Old Town is the heart of Albuquerque's heritage. The first Spanish families settled near the banks of the Rio Grande in 1706.
Much of the architecture of Old Town is Pueblo-Spanish, or adobe. Adobe buildings are constructed of adobe bricks (which are mostly composed of mud and straw) that are sunbaked, mortared with mud and protected with a layer of mud or cement. They are traditionally flat roofed, with curved edges, often supported with vigas (wooden beams supporting the roof) visible in the ceiling or protruding through walls. With the arrival of the railroad in 1880, many new building components became available. You will find several different styles of architecture, including Victorian and Contemporary.
Thousands of visitors and residents alike come to Old Town on Christmas Eve & during the Holiday Stroll (first Friday in December) to see the spectacular display of luminarias. Candles are set in a bed of sand inside the bottom of a paper bag. When lit they create a golden glow. Luminarias are set out to light the way for the Christ Child, and thousands of luminarias line the Church, Plaza, streets and walkways of Old Town.
Downtown Albuquerque is the largest business center in New Mexico. Most of the City of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County Government offices are in Downtown Albuquerque, as well as the Albuquerque Convention Center complex and many large local and national companies which have their headquarters downtown. Downtown Albuquerque also has a vibrant entertainment district and is home to many diverse live music venues and clubs. The Nob Hill / Highland district, by the University of New Mexico is a hip and progressive community with a great shopping district with many local business, shops, antique stores, and some of the best restaurants in Albuquerque. Just what you would expect by a College with 26,000 students. I think of this part of town as the "Heart & Soul of Albuquerque".
In the Downtown/UNM area of Albuquerque you will find some really great facilities and points of interest. There are so many in this part of town it's difficult to cover them all.
Old Town Albuquerque, the historic center of Albuquerque, is always fun to visit. With the Gazebo on the Central Plaza, restaurants and shops, Native Americans selling under the Portals facing the plaza, I feel like I have stepped into another time. The Old Town area also hosts some of the best Museums in New Mexico. Museums including... the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and LodeStar Astronomy Center, the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History, Explora! Science Center (for kids young and old), the National Atomic Museum, and the American International Rattlesnake Museum (my husband took the kids without me...).
The Albuquerque Biological Park consists of four separate facilities that make up what is considered an environmental museum. The Rio Grande Zoo, Albuquerque Aquarium, Botanical Gardens, and Tingley Beach. The BioPark has a ¾ scale Narrow Gauge Train that connects these facilities. The City of Albuquerque has done a great job putting this together. It's good to see Albuquerque Real Estate being used for such great community facilities and in such a beautiful setting.
O.K., what else... there is the Historic KiMo Theatre in Downtown Albuquerque. Popejoy Hall on the UNM campus (The New Mexico Symphony Orchestra plays here and most of the traveling Broadway shows that come through Albuquerque play here). Historic Route 66 passes through the Downtown / UNM area (yes, you can still get your kicks). Albuquerque Country Club, where I learned to golf when I was about 30 and have my "almost" a hole in one story. Speaking of Golf... The University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course is one of the finest facilities of its kind nationwide and is no stranger to major tournaments.
The University of New Mexico is New Mexico's largest state college. UNM occupies 600 acres of Albuquerque Real Estate. Several UNM programs rank as some of the best in the country. Highlights are the School of Medicine, Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, and the Music and Dance programs. Since Albuquerque is lacking a major national sports team, UNM Athletics (The Lobos) are a great help in fulfilling Albuquerque's sports fix. We do have the Isotopes Minor league baseball team, and the Isotopes Park is great and the prices to go to a game are still within reach of the average family. Also in this area in the Central New Mexico Community College which has excellent facilities and programs.
There's quite a bit of redevelopment going on in the Downtown and UNM areas . You'll find the housing range from inexpensive student rentals, small older homes, refurbished homes, family neighborhoods, new infill loft/condo projects, and Estate type properties on city lots. It's easier to get around using public transportation in these parts of town and there is also a Railrunner Station in Downtown. Central Avenue (Route 66 & Business I-40) runs East/West so it's a fairly well traveled road. You'll also find lots of innovative restaurants, coffee shops, and independent retail stores....meaning fun, funky and diverse. The University of New Mexico provides a hub of activity for the community as they host many events and have beautiful grounds. A few of note: Concerts, UNM Athletic Events, UNM Music Prep Program for kids, Duck Pond on campus, New Mexico Symphony Orchestra which plays often in Popejoy Hall, all of the types of things you would expect to be available in and around a major University can be found here.
I used to live in the Albuquerque Country Club (ACC) neighborhood with the canopy of tree lined streets and older large nice homes where the founding leaders of Albuquerque live and lived. This area is desirable and conveniently located to all of these great facilities plus close to I-40 & I-25 so still fairly quick to get places from here. One of my favorites places is this area is Duran's Central Pharmacy - an Albuquerque Country Club neighborhood institution where the pharmacy makes home deliveries to area residents; and in the back of the drug store there is lunch counter where the Chile is so good I go out of my way to go there.
MY ALBUQUERQUE LINKS... http://del.icio.us/tracyventuri
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