Santa Fe, New Mexico

For Spring Break 2023 we took a road trip to Santa Fe!

Chris found a hotel basically made for me called Inn of the Five Graces in a Travel & Leisure magazine so that's what sparked the idea to visit. A straight shot south on I25 for 5 and a half hours takes us right to Santa Fe from Denver! It was a beautiful day on the morning of our road trip.

We stopped at a Wendy's gas station for lunch. It was about as good as you can imagine ;)

Back on the road.

We made it!

The hotel is a small collection of adobe buildings in the Barrio de Analco neighborhood of Santa Fe, which is the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhood in the US.

The colors and patterns and designs of the hotel you're about to see are the whole reason we booked this trip.

We stayed in the Silk Tree room which was the second floor of this two-story building.

I love the barreled ceilings.

Be still my heart.

Happy Paige!

On the left hand side of this picture you can see the way they covered the TVs with fabric covers so the big black boxes wouldn't disturb the vibe. It's all in the details!

Hallway from our bedroom down to the sitting room.

The view out the hall window to a quaint courtyard.

A wet/snack bar and sitting area.

Jane eating the house tortilla chips and salsa while Chris and Fox played chess.

The beautiful view overlooking one of the inn's courtyards again.

Fox won every game of chess he played. I'm impressed!

We spent a good amount of time as a family (my parents included!) in this little living room.

We made a real wood fire both nights, it was so warm and cozy.

View out the back window.

The kids' room.

Stunning.

Another epic bathroom.

I liked the layout of their shower a little better (ours was also a tub) so I tried out both!

Incredible.

I can't even!

After a quick nap & refresh we headed out to drop me off at the spa for the massage Chris arranged for me.

Such a cute courtyard. If it had been warmer, I would have loved to spend some time out here!

The spa!

We took a quick glance around.

The gym.

I had good intentions of walking on the treadmill, but we did plenty of walking on our own :)

Yoga studio.

There's a pool deck outside, closed for the winter.

These ceramic flowers!

The changing room.

Every detail is perfection.

The waiting room.

Water to drink served in a wooden cup.

The beautiful hallway leading to the wellness rooms.

The room I got a massage complete with skylight and lit fireplace.

After an hour of relaxation (why does that hour always go so fast?!) I walked through the beautiful hallway once more to return to the locker room.

Back to the room to clean and freshen up before dinner.

While I was at the spa, Chris walked the kids over to a local chocolate place called Kakawa Chocolate House.

They got New Mexico style hot cocoa, ice cream, and chocolate truffles. Living it up!

The place we initially wanted to go for dinner was closed on Sundays so we chose a place called Tomasita's instead and took the hotel car to our destination.

There was an hour wait so we put our name in the queue and ventured out to explore.

It started snowing so we took shelter under a bus waiting area for a bit then spotted an REI just over the railway tracks - surely we could warm up inside there!

Alas, they were closing in 5 minutes so the kids worked their magic finding a treasure even in the most obscure places (you'll find their new keychain plushies dangling from their jackets in pics throughout this post ;)

We went back to the restaurant to await being called and I found this plaque. I know Denver!

A few minutes later we were called and headed back to our table.

Loved the ambiance complete with a full female mariachi band.

I got a burrito "Christmas" style which is both red & green chili on top. It was yummy.

I checked in on the kitty cam and was so happy and surprised to find BOTH kitties!

Check out the size of those sopapillas!

Jane and Fox discovering the goodness of sopapillas. Especially with the honey butter.

We had a pleasant, albeit freezing cold, walk back to the hotel.

Night lighting.

So charming

Good find, Chris!

Ahhhh. Feels so good!

My parents landed in Albuquerque and made their way up to Santa Fe. They stopped by in the evening for a bit then came back in the morning for breakfast.

We headed out early to see their cool hotel and begin our self guided walking tour.

The stayed at the Inn & Spa at Loretto and it was only a block away from our hotel.

Views from my parent's balcony.

Rooftop terraces.

Fox loves getting to be with Grandma and Grandpa.

Chris doing some window shopping ;)

My dad's name is Tom Taylor!

We tried several times to get a jumping pic lol.

Beautiful restaurant inside the hotel. So many places to eat, so little time!

Our self-guided walking tour started in the plaza which was still empty because it was so early.

Chilis galore.

I love the adobe building style.

My dad took photos too which I grabbed because I'm so rarely in our own traveling pics!

Darling Jane posing with a cougar statue.

Two main building styles are found in the historic core of town: the classic adobe, and the territorial style. This building, the Oliver P. Hovey house, is an excellent example of the territorial style.

A local church built in the adobe style with massive supportive buttresses.

These fish statues were entertaining.

It was an installation by a local artist.

Why are they so big?!

Cuties.

I've already scrapped these photos :)

My brother served a two year mission in Oaxaca.

The main cathedral in Santa Fe, the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.

This church was closed on Monday so we circled back the next day.

Ooooh this door facade!

Lol. Having fun inside the legendary Five & Dime General Store on the plaza.

My parents are the best.

The merchants set up their turquoise shops underneath the colonnade of the Palace of the Governors.

After a little break, it was our entry time at the Georgia O'Keefe Museum so we headed that way.

Opened in 1997, this museum houses the largest collection of O'Keefe works in the world and is also the only museum dedicated to a single female artist in the US. I love all the flower paintings of course.

The kids had a little workbooks to complete which kept them thoroughly entertained.

O'Keefe was a stern critic of her work. This is an example of a canvas that she destroyed.

Georgia's pastels.

I'm here too! :)

For lunch we went to the Burrito Bar. Christmas style again please!

Lovely avenue.

For our afternoon excursion we loaded up in the car and headed to Los Alamos.

The area is now a National Historic Park dedicated to the history of the Manhattan Project.

The weather was a bit chili (get it?) especially on top of the bluff where Los Alamos is located, but that didn't stop us from touring the sites.

Photo of a photo of a photo.

Statues of J. Robert Oppenheimer and General Leslie R. Groves, the scientific and military heads of the Manhattan Project.

The Fuller Lodge was originally built for the Los Alamos Ranch School which predated the Manhattan project.

The architect personally chose the 771 massive pine trees used in the construction.

Other historic sites around the area.

Across the ravine is the Bandelier National Monument, home to 13th century Puebloan ruins and cliff dwellings carved into the side of the bluff.

During WWII the whole town was a military installation, only open to approved persons.

Back in Santa Fe, while Chris, Fox, Jane, and my dad went back to their rooms, my mom and I went window shopping. I was excited about seeing these Cartier bracelets in a fine jewelry shop, but they were fake, whomp whomp. His exact words were, "Inspired by" lol.

The magnet we chose for our collection.

Apparently I didn't get a single pic of our pizza for dinner, sad. But it was yummy! We were craving those same ginormous sopapillas so we sent my parents and kids to pick up an order and my dad took pics of trains of course.

"I like trains."

We scarfed the sopapillas with honey butter and more drizzled honey on top then chatted the night away in our cozy hotel room. Fox challenged my dad to a game of chess and Fox won. He's so good!

The next morning my parents came over again for breakfast and we headed out to see a few more things.

The Evans Family in Santa Fe on Tuesday March 14th 2023.

It was also the 19th anniversary of Chris asking me to be his girlfriend :) Awww presh-a-presh!

The 'rents.

I wanted a turquoise souvenir so we headed back to the square.

Jane picked out a dainty little bracelet.

I also found a bracelet.

This is me in the exact same spot, 33 years ago. You can see my grandparent's legs in the background. I miss them.

Like mother, like daughter.

Now & Then.

My mom has many connections and ties to New Mexico. She was born in Albuquerque. This is the hotel her family would stay at when they would visit Santa Fe, the historic La Fonda on the Plaza.

Sweet Jane.

The church was opened so we meandered inside.

Beautiful!

Reminds me of our days traveling in Europe.

The cathedral was built in the Romanesque style between 1869 and 1886.

The oldest church in the US was right across the street from our hotel so we popped inside.

The San Miguel Chapel built in the 17th century. Amazing.

On our way back home, we made a side stop at Pecos National Historical Park.

We got to walk around and see old Native American ruins and remnants from the Spanish colonial period.

Beautiful sunny day.

Rocks and cacti.

Everyone but Jane and I went down into this reconstructed kiva.

Down Fox goes into the dark.

Happy boy.

Malm living it up.

During the Spanish era, the Spaniards built four mission churches, the last of which was built in 1717 and the remains can still be walked through today.