Day THIRTY & THIRTY ONE

Our day in Albuquerque started the right way. With huevos rancheros and green chiles from the Frontier Restaurant downtown.

This place is an institution in Albuquerque. The restaurant extends down the entire block to the left and it was completely mobbed when we got there.

After breakfast Kara’s cousin Joe & his girlfriend Petra took us on a whirlwind tour of Albuquerque including tons of history, architecture and even some Breaking Bad locations.

Our first stop after breakfast was the UNM campus. The school is beautiful and each facility has this modern look while retaining the adobe style that’s so prevalent in the area.

Great view of the Sandias from the plaza.

Turtles chilling out by the koi pond.

I had to get a cool cactus pic in here since I missed them in Arizona.

Once the library opened we headed inside to check it out.

The detail that goes into every beam, trim and metalwork is staggering. Even the exit signs are adorned with ornamentation.

This is another really cool building on campus that has this honeycomb of stained glass all along the side of the building.

Tell me that doesn’t look like aneyeball in the glass!

Next stop, Railyards.

Albuquerque used to be a major stop for the railroads and this facility was used to break down all the engines and cars, strip em and clean em and fix em. Now its not a major stop for trains, instead it’s a destination for shopping.

It’s like a giant farmer’s market filled with vendors of all types. On our afternoon cruise we drove by this gem.

Joe also drove us by many Breaking Bad locations likeJesse’s house, apartment, the downtown hotel and a number of restaurants they filmed. I didn’t stop to take any shots of those, it was cool just to see them around town.

In the afternoon we headed to see a pueblo Feast Day. We went to the Isleta Pueblo to watch the ceremonies and dances. These are annual holidays that are open to the public but no photos or phones are allowed. It was a really cool event to experience.

In the afternoon we headed to Old Town where some lowriders were on display.

We checked out some shops and galleries before heading to a nearby rooftop bar for afternoon cocktails.

Late afternoon light from the rooftop.

Sandias from the roof.

After that we headed back to the house for a home cooked meal. Petra made a delicious tofu & broth dish complete with cooked squash & an enormous salad.

Joe and Petra could not have been better hosts or tour guides for our time in Albuquerque. Thank you so much for taking an entire day off and showing us all there is to see in a single day. You guys are the best.

After Albuquerque we headed off for Fort Worth. This was really the first time I didn’t take any pictures. Plenty from Fort Worth though.