Santa Fe, New Mexico: entry

January 5, 2005
The skies began to clear as we approached Santa Fe. We took in an amazing view of the high desert. It was nice to leave the dreary weather behind us in Texas.

As we made our way into Santa Fe a little ahead of schedule, our cousin, Nicole, was still off at work. Fortunately, we were greeted by her friendly dog, Marley. Marley and Sato instantly became buddies and we knew right then that this was Sato’s favorite spot thus far.

For our first night in town, Nicole introduced us to an authentic New Mexican restaurant, La Choza. Our food was flavored with traditional red and green hot chile sauce that we washed down with the local Santa Fe Pale Ale. After catching up over dinner, we headed downtown to “The Lantern,” a frequent hangout of Billy the Kid. Live Jazz music was played as we got to know some of Nicole friends. Here we also caught a glimpse of traditional Flamingo dancing, right around the time the “tequila talk” set in. After a couple of shots of tequila, Joey entertained us all with his “sharp” insights and knowledge.

January 6, 2005
We took our time getting up today and made sure to keep ourselves hydrated in our new altitude of 7,500 feet. Once we all finally got going, we hit Guadalupe for brunch. In Santa Fe it doesn’t matter if it is breakfast, lunch or dinner, it is always customary to compliment your meal with red and/or green chile sauce. So we did!

Another interesting fact about Santa Fe is that all the buildings, residential or commercial, are required to reflect an Adobe architecture that the Pueblo tribe has used for centuries. So whether it is Burger King, Target, or a residential neighborhood… it’s all Adobe.

Later on that afternoon, Nicole and Marley thought that Sato might enjoy their local dog park. At first glance, Sato was excited to see a wide open area to run & play. However, he wasn’t expecting to encounter the several local dogs that frequent the park. With his tail between his legs, the locals barked him out of the park. And our suspicions were confirmed once again that Sato is the biggest chicken of all the Satos.

As dinner time rolled around, we headed to La Tomasita for some more New Mexican cuisine. We were accompanied by Heather, another one of Nicole’s friends, who faintly reminded us of Nate-dog from back home. She provided laughter and entertainment for the night. We wrapped up the evening with some games of pool.

Thank you Nicole & Marley for a great time in Santa Fe!!! We will definitely look you both up again.