New Mexico is a complex place. The foliage is harsh and dry, the skies are wide with iconic clouds and mountains refuse to line up like our Colorado mountains that stand at attention along the Front Range. There are no skyscrapers in Santa Fe, only old buildings, churches and rock formations that don't put a strain on your cardio system getting from one level to another.
People are friendly, the homeless population is highly visible and there aren't a lot of young people. Despite mild days, there aren't a lot of motorcycles on the road as there are here. Colorado's die-hard bikers would ride in the snow if tire companies made tire chains for motorcycles. Pedal bikes, runners, scooters and dog walkers are all curiously absent. Where is everyone?
One place I did find huge crowds: Whole Foods. However, Denver's Whole Foods is a "mom and pop" organization compared to the sheer size of Santa Fe's healthy alternative. Wholesome acres.
Department stores tightly pack their merchandise, but there aren't many shoppers. Sales associates are laid back and friendly, but shelves filled with Levi's denim jeans aren't in order according to size.
I saw only one of those hard-boiled, straight haired blondes, the ones who wear a size 2 on her bloated days, drives a monster SUV with 2.5 kids in the back and a non-fat latte from Starbuck's in one of the 7 cup-holders that sits next to her as she aggressively drives while practicing her religion of consumerism. All the while she's trying to find meaning in life through credit cards and scrap-booking and thinks texting is for intellectual fatties. I think Highlands Ranch is their mecca, and she'll probably try to work her way north eventually.
Santa Fe television stations have fewer commercials than Denver stations. There are fewer radio stations, but there are more choices for Spanish speaking listeners. Only one station is playing endless Christmas music. Maybe they were playing it on the Spanish stations, but I missed it.
Santa Fe has, to its credit, Baskin Robbins ice cream parlors. Apple Pie ice cream seemed to be the favorite. The El Rey is a nice hotel to stay at, filled with southwestern charm, but behind the pictures on the wall, someone has put a stencil that says, "Stolen Picture." The laundry room stays open till 10 pm. There's pop in the vending machine, but no water. Room 19 has a ghost.
Santa Fe from the outside looks pretty damn boring. It's a city you have to see by looking past it and into the lives of the people who live there. Every type of person from wise to weird lives near the surface in Santa Fe.
Oh yah, there's lots of cactus.
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