A couple of months ago, I posted a poll on both Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) asking where I should go for my next day trip. It was a tight race between Chicago and Albuquerque and the latter won by a single vote!
In Summer 2023, I took a day trip to Denver to complete some flight requirements to achieve a special Southwest Airlines A-list Preferred perk being offered through my job. Once I sign up for the program, I have 90 days to complete 6 total flights either as 3 round-trip flights or 6 one-way flights. For me, this meant taking another day trip! I mentioned taking a day trip to either Albuquerque or Philadelphia in my 2024 Travel Preview at the beginning of the year. However, I've since identified a longer list of locations I would like to consider taking day trips to in the future and opted to let my followers vote on social media. It seems the people really like Albuquerque! I think it's because people kept thinking of High School Musical which was set in Albuquerque even though movies were filmed in Utah.
So, here's a recap of my day trip to Albuquerque:
Flights
Southwest did not have a direct flight early in the morning to Albuquerque, so I had to fly to Dallas and then to Albuquerque after an hour layover. However, my return flight did allow for a direct flight to Austin. The only downside to the return flight was that it was a bit earlier in the day than I had hoped for. That limited my time for activities in Albuquerque and I had just a few hours to see and do as much as I could.
The lack of direct flight options all made sense once I arrived at the airport in Albuquerque. Locally known as "The Sunport", the Albuquerque International Sunport is a very small airport. What the airport lacks in size it quickly makes up for in quality. This is one of the nicest airports I have EVER stepped foot in! It was clean, reflective of the location, highlighted local food, had extremely short security lines (I was the only person in the TSA Pre-Check line for my return flight and there were maybe 3 people in the regular line), and every gate had waiting areas that looked like lounges for club members. I'd fly back to Albuquerque just to spend more time in what I'm claiming to be the most comfortable, quiet airport in the United States!
Activities
The timing of my trip worked out nicely to experience cultural events in Albuquerque. I took this day trip on Saturday, November 2. Albuquerque had a week-long celebration of El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) wrapping up that weekend and November is Native American Heritage Month with Friday, November 29 being Native American Heritage Day.
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
After eating breakfast at Indian Pueblo Kitchen, I purchased a $12 adult admission and $1 museum guide for the museum at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. I was given a purple admission sticker to wear so security knew I was permitted to be there for the day and I was told as I completed my purchase that dance performances would be starting in approximately an hour. I didn't know that there would be dances (turns out they do this every weekend -- as you can see I did limited research on what I was doing before arriving in Albuquerque), so I stayed at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center a little longer than anticipated.
I spent the hour before the dances, performed the Cellicion Zuni Dancers, going through the museum. I learned about Pueblo history and culture, the impacts of colonization (which continue to this day), and Pueblo resiliency. The Pueblo people, like other native and indigenous communities, are fighting to retain their food, language, dances, and everything else about their cultures and have been doing so since colonizers first arrived. They have spent centuries fighting to maintain their identity and rights while trying to protect and preserve the land that they have a very deep respect for. Their fight continues, and every additional advocate -- even one as small as my blog -- can help raise awareness and over time continue to build a network of support to amplify the voices of native and indigenous people and get those in positions of power to do what is just.
Visitors in attendance for the dances at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center were permitted to and encouraged to take videos and pictures for personal use. I mostly wanted to take in the performance directly with my eyes rather than watching through my phone. I recorded a few short clips from their performance that I will post on Instagram.
Old Town Albuquerque
I caught a Lyft to Old Town Albuquerque to take in the scenery and walk around to check out local shops along with Día de los Muertos festivities. There was so much happening in this smaller location. Some streets were closed off, people were everywhere, and there were so many cars trying to navigate their way around the plaza. Car culture is apparently a thing in Albuquerque because people had the types of fixed up old cars you would see in car shows out for the day. People were enjoying lunch on restaurant patios and kids were receiving balloon animals and having their faces painted. Papel picado lined the streets and alleyways, and some corners still had Halloween decorations up while the large gazebo in the center of Old Town Albuquerque had a community ofrenda. The surrounding lawn had ofrendas from individual families honoring their loved ones. I was only there for about 1.5 hours, but easily could've spent the rest of the day in Old Town Albuquerque with all that was going on.
Food
Note to self: Research the portions of food being served at the restaurant you plan to eat at when traveling.
I went to Indian Pueblo Kitchen for breakfast once I arrived in Albuquerque. This is a restaurant located inside the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and their popular menu item is the Native Superfoods Waffles or Griddle Cakes. If you were to ask me where I side in the great pancakes vs. waffles debate, I will quickly tell you pancakes. So, I ordered the Native Superfood Griddle Cakes with a side of bacon and a glass of apple juice. I imagine a blatant look of surprise fell across my face as a platter was placed in front of me with 3 griddle cakes the size of my face! The griddle cakes had a slight blue hue, were topped with fruit, included a few seeds for added texture, and were cooked to perfection.
They also contained less sugar than regular pancakes. I don't like syrup on pancakes because it usually makes them too sweet, but the syrup served with these griddle cakes provided just the right amount of sweetness to the meal. The bacon offered a savory and salty break between bites. I ate as much as I could, but I'm only one person and simply could not finish the entire platter. It was so much food that it was the only thing I ate the entire day until later in the evening after I returned to Texas. Those griddle cakes were one of the best things I've ever eaten for breakfast!
Wrap-Up
My two biggest takeaways from this day trip are:
The people in Albuquerque are super nice and incredibly hospitable. They are generally laid back, very welcoming, and value community.
I needed way more time in Albuquerque! There was so much I discovered I wanted to do there and across the rest of New Mexico after I landed.
That being said, organizing a trip this short at this distance would not have been possible without the really well-designed Visit Albuquerque tourism website. They offer guides to the city based on themes which allowed me to quickly identify the types of activities I would be interested in experiencing as I planned my itinerary. I chose to follow an abridged version of the culture-rich getaway itinerary and it was perfect for this short day trip to Albuquerque. I'll need to return to New Mexico to ride the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway and visit the state's wine country near Taos and Santa Fe. Looks like I found some future content for Kimi's Travel Thoughts!
Feel free to leave comments below or leave a post/message on Facebook and share your memories if you've visited Albuquerque before!
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