We have done much sightseeing in the countryside around Santa Fe in the last week. I prefer to wander into places we have not seen before but Peggy had the choice today and we went to Old Town Santa Fe so she could go shopping. I am a poor shopper unless in a hardware store but Peggy is a journeyperson shopper.
We found a cheap parking place behind the Cathedral and moseyed over to Palace Avenue near the square. There are lots of Native American jewelry, upscale clothing and home decoration type stores here and Peggy managed to amble in to most of them. Fortunately for me, downtown Santa Fe stores have an abundance of both outdoor and indoor seating opportunities, saving me the misery of prolonged standing and looking bored.
Peggy picked up some nice gift items and a hat that looks great on her. I enjoyed my chance to check out all the nifty architecture in the area although I did note the buildings are universally out-of-plumb, not level nor square and lots of them have doors that are suitably sized for Hobbits, single file. Also, it must be springtime in Santa Fe because lots of flowers are popping up in all the planters and little weed patches and even in cracks in the sidewalks near the plaza. Most of the big hardwood trees downtown are also flowering, making the place kind of magical. The birds certainly find it comfortable because there are a lot of them around. Folks do their shopping here with their dogs and I find that delightful. It is nice in Old Town.
After less than $100, we departed and rewarded ourselves for our successful shopping mission by going to a place called either Posa’s or El Merendero Tamale Factory and Restaurant on Rodeo Road. We had an assortment of enchiladas and tamales with rice and beans and very hot tortillas including drinks for less than $30. The food was terrific. We even had enough tortillas to haul some home.
I snapped a few pix downtown. If you want to see some of them, click here