some notable events include:

Luminarias

The holiday season in Albuquerque means Luminarias. Luminarias are a simple brown paper bag, partially filled with sand to make it stable and a single votive candle to illuminate the simple lunch bag. Several of these together create a beautiful ambiance welcoming guests into your home for a holiday party or celebration. A fun way to experience a little bit of Albuquerque’s holiday traditions is to create luminarias to line your driveways, sidewalks and maybe even your roof at home.

The annual Old Town Luminaria Tour on December 24th is not to be missed.

Watch our special two minute holiday video about Luminarias, "Life of a Brown Paper Bag."

Native American Dancing and Pueblo Feast Days

Visit the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on weekends and enjoy Native American dancing and art demonstrations, you can also take part in baking bread and making art. The holidays are a wonderful time to visit the neighboring pueblos, many of them hold feast day celebrations in November and December. View more information and see the schedule here.  

Shopping

Albuquerque has the biggest and best shopping in the entire state with three premier malls and many special shopping areas and specialty stores. Whether you have been to Albuquerque or not, there is something for everyone from traditional Southwestern jewelry and pottery to contemporary designs of paintings, sculpture and more.

Stroll through two of Albuquerque’s historic neighborhoods and shop in unique local shops on two consecutive days.

• The Nob Hill Shop & Stroll on Saturday, December 1 begins with the Twinkle Light Parade and includes shopping and food specials, family entertainment, and photos with Santa.
• The Old Town Stroll on Friday, December 7 features live entertainment, dancers, family activities, Santa Claus and the lighting of the giant Christmas tree at Plaza Don Luis.

Check out 10 great local holiday gifts.

ABQ: Holiday Windows

ALBUQUERQUE

Holiday Windows


Getting ready for Christmas. Decorations in the Peoples Flower Shop windows on Central Ave. (Route 66) in Downtown ABQ.

In the background on the right is the KIMO theater sign.

ABQ: Bird Tracks

ALBUQUERQUE

Bird tracks along the Rio Grande in Downtown ABQ.



I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape - the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show.

Andrew Wyeth

ABQ: Late Autumn

ALBUQUERQUE

Late Autumn


Leaves

"How silently they tumble down
And come to rest upon the ground
To lay a carpet, rich and rare,
Beneath the trees without a care,
Content to sleep, their work well done,
Colors gleaming in the sun.

 

Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow." - Elsie N. Brady, Leaves

ABQ: Happy Thanksgiving

ALBUQUERQUE

Happy Thanksgiving


This photo was taken the evening before Thanksgiving from the fourth floor of the Sunshine Building in Downtown Albuquerque.

ABQ: Heritage Farm

ALBUQUERQUE

Rio Grande Heritage Farm at the BioPark

View the photo journal.



Just a few decades ago, almost everyone in America had a connection to a farm.

Revive that connection at the award-winning Rio Grande Heritage Farm, a re-creation of a 1930s era farmstead.

Located just northeast of the conservatories, you'll find a large kitchen garden, crops in the field, an orchard, vineyard and berry bushes surrounding an adobe farmhouse. Canning, quilting and other demonstrations take place in the farmhouse and a cider press in the wooden barn turns much of the fall apple harvest into vinegar and cider. The adobe animal barn houses a Percheron draft horse, Paint horse, Alpine goats, a Jersey cow, Churro sheep and Dominique chickens. During the winter months, early morning visitors might catch a glimpse of sandhill cranes feeding in the fields.

Programs for this year-round working farm include interpretive presentations, hands-on demonstrations and farm activities.

Entry to the Rio Grande Heritage Farm is included with regular Botanic Garden / Aquarium admission.

ABQ: Bird Blinds

ALBUQUERQUE

Bird Blinds

This photo shows one of two bird blinds under construction at the Wetlands Restoration Project at the Tingley Ponds, between Tingley Beach and the Rio Grande.


From Wikipedia:

A bird hide (or hide, also known as a blind or bird blind in North America) is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commonly found in parks and wetlands for the use of bird watchers, ornithologists and other observers who do not want to disturb wildlife as it is being observed.

A typical bird hide resembles a garden shed, with small openings, shutters, or windows built into at least one side to enable observation.
Variant types of bird hide include:

• the tower hide, which has multiple storeys and allows observations over large areas
• the bird blind, which is a screen similar to one wall of a typical hide, with or without a roof for shelter
• the machan, a covered platform erected to observe birds and wildlife in high trees or on cliffs, particularly in India where it was originally used by tiger-hunters.

ABQ: Bosque Dusk

ALBUQUERQUE

Bosque Dusk

“Dusk is just an illusion because the sun is either above the horizon or below it. And that means that day and night are linked in a way that few things are there cannot be one without the other yet they cannot exist at the same time. How would it feel I remember wondering to be always together yet forever apart?”

― Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook

ABQ: Tours by Bike

ALBUQUERQUE

Touring the City by Bicycle


When you live in the same city for a long time it's easy to fall into a rut of going to the same places and doing the same things. To get a different perspective--try being a tourist for a day.

Routes Rentals & Tours is located at 11th and Mountain in Downtown Albuquerque. They offer a variety of bike tours, including BYOB: Bring Your Own Bike.

We recently took a bike tour along the bosque to look at historic sites in Old Town, ride to the top of the bike bridge over the Rio Grande to admire the view, stop by the Nature Center, do a wine and cheese tasting at a North Valley winery, and a stop by Los Poblanos Farm on the way back.

We chatted with the tourists on the tour about local history and recommended shopping.

Routes offers a variety of tours throughout the year, including special holiday rides and daily bosque tours.

ABQ: Barelas Garden

ALBUQUERQUE

Barelas Community Garden on Fourth Street


Community Gardens are found in neighborhoods around Downtown ABQ.

New Urban Agriculture

From Fast Company's Co.Exist:

There are few upsides to the U.S. recession that left people across the country without jobs, and in some cases, homes. But if we had to pick one good thing that emerged from the economic mess, it would be the vacant land that is now being used to create a new urban agriculture revolution. In a new report, PolicyLink highlights the projects and policies around the country that are bringing urban agriculture to lower-income communities of color--and some of the big challenges that they’re dealing with.

When done well, urban agriculture initiatives can offer access to healthy food in areas that formerly had little, provide jobs and skills development, and provide a sense of community. Getting to the point where that’s possible isn’t easy, however. Among the hurdles that nascent urban agriculture projects have to overcome: water access, land use issues, inadequate business training, and insufficient income generation.

Community Gardening

From Wikipedia:

Community gardens provide fresh produce and plants as well as satisfying labor, neighborhood improvement, sense of community and connection to the environment. They are publicly functioning in terms of ownership, access, and management, as well as typically owned in trust by local governments or not for profit associations.

Community gardens vary widely throughout the world. In North America, community gardens range from familiar "victory garden" areas where people grow small plots of vegetables, to large "greening" projects to preserve natural areas, to tiny street beautification planters on urban street corners. Some grow only flowers, others are nurtured communally and their bounty shared. There are even non-profits in many major cities that offer assistance to low-income families, children groups, and community organizations by helping them develop and grow their own gardens.

In the UK and the rest of Europe, closely related "allotment gardens" can have dozens of plots, each measuring hundreds of square meters and rented by the same family for generations. In the developing world, commonly held land for small gardens is a familiar part of the landscape, even in urban areas, where they may function as mini-truck farms.

Community gardens may help alleviate one effect of climate change, which is expected to cause a global decline in agricultural output, making fresh produce increasingly unaffordable. Community gardens encourage an urban community's food security, allowing citizens to grow their own food or for others to donate what they have grown. Advocates say locally grown food decreases a community's reliance on fossil fuels for transport of food from large agricultural areas and reduces a society's overall use of fossil fuels to drive in agricultural machinery.

Community gardens improve users’ health through increased fresh vegetable consumption and providing a venue for exercise. The gardens also combat two forms of alienation that plague modern urban life, by bringing urban gardeners closer in touch with the source of their food, and by breaking down isolation by creating a social community. Community gardens provide other social benefits, such as the sharing of food production knowledge with the wider community and safer living spaces.

Active communities experience less crime and vandalism.

 

Resources

American Community Gardening Association

Albuquerque Community Gardens

Another World is Plantable

ABQ: Bird Watchers

ALBUQUERQUE

Bird Watchers

I photographed this bird at Tingley Beach. Note the feet are not webbed, as this American Coot isn't a duck. The bird is actually walking here rather than swimming. Their feet are built so that they get across water plants like lilly pads.


From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

American Coot

The waterborne American Coot is one good reminder that not everything that floats is a duck. A close look at a coot—that small head, those scrawny legs—reveals a different kind of bird entirely. Their dark bodies and white faces are common sights in nearly any open water across the continent, and they often mix with ducks. But they’re closer relatives of the gangly Sandhill Crane and the nearly invisible rails than of Mallards or teal.

Behavior

You’ll find coots eating aquatic plants on almost any body of water. When swimming they look like small ducks (and often dive), but on land they look more chickenlike, walking rather than waddling. An awkward and often clumsy flier, the American Coot requires long running takeoffs to get airborne.

Habitat

Look for American Coots at ponds in city parks, in marshes, reservoirs, along the edges of lakes, and in roadside ditches, sewage treatment ponds, and saltwater inlets or saltmarshes.

Below is a list from the City of Albuquerque about birds found in the Middle Rio Grande area.

Download a checklist.

Ducks, Geese & Swans (Anatidae)

• Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
• Snow Goose, Chen caerulescens
• Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos
• Cinnamon Teal, Anas cyanoptera
• Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata
• Northern Pintail, Anas acuta
• American Wigeon, Anas americana
• Wood Duck, Aix sponsa
• Canvasback, Aythya valisineria
• Redhead, Aythya americana
• Ring-necked Duck, Aythya collaris
• Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola
• Hooded Merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus
• Red-breasted Merganser, Mergus serrator

New World Quail (Odontophoridae)

• Gambel’s Quail, Callipepla gambelii

Partridges, Grouse, Turkeys & Old World Quail (Phasianidae)

• Ring-necked Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus

Grebes (Podicipedidae)

• Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps

Bitterns, Herons & Egrets (Ardeidae)

• Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
• Great Egret, Ardea alba
• Snowy Egret, Egretta thula
• Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis
• Green Heron, Butorides virescens
• Black-crowned Night-Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax

Ibises & Spoonbills (Threskiornithidae)

• White-faced Ibis, Plegadis chihi

New World Vultures (Cathartidae)

• Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura

Ospreys (Pandionidae)

• Osprey, Pandion haliaetus

Hawks, Kites, Eagles & Allies (Accipitridae)

• Red-tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
• Northern Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis
• Coopers Hawk, Accipiter cooperii
• Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus
• Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Caracas & Falcons (Falconidae)

• American Kestrel, Falco sparverius

Rails, Gallinules, and Coots (Rallidae)

• American Coot, Fulica americana

Cranes (Gruidae)

• Sandhill Crane, Grus canadensis

Lapwings & Plovers (Charadriidae)

• Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus

Sandpipers, Phalaropes & Allies (Scolopacidae)

• Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularius
• Solitary Sandpiper, Tringa solitaria
• Common Snipe, Gallinago gallinago
• Western Sandpiper, Calidris mauri

Gulls, Terns & Skimmers (Laridae)

• Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawarensis
• Herring Gull, Larus argentatus
• Black Tern, Childonias niger

Pigeons & Doves (Columbidae)

• Rock Pigeon, Columba livia
• White-winged Dove, Zenaida asiatica
• Eurasian Collared-Dove, Streptopelia decaocto
• Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura

Cuckoos, Roadrunners & Anis (Cuculidae)

• Greater Roadrunner, Geococcyx californianus

Typical Owls (Strigidae)

• Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus
• Western Screech Owl, Megascops kennicottii

Goatsuckers (Caprimulgidae)

• Common Nighthawk, Chordeiles minor

Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)

• Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Selasphorus platycercus
• Calliope Hummingbird, Stellula calliope
• Rufous Hummingbird, Selasphorus rufus
• Black-chinned Hummingbird, Archilochus alexandri

Kingfishers (Alcedinidae)

• Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon

Woodpeckers & Allies (Picidae)

• Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
• Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Picoides scalaris
• Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens
• Hairy Woodpecker, Picoides villosus
• Williamson's Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus thyroideus
• Red-naped Sapsucker, Sphyrapicus nuchalis

Tyrant Flycatchers (Tyrannidae)

• Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
• Say’s Phoebe, Sayornis saya
• Ash-throated Flycatcher, Myiarchus cinerascens
• Western Kingbird, Tyrannus verticalis

Vireos (Vireonidae)

• Warbling Vireo, Vireo gilvus

Jays, Crows, Magpies & Ravens (Corvidae)

• Western Scrub Jay, Aphelocoma californica
• American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
• Chihuahuan Raven, Corvus cryptoleucus

Swallows & Allies (Hirundinidae)

• Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica
• Violet-green Swallow, Tachycineta thalassina
• Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor
• Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Stelgidopteryx serripennis
• Cliff Swallow, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Chickadees & Titmice (Paridae)

• Mountain Chickadee, Poecile gambeli
• Black-capped Chickadee, Poecile atricapillus

Bushtits (Aegithalidae)

• Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus

Nuthatches (Sittidae)

• Red-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta canadensis
• White-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis

Creepers (Certhiidae)

• Brown Creeper, Certhia americana

Wrens (Troglodytidae)

• Bewick’s Wren, Thryomanes bewickii
• House Wren, Troglodytes aedon

Gnatcatchers & Gnatwrens (Polioptilidae)

• Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea

Dippers (Cinclidae)

• American Dipper, Cinclus mexicanus

Kinglets (Regulidae)

• Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula

Thrushes (Turdidae)

• American Robin, Turdus migratorius
• Hermit Thrush, Catharus guttatus
• Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis
• Western Bluebird, Sialia mexicana

Mockingbirds & Thrashers (Mimidae)

• Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos

Starlings & Mynas (Sturnidae)

• European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris

Waxwings (Bombycillidae)

• Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum

Wood-warblers (Parulidae)

• Ovenbird, Seiurus aurocapilla
• Orange-crowned Warbler, Orethlypis celata
• Virginia's Warbler, Orethlypis virginiae
• Yellow Warbler, Seophaga petechia
• Yellow-rumped Warbler, Seophaga coronata
• Black-throated Gray Warbler, Setophaga nigrscens
• Common Yellowthroat, Geothlypis trichas
• MacGillivray's Warbler, Geothlypis tolmiei
• Wilson's Warbler, Cardellina pusilla

Emberizids (Emberizidae)

• Green-tailed Towhee, Pipilo chlorurus
• Canyon Towhee, Pipilo fuscus
• Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
• Brewer's Sparrow, Spizella brewire
• Lark Sparrow, Chondestes grammacus
• Dark-eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis "Oregon" form "Slate-colored" form "Gray-headed" form "Pink-sided" form
• White-crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys
• Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina
• Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia
• Lincoln’s Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii

Cardinals, Piranga Tanagers & Allies (Cardinalidae)

• Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra
• Western Tanager, Piranga ludoviciana
• Black-headed Grosbeak, Pheucticus melanocephalus
• Lazuli Bunting, Passerina amoena
• Blue Grosbeak, Passerina caerulea
• Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea

Blackbirds, Meadowlarks, Cowbirds, Grackles & Orioles (Icteridae)

• Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus
• Yellow-headed Blackbird, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
• Great-tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus
• Common Grackle, Quiscalus quiscula
• Brown-headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater
• Bullock’s Oriole, Icterus bullockii

Fringilline & Cardueline Finches and Allies (Fringillidae)

• House Finch, Carpodacus mexicanus
• American Goldfinch, Carduelis tristis
• Lesser Goldfinch, Carduelis psaltria
• Pine Siskin, Carduelis pinus
• Evening Grosbeak, Coccothraustes vespertinus

Old World Sparrows (Passeridae)

• House Sparrow, Passer domesticus

SECRET ABQ: Veterans Memorial

ALBUQUERQUE

Veterans Memorial at Alvarado Square


On the grounds of Alvarado Square in Downtown is a memorial to people who have served in the military. While the monument is open to the public, it's not visible from the street. The memorial is accessed by walking into the courtyard behind PNM's large fountain at the sidewalk.

This is my favorite memorial in Albuquerque. It's public while still creating a sense of quiet and seclusion within the middle of the city. There is a globe with plaques below to commemorate each branch of the service. A few feet away is a tall wall, covered in ivy, with a bench. It provides a serene space to sit in silence to view the memorial. People seem to treat it reverently as I have never seen anyone sitting on the bench to eat lunch or talk on a cell phone.

The complex is for sale. I haven't seen any discussion of who actually owns the memorial and whether it will move when PNM leaves the building.


Alvarado Square:


Notes NM Business Weekly:

PNM, the building's current occupants, are vacating and the square is for sale.

The building is unique in Albuquerque as it spans Silver Avenue and might be the only building Downtown that has an airspace agreement with the city. PNM kept it in immaculate condition, but a new owner most likely will have to invest in new finishes and other cosmetic upgrades. The building has eight floors and all its mechanical systems are operational.

Emporis:

Technical Data

Height (architectural)

184.00 ft

Height (roof)

184.00 ft

Floors (above ground)

12

Construction end

1974

ABQ: Grocery ReOpening

ALBUQUERQUE

View drawings.

Food and Fun at your new Downtown ABQ Grocery Store

Lowe's Corner Market invites you to attend the grand re-opening and dedication of their beautifully rehabilitated store on the corner of 11th and Lomas Blvd. NW Albuquerque, NM. A special fund-raiser for the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd, providing direct services to downtown Albuquerque's homeless population.



Sunday November 18th · 2:00 - 4:00 PM

Please join us for hors d'oeuvres and samplings of both food and beverage offerings including a tour of the new store. Admission is free to all.

Dedication and Ribbon Cutting: 2:00 PM
Meet and Greet: 2:15 PM
Deluxe Sampling: 2:15 -  4:00 PM
Music by Chava and Paid My Dues Rhythms and Blues

Come see the newest Urbanist gem in greater Downtown Albuquerque

Event by: Urban at ABQ: Advocacy for Positive Urban Change

Please RSVPOnline  

This event will also be a fundraiser to benefit
Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd
Direct Services Agency for the Homeless

Suggested donation: $20.

Services Provided by Good Shepherd:

• Daily communal meal for men, women and children
• Temporary overnight accommodations for men
• Men’s clothing distributed on weekday mornings
• Seven month residential drug and alcohol abuse recovery program for men without income.
• Clients are referred to other area service agencies for a continuum of care. 18 Iron SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102

 

Please RSVPOnline

INFO:

Living and working in Downtown Albuquerque just got a whole lot better. A new and improved place to shop for groceries is a welcome addition!

For years people have wanted a more modern grocery store that reflected current needs of the neighborhood. For years it was little more than a complaint, something for someone else to tackle. Then some new neighbors moved in and made some phone calls. Come...

see what happens when a little neighborhood idea meets a responsive business partner.

Lowe’s, the Asher Family, Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd, Urban@ABQ and the Downtown Neighborhoods Association are pleased to announce the Grand Reopening of Lowe’s Corner Market.

The dedication and ribbon cutting celebration will take place on Sunday November 18, 2012 from 2:00 to 4:00pm. Lowe’s Corner Market is located at the corner of 11th and Lomas NW.

Everyone is welcome at this open house event to meet and greet the people involved, including representatives from city, county, state and federal government.

The Lowe family have been grocers since the 1940’s and strive to give their customers the freshest meats, fruits, and veggies, fantastic promotions, and a fast and friendly checkout, while creating an atmosphere of fun.

This rehabilitation project includes many energy efficient improvements to the building and parking lot. The layout of the aisles maximized the space so more food choices are being offered, including organic, glutten-free and ready to eat options. A full liquor department offers a nice variety of wines and micro brews.

 

ABQ Plaza: Tallest Building

ALBUQUERQUE

Albuquerque Plaza (aka the Bank of Albuquerque Building)

Tallest Building in New Mexico


Allegiance Realty Corporation

Brochure

PROPERTY NAME:	Albuquerque Plaza
LOCATION:	201 Third Street Albuquerque, NM 87102
TYPE:	Class AA
SIZE:	357,000 square feet
DATE OF ACQUISITION:	February 07, 2005

Description:

Albuquerque Plaza is one of the highest profile properties in Albuquerque's Central Business District. The building is a mixed-use project that includes a 22-story office tower, a retail arcade, underground parking facilities, meeting space and is attached to a 395-room luxury Hyatt Hotel.

Albuquerque Plaza has a state-of-the-art infrastructure and superior architectural design known for its pyramid peaked roof and colored granite exterior. Due to its proximity to Federal and State courthouses, Albuquerque Plaza has successfully attracted Albuquerque's most prestigious law firms and GSA tenants.


Emporis:

Technical Data

Height (architectural)

351.05 ft

Length

137.99 ft

Width

124.80 ft

Floors (above ground)

22

Construction end

1990

Elevators

8

Parking places

476

ABQ: 4th St Ped Mall

ALBUQUERQUE

Fourth Street Pedestrian Mall

Downtown's pedestrian mall was created by closing and bricking over part of 4th Street, which was the original alignment, north and south, of Route 66 running through Albuquerque. By the time the outdoor mall was created Route 66 has been changed to run east and west on what is now Central Ave.

The pedestrian mall hasn't been very successful and the city is considering tearing it apart and reopening the street to road traffic. While some pedestrian malls, such as Denver, have been successful in lining the space with retail shops, restaurants and outdoor vendors, ABQ has not. Only a couple tables are set up regularly for street retailing and the space mostly collects homeless people.

The Hyatt wasn't built yet when the pedestrian mall was created. While the hotel restaurant has some closed-off outdoor seating, pictured above, their building was designed as a fortress against the street and public gathering was expected to take place in the central atrium indoors. In fairness to the hotel, Downtown ABQ was rather rough when the project was built.

Most of the street scape is rather barren, except for the patio seating on the south end of the mall by Central Ave. The best features of the mall are the shade trees that run down the center, which along with the tall buildings, provide welcome shade in the summer.



Pedestrian Malls:

Notes The Atlantic--American urban history is dotted with failed (and occasionally infamous) pedestrian malls. But there are success stories too, which offer lessons in designing walkable, mixed-use districts.

The world's first planned pedestrian mall was built in 1953 in Rotterdam. Six years later, Kalamazoo, Michigan, became the first American city adopt the concept. Austrian-born architect Victor Gruen (most famous for his American shopping malls) envisioned a project that would resemble Vienna's Ringstrasse. Instead, a much scaled-down concept was built in 1959.

The Kalamazoo Mall did well at first, with a fourth block added in the 1970s. But by the 1990s, it had become a sore spot for many residents. The "mall" had less parking, less weather protection, and more vagrants that the traditional shopping center. When the city decided to reopen part of the street in 1998, citizens excitedly competed, via raffle, to drive the first car down the mall.

Others have been more successful. Some of the best pedestrian malls in America are located in college towns like Charlottesville, Ithaca, Iowa City, and Madison.

ABQ: Postcard Night

ALBUQUERQUE

Postcard of Downtown at night.

Route 66, which is now Central Ave.

Date: 1970.

The tallest building on the left, behind the ABC sign, is now the Banque Lofts. It is, of course, a former bank building.

The intersection at the Walgreens and Woolworth's is now the Fourth Street Pedestrian Mall.

ABQ: Autumn Song

ALBUQUERQUE


Autumn Song

Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf

How the heart feels a languid grief

Laid on it for a covering,

And how sleep seems a goodly thing

In Autumn at the fall of the leaf?

And how the swift beat of the brain

Falters because it is in vain,

In Autumn at the fall of the leaf

Knowest thou not? and how the chief

Of joys seems—not to suffer pain?

Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf

How the soul feels like a dried sheaf

Bound up at length for harvesting,

And how death seems a comely thing

In Autumn at the fall of the leaf?

 

 

By Dante Gabriel Rossetti

1828–1882 Dante Gabriel Rossetti

ABQ: Day of the Dead

ALBUQUERQUE

Day of the Dead

Artists create a chalk drawing on the sidewalk in front of the Hyatt Regency in Downtown ABQ to celebrate Day of the Dead.

ABQ: Picnic at Tingley Beach

ALBUQUERQUE

Picnic at Tingley Beach


Fall is the perfect time to head to Downtown ABQ's Tingley Beach. While I don't care to fish in the ponds, I'm a huge fan of packing a picnic lunch. Just beware feeding the ducks and geese from the table. They'll surround you and beg worse than a dog.

The train connecting the zoo with the BioPark stops at Tingley Beach. The stores sells some snacks and paddle boats are available for rent in the summer. One pond is available for model boat racing.

The bike path and hiking trails connect to the beach.

Info about Tingley Beach.