JULY 1 2009
AMERICANWAY 35
3.
Sanantonio
take a 12-minute taxi
ride
downtown, and then take yourpick
froma rangeof attractions. At the
Menger Hotel
, youmay run into
theghosts of SarahBernhardt, Babe
Ruth,MaeWest,UlyssesS.Grant,
or oneof themanyother guestswho
have stayedhere since thehotel's
founding in 1859.HaveaScotch in
thebarwhereTeddyRoosevelt re-
cruitedRoughRiders for theSpanish-
AmericanWar (andwherehis ghost is
said to still linger today); then, graba
meal in thehotel’s graciousColonial
Room.
From there,walk to thenearby
PaseodelRio, better knownas the
Riverwalk
, a2.5-mile curving strip
of SanAntonio’sbest hotels, restau-
rants, nightclubs, galleries, and shops.
Haveaprickly-pearmargaritaand
guacamole—prepared table side—at
locallyowned
Boudro’s Texas Bistro
.
As for remembering the
Alamo
,
it’s right hereand is free for the tour-
ing.Or you can skip the fortress and
stroll instead throughSanAntonio’s
first neighborhood,
LaVillitaHis-
toricArts Village
.During theBattle
of theAlamo, LaVillitawas the site
ofGeneral SantaAna’s cannon line;
today, it’s a series of riversidegaller-
ies and shops selling everything from
stainedglass andweavings topot-
tery, copper, and textiles. IfLaVillita
piques your art interests, checkout an
exhibitionat the
Southwest School
of Art &Craft
, housed ina restored
nineteenth-century convent.
Want toget back tonature?Make
the26-minutedrive to
FriedrichWil-
derness Park
, SanAntonio’sonlyna-
turepreserve, to seegolden-cheeked
warblers,white-taileddeer, and cot-
tontail rabbits in rare form.Or get the
warblers’ perspectiveof theTexasHill
Countryby taking to the skieswith
AlamoHelicopter Tours
.
2.
albuquerque
From the albuquerque
International Sunport, it's a 10-minute cab ride to
Old Town
, the crossroads of the Southwest for three centuries.More than 150 shops,
galleries, andstudiossurround thehistoriccentralplaza.Visitorscanwatch traditional
NativeAmericandances performeddaily at the
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
and
eatnative-fusioncuisine— fromJemezenchiladasandTewa tacos toauthenticPueblo
Indian fry bread— at the center’s newly openedPuebloHarvest Cafe&Bakery. Find
sanctuary in the unmarked
Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel
; located in a shaded
courtyard, it'sAlbuquerque’sbest-kept secret. Itsadobe-brickwallswerehand-formed
by sixnuns in the 1970s at thebehest of theVatican.
Nativesmight considerOldTown tobeabit touristy, but thevillage isauthenticand
richwith history and information. It’s home to the
TurquoiseMuseum
as well as to
the
American International RattlesnakeMuseum
, which contains everything from
akitsch
CobraWoman
movieposter to serious conservation information.
If you’re looking for somethingmore glamorous, see if you can slip into the back-
ground of amovie shoot. Thanks to tax incentives and inimitable scenery, “Albuquer-
que is rising quickly to the top of the list for best places to film,” says Lexi Petronis,
editor inchiefof
Albuquerque:TheMagazine
. “Lionsgate isevenopeningastudiohere,
not tomention the newAlbuquerque Studios
[
soundstages
]
.” The
NewMexico Film
Offic
stays on topofwho’sfilmingwhat,where, andwhen.
Albuquerque is also famous for its stellarNewMexican food, which is neither Tex-
Mex,Mexican, or CaliforniaMexican. Petronis recommends
Sadie’s
, which is known
for its exceptionallyhot red- andgreen-chile sauces and its largeportions. Forpeople-
watching, try
FrontierRestaurant
, adiner-stylerestaurantnear theUniversityofNew
Mexico. Want something faster? Pick up a drippy grilled chili-cheese dog from the
always crowded
DogHouse
.
Left: IndianPuebloCultural Center; below: Southwest School of Art &Craft
