Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Fodor's "Santa Fe, Taos & Albuquerque" is one of their best guidebooks. I used it extensively while planning a recent trip to New Mexico, and the information and opinions within it were generally right on the money. While I refered to it for planning my lodging during the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, it really proved its worth during an extended road trip to Santa Fe and Los Alamos.
The advice was always cogent, and practical tips were very helpful, especially when it came to getting oriented on Santa Fe's notoriously confusing streets. Thanks to the book's recommendation, I made reservations at The Bishop's Lodge, a captivating and beautiful historical property founded by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy 150 years ago. I appreciated the guide's putting the property in historical context, and was delighted at the off-the-beaten-path tip. Likewise, the guide's emphasis on the important art scene in Santa Fe led me to numerous galleries and shops; all the things that it recommended for someone of my interests were well-covered and accurate. Various other advice either on its own or as part of the great "A Good Walk" features, was useful, particularly regarding restaurants, shops, and the area around the Santa Fe Plaza, including the La Fonda Hotel (with it's wonderful lobby and shops,) the beautiful St. Francis Cathedral (with its truly beautiful stained glass of many different styles,) and the quaint Loretto Chapel (with it's unusual staircase and interesting gift shop.)
Although I didn't go to Taos during this trip, I did go to Los Alamos, which was well-covered and is prettier than I expected. There are many things to do in this small town, but the museums related to the atomic bomb development that occurred there are most captivating. The Los Alamos Historical Museum was especially interesting (and it's free!) and deserves more detail in the book along with the adjacent Fuller Lodge. The museum is located on "Bathtub Row" and even though the guide doesn't recommend it, it's interesting to take the museum's walking tour down Bathtub Row. At the intersection of Bathtub Row and Peach Street sits J. Robert Oppenheimer's former home (it's private property,) and returning to the museum you pass ancient Puebloan structures that date back hundreds of years. The book is correct in noting this incongruity of ancient and atomic cultures juxtaposed in such a small space. Use caution when visiting the larger and newer Bradbury Science Museum, as the museum has some unusual operating hours, which are correctly listed in this guide.
This is a very well done travel guide, and I made extensive use of it both planning my trip to New Mexico, and actually traveling the area. My primary interests were balloons, the artistic scene in Santa Fe, and historical sites and museums. For those purposes this guide served me well; others will have different interests of course, but I am confident that regardless of your interests, if you are going to New Mexico this book will prove invaluable to you, too.
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