Route 66 by Amtrak: Albuquerque

Want to visit historic Route 66?

 

Hop aboard Amtrak's Southwest Chief. The train has several stops with preserved sections of America's Main Street.

 

The Southwest Chief's main service stop is Albuquerque. The city has some of the longest remaining sections of Route 66 motels and storefronts in the country. The pre-1938 alignment traveled north to south through town on what is now Fourth Street. The later re-alignment ran from east to west on Central Avenue.

 

The train station was built to resemble the former Alvarado Hotel and now serves as Albuquerque's transportation hub. While the city's center declined through the second half of the twentieth century, revitalization is under way. The Rail Yards to the south are being redeveloped, and an innovation corridor has started by the station.

 

 



 

Train Stop

A couple of hours during the Amtrak service stop is enough to explore Route 66. Exit the platform on the far north end, past the Rail Runner stop, to Central Avenue. You are now on The Mother Road.

Route 66 Crossroads

Walk four blocks west (away from the mountains) to reach the crossroads of the two alignments of Route 66.

Food

Lindy's Diner, at Fifth and Central, has been a family-owned restaurant since the 1920s. Want a taste of New Mexico? Order your food with green chile on top. Breakfast is served all day.

Shopping

Skip Maisel's is a landmark on Route 66, on the same block as Lindy's Diner. They claim to have the largest selection of Native American jewelry in the Southwest.

Must See

The city-owned KiMo Theater, across the street from Lindy's Diner, is one of the best examples of Pueblo Deco architecture in the country. If you arrive during business hours for the box office, step inside.

Self-guided tours of the interior are available for free. The theater only requests you stay away from the stage area. Be sure to look up to find the lighted cow skulls and painted details on the ceilings.

 

Historic Lodging

Want to stay a couple days?

Nearby the Hotel Andaluz was opened as a Hilton in 1939. It's only one of two historic GOLD Leed certified hotels in the USA.

 

Budget Lodging

the Hotel Blue

Route 66 Hostel

Getting Around

If you don't mind travel by city bus, the Route 66 runs the entire length of Central Avenue from one end of the city to the other. The most scenic section of The Mother Road is Nob Hill. Taxi service and car rentals are available in town.

Getting around Downtown is easiest by walking or bicycle. Routes Rentals & Tours will deliver bikes to your location.

Side Trips

 

Old Town

Want a quick taste of Santa Fe without having to travel north? The Hotel Albuquerque is 1.7 miles from the train station in historic Old Town. Nearby attractions include the Albuquerque BioPark gardens, aquarium and zoo. Bicycle rentals are available in the neighborhood to cruise the shade of the Bosque Trail or take a guided tour.

Santa Fe

The Rail Runner provides daily service to Santa Fe from the Alvarado station.

Contemplation

When I travel I often visit a museum.

View the Slideshow.

Why?

 

This past Thanksgiving my family and I journeyed to New York City. The week was dreary—cold with rain, sometimes turning into face-stinging sleet. In short, a perfect time to see The Cloisters. Part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the museum sits like a medieval castle on top of a hill overlooking the Hudson River. The immense grounds have the feel of a countryside, rather than being in the nation’s largest city.

The winter darkness created a contemplative mood. The collections of the museum feature Medieval European works, which focus on the religious, and include sculpture, stained glass, tapestries, painting, manuscript illumination, and metalwork.

 

Looking through the artifacts my daughter asked me about Lilith. Remember Adam’s first wife before Eve in the Garden of Eden?

Me neither.

From Wikipedia:

In Jewish folklore, from the 8th–10th century Alphabet of Ben Sira onwards, Lilith becomes Adam's first wife, who was created at the same time (Rosh Hashanah) and from the same earth as Adam. This contrasts with Eve, who was created from one of Adam's ribs. The legend was greatly developed during the Middle Ages, in the tradition of Aggadic midrashim, the Zohar, and Jewish mysticism. In the 13th century writings of Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob ha-Cohen, for example, Lilith left Adam after she refused to become subservient to him and then would not return to the Garden of Eden after she mated with archangel Samael.

 

I was reminded we are never too old to learn. In my own writing I am l learning I haven’t developed my evil characters well enough. The author Margaret Coel advises the antagonist should be as well developed as the protagonist. What better example than Lilith? She is a complex character, Adam’s equal, who leaves the Garden to be replaced by the younger Eve. Lilith is the original member of the First Wives Club, along with the embodiment of evil.

 

 

People of the Middle Ages spent much of their time, resources and energy on their spiritual lives and the hereafter. While modern society offers a much longer and more comfortable lifespan, I was reminded we can get so focused on daily living we forget the bigger picture.

Do we spend enough time in contemplation? Have we contributed enough to our community? What legacies do we want to leave behind?

View the Slideshow.

 

Brooklyn, NYC

 

 Park Slope

My Family and I spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Brooklyn. A couple decades ago I attended college at Pratt Institute. While I was a student I worked at Helene von Rosenstiel in the then unremarkable neighborhood of Park Slope. We heard rumors people were starting to talk about moving there, but most of us didn’t believe it.

My job was restoring antique costumes and textiles for private collectors, Sotheby’s auction house, and museums across the country. I once helped to prepare the sequins to be sewn on a pair of ruby slippers from the original Wizard of Oz movie. To restore old quilts, we often mounted them to stretchers, similar to a canvas used for painting. We built the frames ourselves, which required supplies.

One day the manager sent me down the street to the local hardware store. I gathered the nails and other supplies and went to the counter.

Asked the guy, “Do you want me to put this stuff on your tab?”

I looked around the otherwise empty store. He had to be talking to me.

 

“Wait a minute,” I said. “I’m standing here in a city of eight million people. You’ve never seen me before and you’re going to let me put this on a tab? How do you even know where I work?”

(If you ever want to feel like a true New Yorker, you must obey rule number one, which is to always get into an argument with the clerk behind the counter, no matter how trivial the debate.)

 

 

He replied, “I know you have to work at Helene’s. Nobody else ever comes in here looking like you guys. So, do you want this on the company account?”

I said yes and left without having to show ID or pay.

 

 

While in the past couple decades quite a bit has changed—soaring property values, upscale restaurants and fancy boutiques—other things remain classic New York. We rented a VRBO apartment for our vacation in Park Slope. To get the keys we stopped by the corner deli to ask the guy behind the counter for an envelope. Upon leaving, we returned them to the deli. I wouldn’t have a set of keys floating around strangers where I live, but it seems to work in Brooklyn.

View the slideshow of photo illustrations of Park Slope.

How to Transform Civic Plaza

Bryant Park, NYC

November 2013

 

In the center of Downtown Albuquerque is the Harry E. Kinney Civic Plaza. It was constructed as a part of urban renewal to host outdoor events, with a capacity of 20,000 people and a large performance stage. For much of the Plaza’s history, however, it has been an empty and barren concrete wasteland devoid of people. Few venture to the Plaza, unless they happen to work in a next door office or are homeless sleeping on a bench.

Sadly, the city is spending millions of dollars to renovate the Convention Center on the east side of the Plaza, while ignoring the largest public space in the center of Downtown. Civic Plaza could be changed into an enjoyable public gathering spot for tourists, convention goers, office workers and the expanding residential population alike.

On a recent trip to New York City I visited Bryant Park in Manhattan. Despite the terrible November weather—a dark and steady rain with winter temperatures barely above freezing—the park was full of people enjoying the activities.

 

Bryant Park used to be worse than Albuquerque’s Civic Plaza. In the 1970s and 80s it was notorious for muggings and drug deals. The blight caused prime Manhattan property values to drop and become less desirable. Finally a non-profit corporation was formed to better manage the space.

 

 

 

 

 

The park has been transformed with a series of pop-ups, which change throughout the year. I visited the Winter Village. The centerpiece is a 170’ x 100’ ice skating rink, complete with heated tents for warming up, renting skates, and lockers. Overlooking the rink is Celsius, a pop-up restaurant with glass-enclosed lounges and a heated terrace.

 

 

 

During the winter holiday shopping season more than 125 temporary booths are erected to sell local food and goods. The glass stalls are reminiscent of the Crystal Palace, which stood in the park in the mid-1800s.

 

 

 

Other regular amenities include a carousel, games such as Petanque, chess and Ping Pong, and the revival of the public Reading Room, first popular during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Publishers donate periodicals, books and newspapers, which are available free without having to show an identification card.

 

 

In the summer visitors enjoy a public porch, complete with shade, outlets for recharging electronic devices and rockers, swings, and Adirondack chairs. Nearby is a putting green and Kubb, a Scandinavian game similar to lawn bowling. Gardens are planted throughout the park. 
 

It would only take a few of the ideas used in Bryant Park to transform Civic Plaza into a friendly public space which would attract people to Downtown.

 

 

 

Santa Fe, Nov 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABQ: Winter Garden

ALBUQUERQUE

Sasebo Japanese Garden at the BioPark


City of ABQ:

Built in honor of Sasebo, one of Albuquerque's Sister Cities, the four-acre Sasebo Japanese Garden hosts a majestic waterfall, an elegant koi pond and a mixture of Japanese and local plants. Stone lanterns and pagoda sculptures dot the grounds and stone and wooden bridges straddle small streams.
Upon entering the garden, you'll walk past the large bell tower, through huge wooden gates, and along immaculately manicured paths. You'll be surrounded by traditional Japanese plants, along with native New Mexican trees pruned and sculpted in the Japanese aesthetic.

Noted landscape architect Toru Tanaka, founder of Portland Landscape Design and Japanese Garden Speciality, designed Albuquerque's garden which opened in September, 2007.
Just inside the gates and to the right, visitors will find the Japanese Garden's newest feature, a 'garden-within-a-garden' designed by five members of the Ogata Kai organization of Japanese landscape architects. The five architects, trained under the late Kenzo Ogata, created this beautiful garden in just four days (September 14-17, 2009).

Sasebo Garden is included with general admission to the Botanic Garden.
Docent-led Garden Tours are offered on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

ABQ: Postcard 1950

ALBUQUERQUE

Postcard 1950


Central Ave., Route 66, in Downtown Albuquerque. The Kress sign still remains. The KIMO recently erected a new sign that is similar to the one in the postcard.

At the time of this postcard, Downtown was still the center for shopping in the city. In another decade that would change as many of the department stores left Downtown to locate in new shopping malls in the NE Heights, like Winrock Mall. They featured plenty of parking near the new housing subdivisions being built.

The abandonment of Downtown had started earlier, however, when autos allowed people to move to new neighborhoods, like areas around the university. One of the earliest auto strip malls was Nob Hill.



Winrock Mall:

In 1961, Winrock Shopping center was completed as a joint venture between soon-to-be Arkansas governor Winthrop Rockefeller and the University of New Mexico on a sandy lot at the edge of I-40. The development included a covered shopping center (the first for Albuquerque and New Mexico) with Safeway, J.C. Penney, Fedway and Montgomery Ward. A freestanding movie theater and attached motor hotel opened in 1963.

The mall was built as an outdoor shopping hub with a screened canopy roof above the main stretch of the mall and acres of parking on all sides. This design allowed for a pleasant shopping experience in the dry summer heat as well as the cold high-desert winters. The 82 acre mall site was bounded by the busy I-40 freeway to the south, with off-ramps to Louisiana Boulevard to the west.

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: 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: 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: 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

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: 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.

ABQ: Cranes

ALBUQUERQUE

Cranes


Brochure about Sandhill Cranes in New Mexico.

Sandhill Cranes migrate to New Mexico for the winter, stretching from Albuquerque south to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.

About the Refuge:

The Refuge is 57,331 acres located along the Rio Grande, and is located at the northern edge of the Chihuahuan desert, and straddles the Rio Grande. The heart of the Refuge is about 12,900 acres of moist bottomlands--3,800 acres are active floodplain of the Rio Grande and 9,100 acres are areas where water is diverted to create extensive wetlands, farmlands, and riparian forests. The rest of Bosque del Apache NWR is made up of arid foothills and mesas, which rise to the Chupadera Mountains on the west and the San Pascual Mountains on the east. Most of these desert lands are preserved as wilderness areas.




The Refuge is an important wintering home for Sandhill Cranes, and will host as many as 14,000 during the winter months. Cranes will begin arriving in November, and will leave as late as the end of February, heading for Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge and Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge for a month or two before migrating onwards to Greys' Lake, Idaho, their breeding grounds.


The Bosque provides a critical Refuge for Sandhill Cranes and other migratory birds, providing food, protection and shelter. The Bosque is a critical habitat for a large number of resident birds and wildlife as well.

The Bosque is also home to over 32,000 Snow Geese and Ross Geese, dozens of Bald Eagles and Goldens, Great Blue Herons, Occasional Pelicans, Avocets, and many, many other birds. This beautiful Refuge is also home to small herds of Mule Deer and families of Coyotes. Seeing the sunset "Fly In" and the dawn "Fly Out" is an experience you will never forget! If you are lucky you can also see what we call "Puffs" of Snow Geese, thousands rising into the air, sometimes within 10- 20 feet of you. The sound of wings and the sound of geese talking is a fantastic, primordial experience, guaranteed to "wow" you out of your worries and "wow" you out of your own body, and guaranteed to lift your soul to join them.

ABQ: Dia del Dulce

ALBUQUERQUE

Dia del Dulce, Day of Candy, in Old Town

View the photo journal of last year's Fall Festival celebrating Halloween in Old Town.

Dia del Dulce (Halloween)

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Dress up in costume and bring the family down to Old Town!

4:00pm to 7:00pm:  Trick or Treating from Old Town Merchants

5:00pm:  Pet Parade & Animal Costume Contest around Old Town Plaza & Gazebo

6:00pm Halloween Performance at Gazebo (By Interplay School of Music & Art)

7:00pm:  People Costume Contest in Plaza Don Luis (Sponsored by Aceves Old Town Basket & Rug Shop)