Natural Albuquerque: Our Open Spaces

A duet of high-altitude clacking drew my eyes upward as a pair of sandhill cranes negotiated two mammoth cottonwoods and gracefully landed on the cornfield in back of Albuquerque’s Open Space Visitor Center. A kettle of their stately compatriots were making short work of the recently cut agricultural field specially planted for their delectation.

The late winter day was in the 30s, and I knew we were fortunate to see the cranes before they undertook their yearly spring migration to Nebraska’s Platte River. Wintering along the Rio Grande Valley from Albuquerque to Bosque del Apache and south, they are one of the delights of our region.

It was my first visit to the Center and I was impressed by the facility, which had opened in 2006. Perhaps I hadn’t visited before because it was so darn accessible, a short distance off Coors Boulevard on the West Side where I live. I’d brushed it off thinking it probably was some uninspiring shack on the bosque. I was so wrong.

The center sits on 55 acres, half of which is harvestable cropland planted in sorghum for the wildlife, and half contains the unexcavated site of Piedras Marcadas, prehistoric pueblo ruins. The building was originally the private residence of Mr. and Mrs. Coda Roberson. Little evidence of the home remains since the structure has been transformed into a multi-use facility with an art gallery, meeting rooms, kitchen, exhibit space interpreting the natural and cultural resources Open Space protects, and lots and lots of big windows opening out to one of the most beautiful views in Albuquerque. The Center hosts special art exhibits and educational programs throughout the year.

Albuquerque’s Open Space program is one of the most ambitious in the Southwest. Since 1969 the city has acquired more than 24,000 acres of open space land, and it manages another 4,000 acres. To name a few plots, this includes Elena Gallegos/Albert G. Simms Park at the base of the Sandias; Rio Grande State Park including Alameda/Rio Grande wetlands; Rio Grande Nature Center; Los Poblanos Fields; and in Petroglyph National Monument a number of areas of cultural and geologic importance like Piedras Marcadas Canyon, Boca Negra Canyon, and Rinconada Canyon.

To support the city’s program, the Open Space Alliance (OSA) is a group of volunteers working with the town to preserve, maintain, and improve our natural, historical, and cultural resources. Funded solely through membership dues, the OSA provides a tax-exempt means for citizens, organizations, and corporations to donate to the city’s Open Space Division.

The cranes will soon be gone on their unending journey between nesting and wintering grounds. They will be missed as we trace their journey by the faint sounds of their passing. As the seasons transform the unparalleled views of bosque and mountains, visitors in the know will stop at this quiet place for hiking the river trail, nature study, and contemplation.

City of Albuquerque Open Space Visitor Center
6500 Coors Blvd NW
Between Montano Blvd. and Paseo del Norte at the end of Bosque Meadows Rd.
Albuquerque, NM
(505) 897-9931
www.cabq.gov/openspace/visitorcenter.htm
Open Space Alliance
P.O. Box 91265
Albuquerque, NM 87199
(505) 452-5200
www.openspacealliance.org

Pueblo Women Artists

On a hot, humid summer day in the upper Susquehanna River Valley, I discovered a passion. Always a hound for hand-thrown pottery, I went on a day trip to visit my favorite Pennsylvania craftsman, Bill Lynch of Penns Creek Pottery. After a sojourn with Bill and lemonade and cookies with his wife and family, I decided to continue on to Mifflinburg, a tiny town known mainly as the site of a buggy museum and a store selling Amish quilts.

Strolling down the quiet streets I came upon an old white Georgian home advertising antiques. It looked deserted but a jangle on the bell brought the stooped, grey-haired proprietor to the door.

“Wha’ cha’ lookin for,” he queried without much grace. “Old Indian stuff,” I replied. I’d visited the Southwest recently and admired the Pueblo pottery. “Well, I got some arrow heads,” he said. When I shook my head, he reached under the counter and brought up a pot. “Had this ugly black thing for 30 years, and I’d like to ride myself of it. You can have it for $25.” I almost fainted. He had a 1920 Santa Clara wedding vase. Of course, I paid the ridiculously low price, grabbed the vase, and ran out the door like a thief in the night.

Eventually I moved to New Mexico, the genesis of my treasured pot. Luckily Albuquerque and Santa Fe are rife with museums highlighting Native American art. Currently, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in collaboration with the Adobe Gallery of Santa Fe is presenting “Timeless Beauty: Pueblo Women Artists of the 20th Century.”

Represented artists include Maria Martinez of San Ildefonso; Lucy Lewis, Acoma; Pablita Velarde, Santa Clara; Helen Hardin, Santa Clara; Margaret Tafoya, Santa Clara; Helen Cordero, Cochiti; Tonita Pena, San Ildefonso/Cochiti; and Blue Corn, San Ildefonso.

Not all are potters. Paintings include Pabilta Velarde’s watercolor of Mimbres Turtles and Helen Hardin’s geometric abstracts like “Medicine Woman.” If you’re attracted to pottery, you won’t want to miss Blue Corn’s eggshell polychrome pot or Helen Cordero’s storytellers, which she described as coming “out of my heart. They’re singing. Can’t you hear them? I talk to them. They’re my little people. Not just pretty things I make for money.”

Leaving the exhibit room I walked over to a single display attributed only to an early Santa Clara potter. Before signing became the norm, potters did not dignify their work this way. The huge black storage pot had a true timeless quality and lent a baseline for the remarkable pottery which came after. Its rag and stone polished surface mirrored the finish of my old wedding vase, and I wondered once again at the skill, talent, and patience which created such timeless beauty.

Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, 2401 12th St. NW, Albuquerque 87104; (866) 855-7902. www.indianpueblo.org. Timeless Beauty runs through June 14.

Two Albuquerque Mysteries

Two Albuquerque businesses sitting side by side on Lomas have deceptive names. Monroe’s is a restaurant serving New Mexican food, and The Palms is a store selling Native American jewelry, Pueblo pots, and other assorted hand-crafted goods.

My first trip to Albuquerque in the 1980’s introduced me to Monroe’s. Asking around for good local food in a non-pretentious atmosphere, I was steered to the small restaurant. I have been returning ever since for its enchiladas, huevos rancheros, excellent green chile cheeseburgers, and sweet potato fries.

My curiosity was piqued on the history of the non-Hispanic name, and I discovered Monroe’s originally was owned by Monroe Sorensen, a Scandinavian who had a little chile parlor on the corner of Rio Grande and Mountain. When Sorensen retired, Miguel Diaz, a native of Puerto Rico, purchased the eatery in 1979 and moved it to a refurbished gas station on Lomas, retaining the name and customer base. A second Monroe’s is located on Osuna, and although the menu is the same, the decor is the more typical adobe style. You can’t go wrong eating at either location. For my dollar, Monroe’s fresh ingredients and consistency rate it among Albuquerque’s best little gems.

The Palms was a discovery made one day after lunch at Monroe’s. Somewhat off the beaten path for a trading company, the selection and prices make The Palms a must-stop for any visiting friends and family wanting to purchase Native American art.

Guy Berger, the owner, worked at the trading post during summer vacations as a young man, and now has over 20 years experience in the business. Berger says the unusual name came from the original owners, the Del Frate brothers, who opened a beer garden at the corner of Rio Grande and Central in 1941. Searching for a name, they glanced at a cut-out ad featuring a group of palm trees and decided The Palms would fit their purpose nicely.

The beer garden location, which thrived on weekends, needed cash flow during the week so a small food market was instituted using The Palms name. In 1967 the market moved to a larger location on Lomas and 15th NW. Popular among local residents and many Indians from Albuquerque’s surrounding pueblos, The Palms often accepted trade goods in lieu of payment for groceries.

In 1968 the market acquired so much jewelry that Angelo Del Frate decided to open the back room to collectors, and the Palms Trading Company was born. Currently, the 5,000 square foot showroom contains one of the most complete inventories of Pueblo pottery and Indian jewelry in the industry.

The entry room is chock-a-block full of silver from concha belts to bracelets, and the side room displays pots, storytellers, rain gods, kachinas, antique pottery and more. There’s a small selection of Navajo rugs. You won’t go wrong purchasing a piece from The Palms, and you might be treated to the sight of a potter from Acoma or Jemez auditioning their wares for Berger or one of his knowledgeable staff.

Monroe’s New Mexican Food, 1520 Lomas Blvd. NW, 87104; (505) 242-1111 or 6051 Osuna Road NE, 87109; (505) 881-4224. www.monroeschile.com

The Palms Trading Company, 1504 Lomas Blvd. NW, 87104. (505) 247-8504. www.palmstrading.com
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Tut Comes to the Burque

For a place once described by writer V.B. Price as “A City at the End of the World,” Albuquerque continues to amaze. Case in point is the current exhibit at The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History. “Temples and Tombs, Treasures of Egyptian Art from the British Museum” is currently enjoying a three-month run. How the American Federation of Arts and the Brits picked our humble town for such an honor is a happy mystery.

The exhibition covers four periods of pharaonic history from shortly before the Third Dynasty, about 2686 B.C., to the Roman occupation of the Fourth Century A.D. Sculpture, reliefs, papyri, jewelry, cosmetic objects, and funerary items in various media illustrate four themes: the king and the temple; objects from the lives of artists and nobles; statues of Egyptians from temples and tombs; and the tomb, death, and the afterlife.

From the magnificent life-size red granite lion which greets you when you enter the gallery to the carved quartzite head once gracing a twenty-five foot statue of Amenhotop III, the 85 exhibits run the gamut from intriguing to awe-inspiring. Sometimes it is the small pieces which create the greatest wonder. How did a wooden scribe’s palette survive the centuries with its paint samples still intact?

Temples and Tombs” will end its run February 10 and move on to Fresno, so hustle your bustle to the museum before it departs. If you should miss “Temples,” other good traveling exhibits are scheduled: Bill Brandt: a Retrospective, March 2-May 18; In Contemporary Rhythm, the Art of Ernest Blumenschein, June 8-September 7; and Jamestown, Quebec, and Santa Fe, Three American Beginnings, October 26-March 29, 2009.

In addition to the major transient exhibits, the permanent collection of works by contemporary and historical regional artists includes major paintings by the Taos Society of Artists. A gift shop carries a wide selection of quality merchandise and books, and a small cafe provides sustenance for starving art lovers. Outside visitors can stroll through the sculpture garden filled with over 50 works, some traditional some avant-garde. A favorite is the giant head which from a distance appears to be a near-sighted sculptor's version of a pig.

The Art Museum is a bargain any time of the year. Admission to the Temples exhibit is so reasonable and is included in the admission fee, $4 for adults with a $1 discount for New Mexico residents.

The Albuquerque Museum of Art & History, 19th and Mountain Road NW, Albuquerque 87104. Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (505) 243-7255. http://www.cabq.gov./museum. Lots of free parking!

One of Santa Fe's Greatest

With all the gorgeous hotel properties in Santa Fe, what makes La Fonda stand out as “the” place to stay? A recent visit made me consider its distinctive qualities.

La Fonda’s unusual character is found not just its history, of which there is ample evidence. There’s been an inn on the site since the city was founded in 1607. Two centuries later another incarnation served travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. The current building dates to 1922, and in 1925 it was acquired by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, which in turn leased it to Fred Harvey, the marketing genius behind the promotion of the West through his chain of Harvey House hotels and tours. Since 1968, the massive adobe monolith overlooking the Plaza has been locally owned and operated.

From the outside, La Fonda is not remarkable among its brown brethren except for its size. You might even walk by with small notice except for the cluster of shops which line its sides. Perhaps you have stopped for a croissant at the French Pastry Shop on the West San Francisco side or bought a Western style belt from Tom Taylor. If you haven’t shoved through the old wooden doors and entered the lobby, you’ve missed the heart of the city.

At first dim and cavernous, the lobby takes a minute to come together. Settees of wood and leather line the walls, and the dark tile floors gleam with polished patina. But as your eyes become accustomed to the soft light, you begin to pick out the thick wooden beams, latilla ceilings, carved corbels, handcrafted chandeliers, and tin and copper light fixtures. The lobby, hallways and meeting rooms are filled with paintings, carvings, historic photos. Art is everywhere. In particular, I admire the ten great figures by Ira Diamond ”Gerald” Cassidy, immortalizing outstanding figures of the great Southwest. The Matachine is a particular favorite, and I always spend a minute or two admiring the massive portrait.

At the heart of the hotel, the main dining room, La Plazuela is enclosed in an interior courtyard with soaring ceiling, ornately carved furniture by local artisans, folk art murals, and over 400 windows painted with birds, chiles, and flowers by resident artist Ernest J. Martinez, who started working at La Fonda in 1954.

Martinez’s work is one of the things which make La Fonda special. His paintings grace not only the public rooms but many of the guest rooms as well. My room on the second floor carried a kachina theme and bore examples of his work in the head board, nightstands, blanket chest, desk, dresser, and the glass panes of the door leading to the sitting area. After so many nights spent in cookie-cutter accommodations, my room at La Fonda was a visual joy, and I slept well watched over by my kachinas.

La Fonda on the Plaza, Santa Fe, (505) 982-5511

Santa Fe Budget Restaurants

Although Santa Fe is touted as “the city different,” perhaps it should be known as the city of restaurants. On a recent trip, I discovered two new watering holes which deserve mention for visitors.

A problem I’ve always encountered on visits is finding a good, reasonable place to eat on the Plaza. So many times walking down Lincoln Avenue, I’ve passed by The Plaza Café. Usually packed, I’d erroneously assumed it was just another tourist trap with bad food, depending for its existence on its great location.

Was I wrong! The truth is that The Plaza has a varied, reasonably-priced menu with something for everyone. In fact, it’s a good alternative for the visitor trying to avoid another dose of chile or whose tastes run to simple comfort food like meatloaf or a hot turkey sandwich. If someone in the party wants chile, they too will be satisfied with the complete menu section of Southwestern cuisine: enchiladas, tostadas, and chile rellenos. A surprise is a selection of Greek dishes such as moussaka, gyros, and kebabs. After all, what would you expect from the owners, the Raztos family, which has run the restaurant for 61 years?

Another Plaza plus is the hours. They are open from 7:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M., seven days a week. This was handy for me because when I’m working, I usually discover I’ve missed lunch by 4:00 P.M. Both my visits were mid-afternoon.

On the first visit, I ordered the batter fried cod with garlic mashed potatoes and a small Greek salad accompanied by pita bread. The cod (my favorite fish) was immaculately fresh and the coating crisp and not at all greasy. Sides were well done, and the pita was the best I’ve ever tasted. Owner Dan Razatos has it imported, and it’s soft and chewy. Except for the pita, all baked goods are done on premises including their award-winning cakes and pies. I sampled their carrot cake and found it praise-worthy.

My second lunch/dinner was a gyro, a lovely combination of beef and lamb wrapped in one of those delicious pitas and sauced with the cucumber/garlic/yoghurt sauce known as tzatziki. It was so huge that it defied hand-held attempts at consumption. A spicy tortilla soup accompanied it. What a blend of cultures.

A second Santa Fe restaurant discovery was The Pantry, on Cerillos Road. Definitely a favorite for locals, it was packed to the rafters when I stopped for a light lunch on my way south to Albuquerque. The light lunch went by the wayside when I saw the menu with another favorite, grilled liver and onions. The meat was perfectly done, not overcooked. So often liver ends up as shoe leather. The presentation was massive with mashed potatoes and an ocean of grilled vegetables.

With a varied menu and reasonable prices, The Pantry is open for breakfast and lunch. Breakfasts run the gamut from cinnamon French toast to breakfast burritos. A nice touch is the ability to order according to your appetite. You may request one or three pancakes, and for $1.35 they’ll toss in some buckwheat to make heartier flapjacks. Lunches include sandwiches, burgers, soups, salads, Southwest plates, comfort food like pork chops, and a local delicacy, the Frito Pie, a heap of corn chips covered with beans and meat, and buried under melted cheese with red or green chile. Try to visit the Pantry on slightly off hours or be prepared to wait in line for a table or a place at the counter.

Although Santa Fe’s great restaurants like The Compound and Geronimo’s definitely deserve a visit, they are reserved for special occasions for most of us with modest budgets. It’s good to know that you can find a decent meal, properly prepared without taking out a second mortgage. On your next visit, be a bit adventurous and eat where the locals go.

The Plaza Cafe, Lincoln Avenue, Santa Fe, (505) 982-1664
The Pantry, 1820 Cerillos Road, Santa Fe, (505) 986-0022