Albuquerque in 2006!!

FallenFairy · 02-03-2006, 10:07 AM

In the vey near future (read June 2006) I will be moving to Albuquerque, NM.
Any Cellarites live there? Any visited there?? Any one flown over and seen anything worth mentioning? It's going to be quite different for me... I have never been in the Southwest. Any info would be appreciated~

Happy Monkey · 02-03-2006, 12:42 PM

Tent Rocks is worth seeing. It's closer to Santa Fe than Albuqerque, though.

I've only visited the Southwest a few times, but it was always fun.

xoxoxoBruce · 02-03-2006, 02:06 PM

!!

Tonchi · 02-03-2006, 04:04 PM

I moved to Albuquerque shortly after I got out of college and it was the happiest time of my life. IBM transferred me there at my request because they needed to cut back in Washington DC, and when I drove over the Tijeras pass in late March and saw all that brown stretched out in front of me it was such a culture shock that I almost wanted to turn back. Within a few months, I never wanted to live anywhere else. The area is desolate by Eastern or Pacific standards, but the sere beauty really grows on you. It's dry, but you will learn to love it because you don't feel as uncomfortable when it's hot. The wind blows a lot during some times of the year, it takes getting used to. Several mountain ranges outside the city are a spectacular view, and a ski resort is only a tram ride away from tennis courts in the valley, so you can sunbathe and ski in the same day. There are thousands of totally unique places to visit within a day's drive, and the roads range from first-class to non-existent so it depends on your sense of adventure how far you will go. Myself, I went everywhere and saw as much as possible, but of course I love Indians and archaeology and horses. Prices are very reasonable, but unfortunately wages are pegged proportionally lower. In fact, the only criticism I would have of Albuquerque and New Mexico in general is that the low average income with the resulting low tax ingress has led to dangerously poor prison facilities and other social services and I doubt they will fix that anytime soon although bringing in large employers like Intel will help. I love the Southwest/modern architecture. Big variety of housing and lots of huge apartment complexes with great ammenities. Excellent restaurants, and two black families who used to compete for the best barbeque in the state. The University of New Mexico is attractive and reputable (in my field anyway, which wasn't Computer Science) and has an excellent basketball team (which may be on suspension right now, however, but isn't everybody?) The bar scene is fantastic and there is plenty of singles social life. There actually is an intelligencia, you will have to dig but it is there, and the folks in the sciences (my boyfriend worked for E.G.& G.) are everywhere to stimulate conversation. All in all, I wish I had never left. I think you will love it there, unless you are transferring from Seattle. Those people never seem to adapt.

BigV · 02-03-2006, 04:07 PM

Cause everywhere else is trading down.

FallenFairy · 02-06-2006, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tonchi

I moved to Albuquerque shortly after I got out of college and it was the happiest time of my life. IBM transferred me there at my request because they needed to cut back in Washington DC.

And that says it all - I work in DC right now - and am transferring to a job at Intel in Albuquerque! LOL - what a small world.
I am really loooking forward to it - but I know it will be a challenge at the start. I was in the Pacific NW for so long that Virginia seemed like a forgien land for the first year... (Big V can relate? - nothing beats the Puget Sound).

Thanks for the great pics everyone and the wonderful info Tonchi!

Tonchi · 02-06-2006, 03:36 PM

Just one more thing that I forgot: you might want to avoid flying into Albuquerque for a while except in the very early morning. It is, bar none, the most terrifying landing you will ever make this side of a hurricane. Approaching from the west, you will hit spine-snapping turbulence from about 100 miles out until you land, and the airport approach from the east will treat you to the "Continental Turn", introduced by pilots of said Airline in the late '60s. The plane makes a long turn passing the airport, flies directly at the Sandia Mountains, pivots laterally on one wing just before hitting them, and drops like a stone to the runway. And if you must fly, never schedule your arrival at night during the summer. The monsoon thunderstorms begin promptly on the 4th of July and you really don't want to experience one of them from inside a plane

FallenFairy · 02-07-2006, 05:47 AM

Sheesh Tonchi - I figure if I start walking now I can get there with out ever having to be airborne.

I am looking forward to living there - I have heard such wonderful things about it.

Tonchi · 02-07-2006, 03:27 PM

I will treat you to a bottle of champaign for your first trip up the Sandia Tramway to the observation deck on the top

ferret88 · 02-07-2006, 03:52 PM

I too live in ABQ. Born and raised. (Or maybe bored and raised.)
I have to disagree with Tonchi on the flying. I shuttled from here to Columbus OH for 8 weeks last spring and the worst flying was actually in Denver. No problems here except one pilot started his decent to late and had to pull up and we cycled around for what seemed like EVER.

FallenFairy · 02-08-2006, 05:23 AM

Tonchi - I will take you up on that champagne! I am due to move the last week of June.

Ferret - bored? really?? Seems like so very much to do there! I plan on spending the months of July & August tooling around the area and seeing the sights - then back to the grind come September.

Tonchi · 02-08-2006, 06:00 AM

Ferret, the time of day makes all the difference, but of course EVERY single flight into ABQ is not a near disaster or I would have been taking the bus to California all those years. I'll also vote for Denver too, because on a flight between Denver and Colorado Springs once, I watched the wings outside my window flapping up and down just like a bird's

ferret88 · 02-08-2006, 02:59 PM

FF - bored in that i am at work at the moment (this one and that one)

ferret88 · 02-08-2006, 03:28 PM

FF - there are definitely sights to see. after 36 years i've seen a lot of them and it's kinda same ol' same ol'.

btw, in OCT you have the Balloon Fiesta to look forward to. and i hope, for your sake, that you don't choose to live anywhere in the northwest part of the city at that time -- that totally messes up traffic for a good week (not that traffic over there is great to begin with)

ferret88 · 02-08-2006, 03:31 PM

Tonchi - all of my arrivals were almost last-flight-in arrivals and the only issue was the one aborted/retried landing. maybe it's the time of year. *shrug*

02-03-2006, 10:07 AM	#1
FallenFairy nope Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 322	Albuquerque in 2006!! In the vey near future (read June 2006) I will be moving to Albuquerque, NM. Any Cellarites live there? Any visited there?? Any one flown over and seen anything worth mentioning? It's going to be quite different for me... I have never been in the Southwest. Any info would be appreciated~ __________________ ~going, going... gone now

02-03-2006, 12:42 PM	#2
Happy Monkey I think this line's mostly filler. Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: DC Posts: 13,575	Tent Rocks is worth seeing. It's closer to Santa Fe than Albuqerque, though. I've only visited the Southwest a few times, but it was always fun. __________________ _________________ \|...............\| We live in the nick of times. \| Len 17, Wid 3 \| \|_______________\| [pics]

02-03-2006, 02:06 PM	#3
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	!! __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump. Last edited by xoxoxoBruce; 04-07-2007 at 05:54 PM.

02-03-2006, 04:04 PM	#4
Tonchi Victim of gravity Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hiding in plain sight Posts: 1,412	I moved to Albuquerque shortly after I got out of college and it was the happiest time of my life. IBM transferred me there at my request because they needed to cut back in Washington DC, and when I drove over the Tijeras pass in late March and saw all that brown stretched out in front of me it was such a culture shock that I almost wanted to turn back. Within a few months, I never wanted to live anywhere else. The area is desolate by Eastern or Pacific standards, but the sere beauty really grows on you. It's dry, but you will learn to love it because you don't feel as uncomfortable when it's hot. The wind blows a lot during some times of the year, it takes getting used to. Several mountain ranges outside the city are a spectacular view, and a ski resort is only a tram ride away from tennis courts in the valley, so you can sunbathe and ski in the same day. There are thousands of totally unique places to visit within a day's drive, and the roads range from first-class to non-existent so it depends on your sense of adventure how far you will go. Myself, I went everywhere and saw as much as possible, but of course I love Indians and archaeology and horses. Prices are very reasonable, but unfortunately wages are pegged proportionally lower. In fact, the only criticism I would have of Albuquerque and New Mexico in general is that the low average income with the resulting low tax ingress has led to dangerously poor prison facilities and other social services and I doubt they will fix that anytime soon although bringing in large employers like Intel will help. I love the Southwest/modern architecture. Big variety of housing and lots of huge apartment complexes with great ammenities. Excellent restaurants, and two black families who used to compete for the best barbeque in the state. The University of New Mexico is attractive and reputable (in my field anyway, which wasn't Computer Science) and has an excellent basketball team (which may be on suspension right now, however, but isn't everybody?) The bar scene is fantastic and there is plenty of singles social life. There actually is an intelligencia, you will have to dig but it is there, and the folks in the sciences (my boyfriend worked for E.G.& G.) are everywhere to stimulate conversation. All in all, I wish I had never left. I think you will love it there, unless you are transferring from Seattle. Those people never seem to adapt. __________________ Everything you've ever heard about Fresno is true.

02-03-2006, 04:07 PM	#5
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	Cause everywhere else is trading down. __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

02-06-2006, 03:36 PM	#7
Tonchi Victim of gravity Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hiding in plain sight Posts: 1,412	Just one more thing that I forgot: you might want to avoid flying into Albuquerque for a while except in the very early morning. It is, bar none, the most terrifying landing you will ever make this side of a hurricane. Approaching from the west, you will hit spine-snapping turbulence from about 100 miles out until you land, and the airport approach from the east will treat you to the "Continental Turn", introduced by pilots of said Airline in the late '60s. The plane makes a long turn passing the airport, flies directly at the Sandia Mountains, pivots laterally on one wing just before hitting them, and drops like a stone to the runway. And if you must fly, never schedule your arrival at night during the summer. The monsoon thunderstorms begin promptly on the 4th of July and you really don't want to experience one of them from inside a plane __________________ Everything you've ever heard about Fresno is true.

02-07-2006, 05:47 AM	#8
FallenFairy nope Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 322	Sheesh Tonchi - I figure if I start walking now I can get there with out ever having to be airborne. I am looking forward to living there - I have heard such wonderful things about it. __________________ ~going, going... gone now

02-07-2006, 03:27 PM	#9
Tonchi Victim of gravity Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hiding in plain sight Posts: 1,412	I will treat you to a bottle of champaign for your first trip up the Sandia Tramway to the observation deck on the top __________________ Everything you've ever heard about Fresno is true.

02-07-2006, 03:52 PM	#10
ferret88 (This space left intentionally UN-blank.) Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 604	I too live in ABQ. Born and raised. (Or maybe bored and raised.) I have to disagree with Tonchi on the flying. I shuttled from here to Columbus OH for 8 weeks last spring and the worst flying was actually in Denver. No problems here except one pilot started his decent to late and had to pull up and we cycled around for what seemed like EVER.

02-08-2006, 05:23 AM	#11
FallenFairy nope Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 322	Tonchi - I will take you up on that champagne! I am due to move the last week of June. Ferret - bored? really?? Seems like so very much to do there! I plan on spending the months of July & August tooling around the area and seeing the sights - then back to the grind come September. __________________ ~going, going... gone now

02-08-2006, 06:00 AM	#12
Tonchi Victim of gravity Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hiding in plain sight Posts: 1,412	Ferret, the time of day makes all the difference, but of course EVERY single flight into ABQ is not a near disaster or I would have been taking the bus to California all those years. I'll also vote for Denver too, because on a flight between Denver and Colorado Springs once, I watched the wings outside my window flapping up and down just like a bird's __________________ Everything you've ever heard about Fresno is true.

02-08-2006, 02:59 PM	#13
ferret88 (This space left intentionally UN-blank.) Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 604	FF - bored in that i am at work at the moment (this one and that one)

02-08-2006, 03:28 PM	#14
ferret88 (This space left intentionally UN-blank.) Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 604	FF - there are definitely sights to see. after 36 years i've seen a lot of them and it's kinda same ol' same ol'. btw, in OCT you have the Balloon Fiesta to look forward to. and i hope, for your sake, that you don't choose to live anywhere in the northwest part of the city at that time -- that totally messes up traffic for a good week (not that traffic over there is great to begin with)

02-08-2006, 03:31 PM	#15
ferret88 (This space left intentionally UN-blank.) Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Albuquerque Posts: 604	Tonchi - all of my arrivals were almost last-flight-in arrivals and the only issue was the one aborted/retried landing. maybe it's the time of year. shrug

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