When we started talking about where to go on vacation this summer, I suggested Santa Fe. At about the same time, advertisements started running for nonstop service from Sacramento to Albuquerque on a new regional carrier called ExpressJet. Some good rates on round trip flights and a little research by Sharon cemented the decision.
We caught a morning flight on ExpressJet from Sacramento to Albuquerque. Our luggage beat us to the baggage claim. We picked up a rental car and drove the 65 miles to Santa Fe. It was a very easy and quick trip. Even losing an hour due to the time change, we were at the hotel before 3:00 p.m.
We are spending the first few days at Bishop's Lodge. It is located in the hills just outside of Santa Fe. After checking in, we wandered around the property checking out the historic chapel, the restaurant, the stables, the pool and the spa. We headed back to the pool and spent a couple of hours swimming and hanging out. Jack and I played some ping pong.
Sharon and I had an interesting conversation with the bartender at the pool. Orginally, the Bishop's Lodge was family owned. It was bought by a corporation in 1998. The bartender was lamenting the changes, particularly the decline in the quality of the service. Unfortunately, our experience at the frontdesk when we checked in mirrored some of these observations.
We had a late dinner reservation downtown. We headed to the area around the Plaza and wandered around to get our bearings. As we were driving into town it started to pour. It appears that every afternoon there are thunderstorms for an hour or two. Sharon started to do some jewelry shopping; she has an idea for some things that she wants to try and find.
We finished the night having dinner at the Shed. The Shed serves northern New Mexican cuisine which mixes Pueblo, Spanish and Mexican influences. Parts of the building date from the late 1600's. The food was hot from the liberal use of chile peppers.
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