Travel Tuesday: Week 16

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Travel Tuesday! This week's topic: What places in or near your town have you been meaning to see but haven't? Do you have a "local" bucket list? As always, you are free to write about anything travel-related; don't feel obligated to answer my prompt. And, of course, don't forget to link up below!

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This week's Travel Tuesday topic was inspired by the Santa Fe bucket list I made last week. One week from today is the last day of my internship (eek!), so one week from tomorrow I'll be headed out of Santa Fe for good with all my worldly possessions in my little Ford Fusion. However, there are still quite a few local spots I have been meaning to hit, so I wrote the list as a way to kick my butt into gear and get around the town. I've made a small dent in the list since posting it last Monday, but there are still quite a few more things I need to fit in.

First, the items I've checked off in the past week:

1. Visit Bandelier National Monument or Pecos National Historical Park: I took advantage of the free national park admission for Get Outdoors Day on Saturday, June 9, to visit Pecos National Historical Park. I decided on this park over Bandelier because apparently most of the hiking trails in Bandelier are still closed due to the wildfires last summer, and Pecos was slightly closer to Santa Fe. The best part of my trip was when I walked into the Visitor's Center and asked the ranger where I could hike the Civil War Trail. He got so excited and told me no one has ever asked him about the Civil War Trail before; apparently most people just hike the shorter trail outside the Visitor's Center to see the pueblo ruins. I'll do a separate post on the park later this week to share more details and pictures with y'all.
2. Visit the Canyon Road art galleries: Summer Fridays started last week, which means we can leave after noon if our work is done. Yay! After grabbing lunch with a co-worker last Friday, I rode my bike out to Canyon Road to check out the art galleries and buy some cards for upcoming birthdays/holidays. Some of the galleries had some pretty neat stuff, like these windmill contraptions, but I wasn't looking to buy anything.
3. Eat at Del Charro: I did my research on Del Charro's $5 daily specials and decided Tuesday's was the best: blue corn chicken enchiladas. Several co-workers and I walked over to the restaurant at the Plaza after work last Tuesday to enjoy this fine deal. Also, when you order a margarita, they bring you the entire shaker. Can you say, "Bad news bears"?

While I did enjoy the above activities, I don't think I've been moving through my list quite fast enough. Here are the items I still need to complete:

1. Eat at Aztec Cafe.
2. Visit the Georgia O'Keefe Museum (only if I can get in for free as a New Mexico resident).
3. Eat at The Shed. (I've eaten at its sister restaurant, La Choza, and it's my favorite New Mexican joint in town. The Shed is more popular because it's on the Plaza, so we'll see how it stacks up.)
4. Get breakfast at The Pantry.
5. Order guacamole at Gabriel's. (Apparently it's the best, and they make it fresh right in front of you.)
6. Visit the Farmer's Market.
7. Get a burrito at El Tesoro.
8. Grab a slice at Backroad Pizza.
9. Eat at Tune-Up Cafe.
10. Get coffee at the Travel Bug. (I've been here before to look at the maps but have never ordered anything from the cafe.)
11. Eat at Jambo Cafe.

So, do you think I can do it? I can't wait to see your local bucket lists!

P.S. — Travel Tuesday will be taking a little break beginning next week as I move out of Santa Fe, attend a conference for my new job in Atlanta, soak up the Fourth of July holiday in Pennsylvania and then proceed to make four more cross-country trips within a month. I hope to bring it back after I get settled into my new job, but we'll see how my schedule looks! Thanks to everyone who has participated, and I still guarantee I'll be sharing my travels on my blog, just not in a themed link-up each week. Toodles!

Travel Tuesday: Week 15

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Travel Tuesday! This week's topic: Share an old trip. This can be anything: A domestic or international trip. A long or short trip. A trip you took last year or a trip you took when you were 9. You can share pictures, tell us a story or two, or do both. As always, you are free to write about anything travel-related; don't feel obligated to answer my prompt. And, of course, don't forget to link up below!

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I'll admit it: I created this prompt to force myself to blog about something I've been putting off for months: The Outside staff retreat to Colorado in March. Believe it or not, this was my first trip to Colorado! (Not counting layovers in Denver and drives through the state on road trips, which I don't count.) Apparently, ski weekends are a yearly perk for Outside staffers sponsored by Vail Resorts. No complaints here! I have a special focus for this post, however: The food. Oh my goodness sweet heaven in my mouth. But seriously. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the food, but I can (and will!) tell you all about it.

Santa Fe bucket list.

It's hard to believe, but two weeks from tomorrow is my last day at Outside before I head home to transition for my year as an LC. Wow. Time sure flies. I've slowly been checking things off my "Santa Fe bucket list" over the past few weekends, but I still have quite a few locations to hit (mostly restaurants). Maybe sharing this list publicly will help keep me accountable and encourage me to get out on the town. Here are some things I've recently completed (with links to my Instagram photos or blog posts when applicable):

1. Visit every Santa Fe Public Library branch.
2. Eat at Cafe Vingt Cinq.
3. Get a fajita from a food truck on the Plaza.
4. Eat gelato from Ecco.
5. Visit the New Mexico National History Museum/Palace of Governors. (Both are free on Friday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m., along with the art museum!)
6. Eat at Blake's Lotaburger (a New Mexico-only fast food joint).
7. Get a crepe at The French Pastry Shop.  
8. Drink coffee from Holy Spirit Espresso. (It claims to have the "best coffee in Santa Fe." It doesn't.)
9. Celebrate Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.

The Cathedral Basilica, Photo by LeRoy N. Sanchez

And here are the remaining items I hope to squeeze into the next two weeks:

Good Eatin' at Standard Diner.

Photo via Standard Diner

Standard Diner "updates traditional diner classics with modern flair" and has been featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. I went there with my dad two weekends ago on the recommendation of a family friend who has lived in Santa Fe for several years. After the lovely night we had, I highly recommend it if you're ever passing through Albuquerque!