This year for our 39th Anniversary My Beloved and I attended Worldcon in Anaheim in late August, so I asked her what wanted to do next year for the Big Four-Oh.
We are going to Albuquerque, NM!
In late August!
To a little convention called “Bubonicon”!
Tell me all about Albuquerque in late August. Places to go, things to do, people to see, the best place to get chicken-fried steak or a patty melt, the brewpubs etc. Help me create a playlist about Everything Albuquerque for the trip.
Fix it so that I never forget Albuquerque…no matter how hard I try.
I asked my AI using your specifics. All things are Albuquerque below but, as an aside, I think it is worth taking a day to drive to Santa Fe and spend a day there. One hour drive each way. Worth it I think but of course up to you.
Here’s everything in plain text. Use the copy button on the block:
BUBONICON & THE BIG FOUR-OH
Albuquerque, NM - Late August 2027
THE ANCHOR: Bubonicon 58 is August 27-29, 2027 (Friday-Sunday). In 2026 it was held at the Albuquerque Marriott Uptown (Louisiana Blvd & I-40). Confirm the 2027 venue and book the convention hotel block early, since the room deadline is usually about two weeks before the con.
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THE PLAN
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WEDNESDAY, AUG 25 - ARRIVAL
Lunch Frontier Restaurant - iconic UNM-area spot; get a sweet roll and green chile
Afternoon Old Town Plaza - adobe shops; buy a chile ristra or turquoise keepsake
Evening Marble Brewery (downtown) - flagship taproom, often with live music
THURSDAY, AUG 26 - ANNIVERSARY DAY
Dawn Hot air balloon ride - the centerpiece; flights traditionally end with a toast
Late AM Vic's Daily Cafe - order the Vaqueros: giant chicken-fried steak with red or green chile (open for breakfast/lunch only)
1:00 PM National Museum of Nuclear Science & History - Manhattan Project to Cold War
Sunset Sandia Peak Tramway - ride to 10,378 ft and watch the mountains turn pink
8:00 PM 40th Anniversary Dinner - Campo at Los Poblanos (top pick), Level 5 Rooftop at Hotel Chaco, or Bien Shur at Sandia Resort
FRIDAY, AUG 27 - CON BEGINS
9:30 AM Indian Pueblo Cultural Center - history of the 19 Pueblos
Lunch 66 Diner - retro Route 66 diner; get the patty melt (add green chile)
Afternoon Bubonicon 58 opens - check in, get badges
Nightcap La Cumbre Brewing - Elevated IPA on the patio
SATURDAY, AUG 28 - CON DAY
8:00 AM Downtown Growers' Market at Robinson Park - chile roasting on site
All day Bubonicon - panels, art show, dealers' room, costume contest
Dinner Western View Diner & Steakhouse - chicken-fried steak
SUNDAY, AUG 29 - CON FINALE
Daytime Bubonicon - final day
Evening Bosque or Canteen Brewing - toast the con
MONDAY, AUG 30 - WIND DOWN
7:30 AM Petroglyph National Monument - thousands of ancient carvings; go early
Late AM Breaking Bad filming locations - self-guided tour
Lunch Sadie's - one last sopaipilla before the airport
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CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK & PATTY MELTS
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Vic's Daily Cafe - the headliner; the Vaqueros is legendary (breakfast/lunch only)
Western View Diner & Steakhouse - cozy, classic chicken-fried steak for dinner
66 Diner - hand-breaded chicken-fried steak plus patty melts, full chrome-and-neon Route 66 vibe
Local tip: ask for green chile on anything
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BREWPUBS
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La Cumbre Brewing - award-winning Elevated IPA, local pioneer since 2010
Marble Brewery - downtown flagship, live music
Bosque Brewing - multiple locations, nationally recognized
Canteen Brewhouse - award winner
Boxing Bear Brewing - strong local favorite
Juno Brewery - downtown, Mexican-style 505 Lager
Flix Brewhouse - a movie theater with its own brewery
Fun fact: Albuquerque has more microbreweries per capita than Portland
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THE "EVERYTHING ALBUQUERQUE" PLAYLIST
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1. "Albuquerque" - Weird Al Yankovic (the 11-minute epic; mandatory)
2. "Albuquerque" - Neil Young
3. "Albuquerque" - Prefab Sprout
4. "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" - Nat King Cole Trio
5. "Route 66" - Chuck Berry
6. "Route 66" - Depeche Mode
7. "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" - Glen Campbell
8. "Willin'" - Little Feat
9. "New Slang" - The Shins (formed in Albuquerque)
10. "Crystal Blue Persuasion" - Tommy James & the Shondells (Breaking Bad)
11. "Negro y Azul: The Ballad of Heisenberg" - Los Cuates de Sinaloa (Breaking Bad)
12. "Baby Blue" - Badfinger (Breaking Bad finale)
Bonus: cue up Bugs Bunny's "left turn at Albuquerque" line on landing
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MAKING IT UNFORGETTABLE
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- Book the balloon ride for Thursday so there's a backup day (Monday) if wind or storms cancel the flight
- Tell the balloon company, tram, and restaurant it's your 40th; people here go out of their way for that
- Bring home a chile ristra or a piece of turquoise from Old Town
- In New Mexican restaurants, answer "Red or green?" with "Christmas" to get both
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PRACTICAL NOTES
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- Late August is monsoon season: hot mornings, afternoon thunderstorms. Do outdoor things early.
- You're at a mile of elevation; drink more water than you think you need.
- Reserve the anniversary dinner and balloon ride well in advance.
It’s been many years since I’ve been in New Mexico, so I don’t have any specific suggestions. But the state is famous for its own take on Mexican food. Every state has a set of official designations, like the state bird or state flower. The official state question of New Mexico is “Red or green?”, meaning “Do you want red or green chile sauce with your meal?” The official answer to this question is “Christmas,” meaning some of each.
Dishes in New Mexican cuisine include green (or red) chile stew, carne adovada, chiles rellenos, blue corn tortillas, posole, sopaipillas (puffy fried bread often filled with honey), and biscochitos (a type of cookie).
I’ve not been in a long time, so most of my “Go see this” advice would be quite dated. But I will second the run up to Santa Fe, time & transport permitting. Albuquerque, like most US cities, has a distinctive older core and a vast amount of generic post-1970s flavorless suburbia. Percentage-wise Santa Fe has a lot more of the former and relatively little of the latter. And has been more aggressive about preserving their old stuff as a reason to go.
Albuquerque sites at an elevation of ~5300 feet. So “mile high” like Denver. And with adjacent mountains if you want to get higher = cooler. In August daily highs will be hot: low 90s. But overnight lows will be cool: mid 60s. That large diurnal swing can be a surprise for folks used to places with smaller daily swings.
This recent thread is almost on point for our OP and contains a wealth of advice and some after-action reporting from that OP’s recent visit.
