travel
Santa Fe offers so much for a visitor that it's easy to lose sight of the original marvels of this unique place in the U.S. Two special aspects of Santa Fe are the absolutely glorious
landscape which you only get a taste of on your way north from the Albuquerque airport. When you head further north beyond Santa Fe itself you get a fine view of the distant purplish mountains and mesas. This is Georgia O'Keeffe territory and it's easy to see why she was so mesmerized with this land. There are plenty of nooks and crannies all around and one could explore endlessly.
The second is the merging of three highly different cultures: Native American, Hispanic, originally descended from the Spanish and of course "Anglos". Each has its' own traditions. Happily, Native Americans have enjoyed a resurgence of pride in recent years. This was very evident to me in the last week as I visited the annual Indian Market, a two-day summer fair of crafts from tribes and pueblos both near and far.
Tourism has definitely made an impact on this town which is why it's 
important to me to search out the real stuff...the owners of a silver repair and leather shop for example who are "Western Stunt Entertainers" on the side, marvelous hikes, strenuous bike rides, fine fishing and so much more.
My good friend Lynne Moor, in upper photo, is a former Chicagoan who has lived in Santa Fe for many years now. She introduced me to a swell new restaurant with nary a tourist in sight, Mariscos La Playa, a casual fresh seafood place at 537 W. Cordova, 505.982.2790 just across from Trader Joes's that tourists haven't yet found. We went early for lunch (12 noon) to be sure of a place. The staff couldn't be more welcoming. I had one of the three different ceviche (raw seafood, in this case barely cooked) combos two days in a row since I had to let my husband in on this find. The place is brightly painted with hand-carved chairs and booths.
Shrimp and fish tacos are reputedly excellent and there are a variety of other choices.
I highly recommend Cafe Pasqual's at 121 Don Gaspar. For dinner (the only time they take reservations) the sophisticated chefs and the chef-owner Katharine Kagel always prepare something you've never tried before. They have a new cookbook out for sale at the desk with recipes you can sample right there. There's a line and a list for breakfast and lunch but we happened to park nearby on our way elsewhere, left our name for 1PM and were seated right away.
The Rooftop Cantina at Mark Miller's Coyote Cafe at 132 W. Water, 505.983.1615 is a hip place to have a delicious casual meal outdoors as the sun sets. (I had duck quesadillas) The Cafe itself is renowned and more serious but I haven't tried it lately.
We love it in August, despite the crowds because you can attend performances at both the esteemed Santa Fe Opera, fantastically sited in the mountains just north of town and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival which took place between July 16- August 21. The closing concert of the latter featured two well known musicians, Pinchas Zukerman, violinist and Yefim Bronfman, pianist. Open rehearsals are a special feature so we could listen as the players perfected their upcoming offerings for the next evening's all Mozart concert.
Be sure to put all this in your travel folder for next summer especially if you're a classical music aficionado.
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