Santa Fe New Mexico - State No. 33 - Day 1

Pics of Me in Front of Stuff is in a new place and Pics of Me in Front of Stuff decided to go with another new direction following the last post which was reportedly something completely different.  Since Pics of Me in Front of Stuff has arrived in New Mexico it figured it could share a daily update with readers and share the Land of Enchantment's enchantedness in quasi-real team.  That means maybe only a day late.  Let's try to avoid the Hawaii incident in which months were spent chronicling a 1 week vacation to Kona.  Some of my readers felt neglected that their visit to New York City to see the Phillies beat the Mets was not getting the attention it deserved.

He'll be pissed I have not posted about our trip to Washington, D.C. for Opening Day now, too.
The trip did not have an auspicious beginning because Newark and Continental Airlines decided to leave Newark for Houston approximately 30 minutes later than scheduled nearly stranding Pics of Me in Front of Stuff and several other irate passengers in Houston.  The big plane flying in from New Jersey landed at one end of George Bush International while the little plan heading to Albuquerque took off from the other end of the airport.  To compound that, the train system connecting terminals was not working that day and we were all forced to crowd onto shuttle buses.  When my fellow passengers and I had completed our mad-dash across the airport they were shutting the doors and we were initially told by an airline employee we had not made it.  Fortunately, someone higher on the Continental airlines food chain made an executive decision and put the 10 or so passengers from Newark on the plane to New Mexico.  Amazingly, the Official Luggage of Pics of Me in Front of Stuff made it, too.  Interestingly or ironically or some other word that starts with an i and ends with an -ly, following landing in the Land of Enchanment, the Official Rental Car of Pics of Me in Front of Stuff which turned out to be a newer, golder version of the Official Vehicle of Pics of Me in Front of Stuff.

Neither vehicle has accelerated uncontrollably and hopefully neither will.
New Mexico, like much of the Southwest, has a completely different landscape than the green rolling hills of PA and NJ in which Pics of Me in Front of Stuff is based.  Driving in New Mexico feels like driving on Mars just with oxygen and paved roads.

My first impression of New Mexico culture is that they are very proud of their Native American heritage.

Both old

 And new.

The drive to Santa Fe was mostly uneventful. The Official Santa Fe Hotel of Pics of Me in Front of Stuff was the Hotel Plaza Real which is just off the the famous Santa Fe Plaza. 

After a brief walk around Santa Fe was followed by dinner and many Santa Fe Brewery Nut Browns at the Cowgirl Grill.

Reviews from Yelp referred to the place as a Hooter's clone.  That was far from true, the restaurant was just a country-western bar and grill with predominantly female employees in cowboy hats.  There was a great country-western band whose name escapes me.  Luckily, it was a brief walk to the Plaza Real Hotel.  Since Pics of Me in Front of Stuff has been awake for almost 20 hrs.  Time for Pics of Me in Front Stuff needs to pass out for a while.