I’m trying to come up a good spot in the West that is easily accessible by air travel from Sacramento and a good to just chill for a simple solo weekend getaway.
Things that interest me:
History
Old Towns
Downtowns
Walkable
Scenic
Relax w a coffee and/or whiskey
Maybe a little reading
No hustle & bustle
NOT running around trying to soak in an entire region in a day.
Exclusions:
California - Already know what’s here
Portland
Seattle, Spokane
Phoenix, Tucson
Reno, Vegas
Super expensive airfare
Anything east of CO
Some candidates:
Boise?
Flagstaff?
Denver (but see hustle & bustle)?
Santa Fe?
We didn’t get to spend much time in Flagstaff, AZ, but we did spend the night there. Ate at a great brewpub and bought some of their beer. It seems like a really cool town. I would go back and visit.
I think Santa Fe could be a good choice. It’s touristy, but with a lot of substance to back it up. Good choice of attractions, restaurants, scenic drives, etc. Not conspicuously cheap.
I agree with Santa Fe. You’ll have to fly into Albuquerque as I recall, as Santa Fe – at least back when I lived in Albuquerque – was the only state capital without a commerical airport. I think there is a small one for puddle-jumper flights, but I’d rent a car in Albuquerque if I were you. Santa Fe is an hour north on the interstate, but I used to like taking the old highway. Then Taos and Los Alamos are easy drives from Santa Fe, but really Santa Fe good for the weekend all on its own.
My vote is Santa Fe as well. I must say that just a weekend anywhere, if you are dealing with air travel is more work than it’s worth. But, hey, whatever floats your boat.
Speaking of boats… I think it would be very fun to fly to San Diego and take an introductory sailing lesson. Myself I’d like to make a week of it and may be doing it in the next few years.
Denver isn’t crazy busy by California standards, but I don’t think the downtown area meets most of your criteria. It’s perfectly nice, but not particularly interesting. Ditto but more so on both counts with Boise.
For what you’re describing, I’d actually pick Salt Lake City over either of those two cities-- the city itself is pretty hip (so, yes, you can get a decent cup of Joe and booze) but traffic and hustle n’ bustle are minimal. The downtown area is very walkable and I’ve always found the Mormon sites interesting at least. The city itself is in a very scenic area and there’s lots of potential quick day trips if you get a car.
I personally find Santa Fe too touristy, but my tolerance is kind of low and I don’t think I’ve ever gone there prepared to spend enough to really enjoy it.
Hey! Albuquerque has an Old Town, too, and it’s not unreasonably bustley! We’re a little warmer than Santa Fe, which can be kind of chilly in early spring. Admittedly, “walkable” is a stretch, but if you plan your stay around the Downtown/Old Town area, you could do all right. We have a very nice library downtown, and a pedestrian mall that’s pretty nice.
Oh, all right. We also now have the Rail Runner, which is easily accessible to the airport and is a very relaxing and scenic way to get to and from Santa Fe. Which is also very relaxing, scenic, and walkable. And expensive, so don’t forget that Albuquerque can also be attractive.
It’s nothing like San Francisco, but there is a lot of construction going on right now. I’d say Boulder or Ft. Collins are a better fit for your criteria, they are both very walkable and scenic with great restaurants and tons of coffee shops and places to relax. You can get a shuttle from DIA to both cities. Boulder has the U of Colorado, which has a bunch of museums with a ton of historical artifacts. The University is right on the edge of downtown so walking from one to the other is easy, except for the altitude. I assume CSU in Ft. Collins is similar, but I can’t say for sure.
Durango or Telluride in Southwestern Colorado would fit the bill, but they are not easy to get to nor cheap.
Santa Fe has been overly touristy literally for decades. But the thing is there’s a real sense of history there, and a lot of gems amid all the tourist glitch. You won’t be sorry you went.
One of my favorite restaurants is right by the train station – Tomasita’s. Love their Chile Rellenos and margaritas. Not too expensive either. There’s a short YouTube video by the owner here. And the plaza is only about six blocks away, IIRC.