I’ll be going to Albuquerque in mid January, and was hoping to get some input on places to go near the Hyatt Regency. I’m willing to walk quite a bit, and am mostly interested in micro-brewery-type places.
Any suggestions?
" get out of there" was the most common suggestion when I originally posted this question a couple months ago…
As I recall, there’s a nice tram ride up to the mountains. Might be a tad chilly in January.
The High Finance Restaurant, accessible via the Sandia Peak tram, is worth the ride up. Take I-25 north to Tramway. Or, you can drive up the back side of the mountain, and stop at the ski area or at Tinkertown, a little slice of collectible Americana.
The aquarium and botanical garden, both very recent, are well worth a visit, too - on Central Ave (Route 66), west of town. The aquarium has a seamless Plexiglass walkway tube that really does let you pretend you’re underwater.
Old Town is just like the central square in Santa Fe - Indians selling silver and turquoise jewelry and so forth. If you want to see the real Santa Fe, it’s an hour or so up the road.
If you’re there the right week in October, the Balloon Festival is world-renowned.
There’s a very nice set of ancient rock carvings at Petroglyph Natl (Park? Historical Site? Whatever) just outside of town. Be prepared to hike.
I think the Atomic Museum at Kirtland AFB is closed to the general public now, though - sorry.
And there’s always the Indian bingo hall just north of city limits and on the reservation.
But I’ve taken enough business trips there to satisfy myself.
Hey, c’mon, it’s not bad here!
January, huh? Will you have a car (you need a car here, I’m afraid)? The Hyatt is pretty much smack in the middle of downtown, and there are several fun clubs/restaurants/shops around it. The Launchpad is a nice little club that books some really good bands. Our local free paper, the Weekly Alibi, is a pretty good source of listings for clubs and events, including microbreweries (which, sadly, I don’t know much about). I’ve heard that Kelly’s Brewery is a good place, but it’s up in the Nob Hill area, a good bit east of where you’ll be staying. If you do have a car, that area has a lot of nightlife and it’s also near the University.
There are a lot of tourist-type things near downtown, including Old Town, and if you’re interested in Indian pottery or jewelry you might really enjoy that. If you’re interested in the history of the area, the Albuquerque Museum has a really great permanent exhibit, and it often has very interesting arts exhibits as well. The tram is fun, although it will indeed be cold in January, and there’s a nice, if somewhat overpriced, restaurant at the top where you can eat dinner overlooking the city lights.
If I think of something else that seems truly compelling, I’ll let you know. Have fun!
Elvis, Tinkertown is indeed lots and lots of fun, but they’re closed from November until April.
The Atomic Museum, however, has reopened in a new space at 1905 Mountain Rd. NW, north of Old Town and east of Rio Grande. I’d forgotten about the petroglyphs, but that’s a really nice place to visit.
Sadly, no car (cheap-ass employers :mad: ), so walking/cheap cab ride only.
The thread title is in no way a dig at Albuquerque!!!
…And now I’m disappointed that Roswell is WAY too far from there
!!
Stupid aliens shoulda crashed closer…
The same thing dopers generally do when they travel: Dopefest!
Too bad I’m not closer to Albuquerque! 
You could go to the Rattlesnake Museum in Old Town. You get a neat certificate saying you were there! Very impressive.
(I love Albuquerque! Heck, I love all of New Mexico!)
Well, if you like to gamble, we now have 4 casinos that are less than 30 minutes from basically anywhere in town.
The Hyatt is within walking distance of the Downtown bar district, (off Central) which is mostly a younger, college type crowd.
Central Ave (Rt. 66) is the main drag. It can be cool for people watching, and there are some cool bars and funky shops on Central around the University. (Nob Hill area)
I wouldn’t stray much farther east on Central than around UNM, as it starts to turn into what we call the War Zone.
Oh, and when you order a local Southwest-style dish at a resturant and the waiter says “red or green?”, it means the chile.
The Opera House/Theater. The Kimo–it’s a lovely example of '20s southwest fusion architecture, and a nice opera house too.
Old Town, with San Felipe.
Annieclaus, I have a snake-handling certificate of courage with Rachel the boa constrictor from the Museum!
And there’s a Mexican restaurant nearby that everybody goes to–two or three story open atrium.
Ride up the Sandias in the tram, it’s best looking if dusted with snow. But it be wicked cold up there.
You need to stay at the world famous Albuquerque Holiday Inn, where the towels are oh so fluffy…
Maybe make a few left turns, too…
Obviously, I’ve spent too much time listening to Bugs Bunny and Weird Al Yankovich