Quick Facts:

• Distance traveled: 235 miles
• Hotel: Garrett’s Desert Inn, which has a hotel shaped like a chile pepper
• Number of Torrential Downpours: Two
• Dinner: Ore House, featuring Southwestern fare
• Souvenirs purchased: Two pretty bowls and a beaded barrette

Santa Fe was not at all how I imagined it would be. I don’t know what I was expecting–I think something like Sebastopol, only with more colors–but it looked different than I thought. Established in 1515 by Catholic Missionaries, it’s full of old churches and clay-colored adobes. It also has a charming downtown square with shops and art galleries.


Adobe


Santa Fe is an artist community and art is everywhere you look. For example, these trees had to come down, so someone carved statues in the trunks.

One of the reasons I wanted to come to Santa Fe was to see the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. We had some trouble finding the place and ended up walking down the wrong street. Then, suddenly, it was pouring rain. I was shocked–I had no idea it was about to rain. We fled and stood under the awning in a construction site. The rain passed quickly, but my shirt had turned see-through from the water.

So there I was in downtown Santa Fe, walking along in my see-through blouse, holding a water bottle up in front of me so people couldn’t see my bra. Luckily, the sun had somehow re-appeared (??) so by the time we finally got to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, my shirt had mostly dried. However, the woman inside the museum told us they had shut down the exhibit to re-arrange things and we couldn’t go in. I almost started crying.


Photo of Georgia O’Keeffe painting in the desert

I comforted myself by buying some serving dishes in the gift shop and then going to the Museum of Fine Art, which had several O’Keefe paintings. Afterwards we walked around and looked at many other galleries.

For dinner, we were sitting on the balcony of the Ore House people watching, when suddenly, like a crowd of Hell’s Angels roaring into town, another thunderhead blew over the town and it began to pour again. We retreated inside for dinner.

Things I learned from Santa Fe:

• There are many pretty flowers in the desert
• Rain is completely unpredictable here
• Southwestern-style clothes/art/jewelry looks tacky and strange outside of the Southwest, but makes perfect sense within the context of Santa Fe
• I dislike most Southwestern things, except for the very expensive stuff
• TV studios change commercials based on the area you’re in. Examples:

Pregnancy test ad:
California: The most high-tech instrument you will ever pee on.

New Mexico: The most high-tech instrument you will ever … um… you know…


Government abstinence ad:
California: Tell your child to wait to have sex

New Mexico: Tell your child to wait until marriage to have sex.




Tomorrow: Roswell … and beyond!