Albuquerque: Day 1

This weekend Dave and I were in Albuquerque, New Mexico, visiting some law school friends of mine. Chad and Mark graduated early and headed down there to start their own firm.

They definitely planned a ton to keep us occupied. On the first day, we met up at Chad and Laura's house, where we met their puppy, Hoss. Hoss is a St. Bernard, and he's 45 pounds at 11 weeks. He's also the cutest thing I've ever seen!

Look at this thing.


I seriously can't take it. I want one so bad, but of course they reach about 200 pounds, and we simply don't have the money to feed one at this point. OK, let's have one more puppy shot:


We ate an amazing barbecue meal at The County Line in Albuquerque. Basically the restaurant served copious amounts of meat to our willing stomachs. I got the platter with ribs, sausage, and brisket; Dave got the risket platter. I also bought a loaf of day-old wheat bread for $1 - you can't beat that for breakfast in the hotel!

Afterward, we headed up to the Sandia Peak Tramway, which brings you up the mountain that overshadows Albuquerque. The trip up the tramway provided amazing views of Sandia Peak and the surrounding mountains and desert.


The mountaintop provided some really breathtaking views. (See Dave at right!) It was windy up there, and certainly colder than the desert below, but it was worth the views.

Chad and Laura said that they planned on climbing the peak at some point, which sounds very impressive. I wonder if they will take Hoss... Seems unlikely.

One neat thing is that the tram cars sometimes play host to workers who ride on the roof. (See the tiny guy atop this tram car.)


Call me crazy, but that is simply terrifying.

That night we ate a delicious New Mexican meal at Casa de Benavidez, a local favorite. Dave and I got nachos, which isn't the most authentic New Mexican food, but they certainly were delicious.

It was neat to learn about New Mexican food, which uses a ton of green and red peppers with typical Mexican dishes, like enchiladas or tacos. And, as Laura told me, if you want both, you say you want it "Christmas." (Get it? Red and green?) Benavidez was certainly a delicious introduction to delicious New Mexican cuisine.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention my first New Mexican-style sopaipilla. They are delicious little fried dough puffs that you smother in honey and devour excitedly. Obviously they are very messy, but they are intensely delicious.