What we did in Albuquerque, New Mexico

I can’t remember when it was that I first saw a post about the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in one of my FB travel groups. It looked so amazing, that I decided we MUST go there to continue with my all 50 states before college goal. We planned everything around our sessions at the festival (get tips for planning HERE and read about our experience HERE), but this blog post is about what we did in Albuquerque, New Mexico between balloon events.

Old Town Albuquerque

I love exploring adorable shops and interesting streets, so I just HAD to visit the Old Town in Albuquerque. There was so much to see, but sadly, there were no restaurants open early afternoon on a Sunday, so we weren’t able to spend as much time there as I would have liked.

We did return later in the afternoon and found this lovely show in the town square gazebo!

Mama’s Minerals

Honestly, visiting this HUMONGOUS store packed with rocks, minerals, beads and jewelry was one of the highlights of Nina and Alex’s visit in Albuquerque. Both collectors, they each found exciting treasures in this shop!

Petroglyph National Monument

We tried visit the petroglyphs on our first day in town, but with no time or energy for a hike and a full parking area, we had to abandon this idea. Since Alex really wanted to check it out, we ended up returning the following day. Sadly, the Boca Negra area was pretty underwhelming (Although I am sure that had we hiked, we would have been more successful). In any case, we liked the petroglyphs that we saw in Moab better.

Where we ate

Sawmill market

We were so lucky to find the Sawmill Market right across the street from our hotel. This upscale food court has so many delicacies to chose from! I recommend that you do a once-over before you decide what to eat. Order at one of the various stands and get a beeper to notify you when your food is ready. While you wait, pick out a nice table in “the yard” and listen to some jazzy live music, or browse the artisan market for beautiful handmade crafts to take home for your loved ones! We liked this place so much, we went there twice during the weekend. The only serious drawback is that there is no Diet Coke to be found. I had to drink Coke Zero. Yuk. Anyway, here’s what we ate:

We all really enjoyed the pizza at Hawt

Cacho’s empanadas and arepas are yummy!

The marinara pistachio pesto at Tulipani wasn’t nearly as delicious as the truffle with mushrooms.

We had healthy asian food at Kulantro

Although we didn’t love the ice cream at Neko Neko, the waffle cone stuffed with nutella was absolutely DELICIOUS!

El Pinto Restaurant

I was so overwhelmed and scattered when making my plans to attend the AIBF, I neglected to make reservations for dining. Luckily, I was able to get a last minute spot for lunch at El Pinto, which came highly recommended in the blogs I read while researching our trip.

This place is a gigantic maze of rooms and gardens. The service is great and the lunch menu is extensive.

Final Thoughts

We didn’t have much time to explore Albuquerque since we were so busy at the Balloon Fiesta, but we did really enjoy what little we experienced. Our three day weekend gave us a small taste of why New Mexico is called the Land of Enchantment.