Albuquerque, NM - any experiences to share?

[devonhunter]

Hey guys, I'm considering going to Albuquerque, NM for the first time. One of my best friends lives there, and I haven't seen her in years. The flights are inexpensive, and the hotels are very reasonable. But is there a client base there? What type of place is it? I find that I know nothing about the climate, politics, culture, or LGBT scene for this region. Do any of you have any insights that might be helpful??

[RyanDean]

My impression is that traveling guys can do well in ABQ/SantaFe (especially with the bigger wallets in Santa Fe). You might consider splitting your stay between the towns (only an hour's drive apart), or renting a car so you can get to Santa Fe as necessary.

[devonhunter]

I didn't realize they were so close... HMMMM... See, I didn't even know that about the geography! Thanks very much. Is there a particular town about halfway between the two that you would suggest?

 

Edit:

 

No, looking at the map, I see there is nothing between the two... Well, good to know.

[+ azdr0710]

have been to ABQ many time and it's a fine town...very, very low-key, laid-back, and casual....home to UNM....as part of your marketing efforts, definitely include Santa Fe.....the entire area leans a bit to the liberal side, but there are all types, of course....Santa Fe is at 7000', so bring warm clothes....lots of quietly wealthy people, especially in Santa Fe and the quiet surrounding towns....if it helps, the RailRunner is very popular between the two cities

 

http://riometro.org/

 

effective marketing should help you here....

[instudiocity]

have been to ABQ many time and it's a fine town...very, very low-key, laid-back, and casual....home to UNM....as part of your marketing efforts, definitely include Santa Fe.....the entire area leans a bit to the liberal side, but there are all types, of course....Santa Fe is at 7000', so bring warm clothes....lots of quietly wealthy people, especially in Santa Fe and the quiet surrounding towns....if it helps, the RailRunner is very popular between the two cities

 

http://riometro.org/

 

effective marketing should help you here....

 

YEP! Damn, I was just in ABQ and Santa FE last week. I could have used the company!

 

I did notice the altitude in Santa Fe. Needed to pause on my walks to grab extra air. I loved Santa Fe's great culture, restaurants, GREEN CHILIES and art. ABQ was more a small city with all the chain restaurants, except Old Town and Nob Hill. I could go back to either of those again and at 4,800 feet far easier to breathe!

[Diverdan]

There is one of the best masseurs I have ever met who works primarily out of a home studio in Albuquerque. He is also a great artist, so if you are looking for some company while you are there, I am sure he can introduce you to some of the locals. I need to check and see if he is still running an ad, and if so, I will get back to you with the reference. He also will sometimes go to Santa Fe. I probably haven't answered your questions directly, but on a couple of occasions, I have noticed that a lot of traveling guys include both Albuquerque and Santa Fe in their travels. I also agree that there are a lot of quietly wealthy guys in those two cities.

[devonhunter]

Well, then this is something I really do need to consider. I'm feeling that the bigger cities are getting too crowded with competition. My ads in large cities garnered less and less response as the year has moved on (though I hadn't noticed until now, because I happened to have been doing week-long trips with individual clients this year, and wasn't needing to travel like I was in years past). It's time to strike out into the heartland more, where I have been pleasantly surprised in places like Kansas City, Little Rock, and Columbus. Or maybe after +5 years I'm a hag and need to find a husband to pay my dowery to and retire. LOL

[rvwnsd]

I've visited Albuquerque several times, as one of my best friends moved there for grad school. You would have little, if any, competition. In terms of culture and arts, I prefer the art scene in Albuquerque to Santa Fe. It is edgier and more raw than Santa Fe. However, I love Santa Fe, especially the Canyon Road section east of the Plaza. There are good restaurants outside of Nob Hill and Old Town. Jennifer James 101 on Menaul is very good (and the owner is a lesbian), there are a couple of wineries toward the north end of town, and the food at the various Flying Star and Satellite Coffee shops is good. I had a really good lunch at The Range Cafe in Bernalillo (north of ABQ). Gold Street Caffe in downtown (south of Central) is very good for breakfast and lunch and I always enjoy the Sumner and Deen gallery on Central downtown. In fact, there are several galleries downtown and strewn throughout the area.

 

Hope this helps. PM me if you want additional details.

[+ honcho]

I was born and raised in ABQ, but haven't visited in the last 10 years. Back then, once you got outside of Albuquerque, it was pretty desolate along Interstate 25 until you were in Santa Fe.

 

Some googling around lists a Hyatt resort near Bernallio, which is supposed to be 23 miles from UNM in ABQ and 50 miles from

the palace of the governor's in Santa Fe (as representative destinations).

 

I've never been, but here's the hotel web site: http://tamaya.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html?src=agn_mls_hr_lclb_gplaces_tamay

 

Again, based on stale information, there was supposed to be a lively and thriving (lesbian) Women's community in ABQ and Santa Fe,

but haven't heard reports of equal vibrancy in the Men's community.

[Mocha]

Well, then this is something I really do need to consider. I'm feeling that the bigger cities are getting too crowded with competition. My ads in large cities garnered less and less response as the year has moved on (though I hadn't noticed until now, because I happened to have been doing week-long trips with individual clients this year, and wasn't needing to travel like I was in years past). It's time to strike out into the heartland more, where I have been pleasantly surprised in places like Kansas City, Little Rock, and Columbus. Or maybe after +5 years I'm a hag and need to find a husband to pay my dowery to and retire. LOL

 

Go to Albuqierque. Even if it's not for business, the culture there is like non other. New Mexico makes a lot of handmade crafts that are relatively inexpensive. i think most dream catchers derive from albuquerque. Contrary to belief, it's not new 'Mexico', but rather a mix of native and New Mexican (it's in the food). The Sandia peak tram also attracts tourist from around the world. I rode it my first time last week. The air is dry, and clean. There's never a traffic jam, and everything is 20 minutes or less away. It's also home to many casinos.

 

The bad: myself and another fellow were visiting the area starting back 3-4 years ago. It's not the same now as it was back then. Men4rent was and still is the main website to use. But the area wasnt immune to men4rents setbacks. Ita not the gold mine it once was. Just remember when you see a city with few to no other advertisers, it's usually for a reason. It's for them to know, and you to find out. Generally it's because, you can go once or twice, but it won't sustain much beyond that. Despite all the wealthy people abound in the Albuqierque pueblos and Santa Fe hillsides, the culture is embedded in a work-hard, no handouts type of mentality.

[Just Chuck]

I lived outside of Santa Fe in the 1990's and visit ABQ frequently for work. While the show may have overemphasized the grittier side of the city,I thought that "Breaking Bad" really did a good job of showing the feel of parts of Albuquerque.

[+ Topseed]

So you're looking for a husband, Devon? Hmmmm. I'll keep you warm here in Chicago......

[+ Topseed]

...and as a one-time resident of Santa Fe, my $0.02: it's a great small town. Population 75,000 although it reads much larger in terms of cultural life and amenities (i.e., truly fine restaurants).

The sidewalks roll up around 8:30pm, as all the older people are at home by then, or people hit the hay early so as to go hiking in the early morning. It's also an island of relative affluence within New Mexico, which sadly is one of our country's poorest states and one with abysmal state/local government. Many people there treat it as a second (or third) home, and accordingly they see Santa Fe as a playground; their civic engagement tends to be moderate. There is a sizable gay community in Santa Fe. The gay population skews towards people with partners; it's a challenging place to be if you're single (irrespective of sexuality) as many gay people entertain in their homes. The one and only gay bar in Santa Fe closed last fall. The town is infested with tourists in the summer due to opera, music, and local festivals; hotel prices skyrocket. For my money, September and October are the months to go, as the tourists mostly have left and the fall color change in the aspen forests is breathtaking.