Relaxing at the Arizona Biltmore

Friday, June 12 - It's hard to believe it's the last full day of the trip. After sleeping in and going for a run, we toured the grounds of the Biltmore a bit. To explain how much I was loving being here, I gave Sandy some perspective: This is my Disney World. For those who don't know, Sandy loves the happiest place on earth, and just signed up for the Disney marathon for the 3rd year in a row.

The history and architecture here is so interesting. The hotel opened in 1929, and has been a hot spot from the beginning. Every president since Herbert Hoover has come here, Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas" here, and Marilyn Monroe called the pool here her favorite pool. I also wanted to see if we could take a look at the inside of one of the original cottages behind the main building, so the front desk gave us a key to take a look at one. One of the documents we read said the Frank Lloyd Wright "almost certainly" designed the cottages. The architecture of the lobby definitely reflects FLW's influence, and the gold leaf ceiling is second in size only to the Taj Mahal. FLW also designed the illuminated stained glass panel just inside the front entrance.

Speaking of celebrities and pools, this place isn't all about just history and architecture. It is a pretty awesome resort and spa also. It has 8 pools with a pretty cool water slide. We spent several hours in the afteroon hanging at the pool, and I walked around to get a good picture of the slide, which is housed in a very interesting structure with four spires. As I walked around the pool, I saw someone who looked familar. It took me a second to place him, but I realized that it might be Mark Consuelos. As I walked to the other side of the pool, sure enough, I heard and saw Kelly Ripa talking to one of her kids. I never would have recognized her otherwise, because she had a big hat and big sunglasses on. Mark is actually in the picture of the water slide sitting on the edge of the pool in the middle of the picture, even though I didn't even realize it was him until after I took the picture.

We had our last dinner at True Food Kitchen. The restaurant was developed in partnership with Dr. Andrew Weil, so all of the food is both delicious and healthy. We found out about it because the husband of the cousin of our friend Jim (did you get that?) is the executive chef there. Unfortunately he had already left before we arrived. Sandy had a drink called the Medicine Man with lots of antioxidants. It was made with Olivello juice (which you can only get here), pomegranate and cranberry juice, black tea, soda water and muddled blueberries. She decided to counter all of those antioxidants with a shot of vodka in it.

All in all, this was a fantastic trip. We felt that we learned from last year, and tried to do a little less driving and spend more time at each place. We spent 2 nights in 3 places this year, whereas we only spent 2 nights in one place last year. We ended up logging a little more than 2000 miles on the car. Even at this slower pace, there was not enough time to see everything! The Southwest is amazing country, and we highly recommend a visit here.

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Arriving at the Biltmore

Thursday, June 11 - All we could say was, "This is a big upgrade from the Wigwam." The Arizona Biltmore is amazing. It was designed by one of Frank Lloyd Wright's students, who also had grown up in a house designed by him, and FLW was also a consulting architect on the project.

Once we got checked in, the restaurant was closed, but fortunately you can get room service delivered anywhere on the property. So, we found a seat on the patio in the back around one of the fire pit and ordered dinner. (No, those are not flames coming out of our drinks.) Sandy got a drink called "Wright Passion", and I got the Biltmore Original Tequila Sunrise. The drink was invented here. So great to be back in civilization.

Waking up in a Wigwam

Thursday, June 11 - Sleeping in a wigwam was like sleeping in a bomb shelter. That thing is solid concrete. The very busy Santa Fe Railroad runs right behind the wigams (see photo at right), with several trains an hour even at night, and once we were asleep, we didn't hear a thing. Daylight allowed us to get the full effect of all the wigwams, and the rusty old vintage cars they have parked in the lot to give the place some more ambiance.

Also wanted to give you a feel for the interior. Classic 1970s carpet (obviously an upgrade from the original...), nice rustic homemade bedspreads (with matching curtains), and, most interestingly, the original bentwood furniture from the 50s. While we don't have a picture of the bathroom, the walls were slanted, and the shower was an ideal height for anyone 4'11" and shorter.

All in all, it was a great once-in-a-lifetime experience. We'd even do it again. But you wouldn't want to stay there two nights in a row...

It's Showtime Sleeping in a Wigwam

Wednesday, June 10 - We arrived at the Route 66 classic, the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ, shortly after dark. Because I thought we might get there a little late, I called earlier in the evening to let her know that we were on our way. Since the motel office closes at 9pm, she said that if we arrived after that, we would be in Teepee #6, and she'll leave the key under the mat. How great is that? Fortunately, we got there a little after 8, so we properly checked in.

After we checked in at the Wigwam, we stopped in a diner called Joe and Aggie's Cafe, which we'd read about in the Road Food guidebook. We sat down in a booth, I looked up, and across the room by the cash register was a "Showtime Free Weekend" sign on the wall. I about fell out of the booth. I asked the owner about it, and he said that many years ago Showtime shot some stuff here to promote one of our free preview weekends!

Around Santa Fe

Tuesday, June 9 – It was really great to not have to pack up the car this morning. We had breakfast at Tecolote Café, a hole-in-the-wall place that is famous for great breakfasts. To demonstrate the level of class in the parking lot of the café, we were parked next to a truck with an owner that got a bit creative when he lost his antenna.

We spent most of the morning at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, where we took a docent tour. Afterward, when we were walking around town, we bumped into this really great marimba band on the grounds of the St. Francis Cathedral . There was a good crowd around and they were selling CDs. Then we noticed a little commotion going on, and the guys started a little conference while they were still playing. It turns out that they didn’t have the right kind of permit, so the cops were kicking them out.



Next stop, the Five and Dime, the alleged home of the "famous” Frito Pie. Chili, cheese and Fritos, mixed together and served right in the Fritos bag.

This place was featured in a Frugal Traveler video on NYTimes.com.

No, we didn’t actually get a Frito Pie, since our name was on a waiting list at a great restaurant for lunch, so instead Sandy tried on a pink tiara cowboy hat – a fitting outfit for the snack bar at the Five and Dime.

Lunch was fantastic. We ate at Café Pasqual’s, which had come recommended from several sources, and it didn’t disappoint. We sat at the communal table, and got lucky by sitting next to a couple that has been coming to Santa Fe since 1988 and now have a second home here. They gave us some great advice on things to see and do, which led Sandy to a great jeweler to do one of her favorite types of shopping. I also went to some rug stores, but didn’t make a purchase. Yet.

Also at their recommendation, we went to the Loretto Chapel to see the Miraculous Staircase. No one thought a staircase to the choir loft could be built in the tight space in this small church. This famous staircase, built in 1878, appears to have had some divine intervention, since a mysterious carpenter finished the staircase and then disappeared without taking any pay, it has two 360 degree turns, and it has no supports to hold it up. It is pretty amazing.

Finally, we took a self-guided New Deal Art Legacy Tour, which features several locations around town with artwork created by artists hired by the US Government in the 1930s under the WPA.

Arriving in Santa Fe

Monday, June 8 - Today was a pretty low-key day with an easy drive. A nice break after a couple of busy days. Even when just arriving in Santa Fe, you can tell that it has a great vibe to it. It's a stop on the old Route 66, and every other storefront in the center of town is an art gallery. We had dinner at La Plazuela at the La Fonda hotel on the plaza. Another location for some great margaritas...

There was a lot going on around the plaza, and there was a crowd in the center listening to musicians with some cute kids dancing. St. Francis Cathedral is at the end of San Francisco Street a couple of blocks off the plaza.

San Francisco de Asis

Monday, June 8 - On our way out of town, we stopped at Ranchos de Taos to see the mission church San Francisco de Asis, which is one of the oldest churches in the country. It was finished in 1815 and is made of real adobe - none of the "fake" stucco stuff you see on modern buildings - and it has to be re-plastered every year because it cracks and flakes off with the weather. They are actually in the process of replastering it with the mud and straw mixture now, which was really interesting to see.

The church has been the subject of many artists, including Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams. The back of the church is what you see first from the road, and is really striking.

Around Taos

Monday, June 8 - Taos is a really great town. We had a really relaxing few hours today before getting back in the car for the 1.5 hour drive to Santa Fe. First off, the Taos Inn is great. Our room was really comfortable, and it was right off a courtyard with a fountain. The town plaza was just a couple of blocks away, so we walked over and had great lunch at the Bent Street Deli and Cafe sitting outside. The cafe was on the corner of a pedestrian street with a bunch of shops. There was also a pretty creative sign to prevent kids from playing in a fountain.

Historic Taos Inn

Sunday, June 7 – We ended the day by arriving at another historic hotel, the Taos Inn. After unloading, we went straight to the patio of their Adobe Bar to have one of their “legendary” margaritas.

Laundry Day in Durango

Sunday, June 7 – After being on the road for a week, reality inevitably sets in as the dirty laundry piles up. So, we made an early morning trip to a Durango laundromat. Three loads. We then had another great breakfast at Carver Bakery and Brewing Co. Yes, you read that correctly. No beer was sampled at breakfast. Promise.

We stayed two nights at the historic, Victorian Strater Hotel right on Main Avenue, a couple of blocks from the train station. We highly recommend it. It added a great authenticity to the whole experience. There was even a horse and a mule out front this morning. We chatted with the owner for a bit, and he said that they are working animals. He just brings them downtown once in a while, since he sometimes gets a free beer out of it.

Breakfast at El Tovar

Monday, June 1 - We went back to El Tovar, the 100+ year old lodge on the South Rim, this morning. Had a very hearty (and mostly healthy) breakfast before our hike - steel cut oatmeal and a breakfast burrito for some extra energy.

However, we just had to order their "famous" cinnamon roll, which ended up being the size of a dinner plate. We had a great view of the Canyon right from the dining room.