WEDDING & EVENTS   -   IN ALBUQUERQUE   -   TRAVEL TIPS   -   REGISTRIES

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Albuquerque has a special place in our heart, and is one of the best towns to spend a weekend in. Here are our recommendations for making the most of your stay!

• Check out dukecityfix.com, our favorite website for Albuquerque-philia. It has its finger on the pulse of the city!
• We love Albuquerque's official motto, "It's a trip." This site has all the standard recommendations and tips you could want.
• And we are New Yorkers now, so the NYTimes Albuquerque Travel Guide is a necessary resource.
• Check out this NYTimes article that chronicles much of what we would choose to do if we only had 36 hours in Albuquerque!

Other activities we love in and around Albuquerque

• Acoma Pueblo
• Gallery Hopping on Canyon Road in Santa Fe
• Hiking at Tent Rocks and Tree Spring Trail in the Sandias
• Petroglyphs on Albuquerque's West Side
• Open Space Visitor's Center
• Paddling down the Rio Grande with Quiet Waters Paddling
• Jemez hiking
• Museums: National Hispanic Cultural Center, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Rattlesnake Museum, Explora Science Museum, Museum of Natural History and Science, Balloon Museum, Atomic/Nuclear Museum
• BioPark: Botanical Gardens, Aquarium, Zoo
• Eat at: the Frontier, Ezra's, El Pinto, La Michoacana Popsicleria, Monte Carlo Steakhouse
• Raspberry Picking in Corrales
• Wine Tasting in the North Valley: Casa Rondena and Anderson
• Tour Gruet Champagne
• Roadrunner train to Santa Fe
• Georgia O'Keefe Museum in Santa Fe
• Soak at 10,000 Waves outside Santa Fe
• The Tram to Sandia Peak
• The Albuquerque Museum

Restaurant Recommendations

• For the pure New Mexican and Albuquerque experience I recommend EL PINTO. It serves great New Mexican food in general and if you want to sample different dishes you can try their lunch buffet. If you can get a table outside to get the full experience and if you enjoy spicy food you must order the Red Chili Ribs as an appetizer but ask for lots of water and napkins. The official question in New Mexico is Red or Green and that's for what kind of chili you want on your dish. If you are adventurous and want both and want to sound like a local then you want it Christmas style.
• Other New Mexican options include The Range with 3 locations (they have a great breakfast with incredible home-made, cinnamon ice cream in oatmeal).
• For a local option near the wedding then head over to Ben Michael's Cafe. The chef/owner is a little crazy and partially built Jessica's old house (his sister sold it to Jessica) but don't that let defer you from trying his food, especially the calabacitas.
• The Frontier is a great local stop as well (right across from the University of New Mexico on Route 66 aka Central Ave) and is open until 2:00 am. They are know for their Cinnamon Sweet Rolls and Jessica loves their guacamole.
• If you still want that New Mexico experience but don't mind the decor then head over to Ezra's (which is located inside a bowling alley). There you will find the chefs adding their New Mexican twist to great dishes such as duck enchiladas or chili rubbed quail. Right near Ezra's further up the Camino Real and owned by the same people is Sophia's (open for breakfast and lunch only) and was featured in Diners, Drive ins and Dives (one of my favorite shows).
• Zinc offers a downstairs cellar (great happy hour drinks and food) while the upstairs serves amazing American contemporary fare (you have to try the duck egg rolls as an appetizer).
• Jennifer James 101, with the most recognizable chef in Albuquerque. She's been nominated for a James Beard Award several times. The prices are a little higher than most restaurants in ABQ, but well worth it. And for those coming from NYC, the prices will seem very affordable. For any guests arriving early, you should try to get a seat at the Community Table (only available Tuesdays and Wednesdays) for family-style chef's choice meals with wine pairings.
• Christobal's is an upscale restaurant in Old Town (located inside the Hotel Albuquerque) and offers great American classics with a New Mexican twist.
• Rex's Hamburger (also known as Bubsters). One of the best Green Chili Cheeseburgers in town. If you have an appetite, try the Beavis. It's huge but so good. New Mexicans like to put Green Chili on everything, and it usually works, and adding Green Chili to a cheeseburger just makes it even more delicious. When I worked at ABQ The Mag, one year we featured the best Green Chili Cheeseburgers in the city and this one made the top 5.
• Farina is a newer restaurant that serves great pizza that is made in a wood oven. No meal is complete unless you try their butterscotch budino for desert.
• Monte Carlo Steakhouse, an Albuquerque institution and very close to Old Town. They are know for their great steaks (and yes you guessed it with Green Chili). You can choose to enter through the back door or via the package store in front. :) It was also featured on Diners, Drive in and Dives.
• Torino's, originally started in Santa Fe this married couple (she is Italian and he is French) have brought amazing Italian cuisine to Albuquerque. This restaurant is one of the highest rated in Urbanspoon.
• Giovanni's, one of the best pizzas in Albuquerque (it's a NY style pizza). Like the traditional cheeseburger, you can add Green Chili to your pizza and it just kicks it up a notch in the taste department. When ABQ The Mag tried pizzas all over the city, this one came out on top, and rightfully so. If you want to try to be an Albuquerquean, you must dip your pizza in Ranch sauce (some purists would say Dion's Ranch Dressing--Dion's is a local pizza chain in NM).
• Dion's as mentioned above this is the local pizzeria chain where it seems every Albuquerque high school student has worked.
• Blake's Lotaburger is a local New Mexico burger chain that was featured recently as having one of the best burgers in the country by National Geographic but this is Jessica's favorite place to grab a breakfast burrito. They make them fresh right in front of you and they are so good. You can't go wrong with any of the combinations (Green Chili with Sausage or Bacon with Red Chili).
• For an amazing view of the Sandia Mountains, check out Bien-Shur, the restaurant on top of the Sandia Casino. Only open for dinner; you can also grab a drink at the bar and enjoy the views.