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Home » Lifestyle » Travel

santa fe new mexico
March 31, 2023 (Updated December 20, 2023)

Long Weekend in Santa Fe, New Mexico

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

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I spent last weekend in Santa Fe, New Mexico!

I’ve been part of a mother’s group that meets on Zoom for over a year now, and I met 7 of the other women from the group in Santa Fe for a long weekend adventure. It was the first time I had met any of them in person and it was wonderful to be together and to explore a new-to-me town, too. 

street in downtown sante fe new mexico

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I had never been to New Mexico before! I was expecting warm desert, but Santa Fe is actually high desert – over 7,000 feet high, actually! It’s the highest altitude of any U.S. state capitol apparently.

And quite cold this time of year but that didn’t stop us from having fun. 🙂

santa fe new mexico

The architecture was interesting to see – everything is made from adobe, which is Spanish for “mudbrick”. There were also strung pods of dried red chiles hanging outside a lot of the homes and shops. 

The red chile ristras serve as a symbol of welcome and good luck, apparently. It was fun to explore the downtown area and check out some of the shops as well.

chiles hanging outside a store in new mexico

If you ever find yourself in Santa Fe, the shop pictured above, Keshi, is a good and ethical place to shop – they focus exclusively on Zuni Pueblo art and buy directly from the artists. Their sister organization is a charity that benefits the Zuni People as well. 

Santa Fe Food

We had some good meals while in Santa Fe! One of my favorites was breakfast at a really cute spot right around the corner from our Airbnb called The Teahouse. 

Right after getting there it started to snow! It was beautiful. Here’s the view outside the window:

snow outside at the teahouse in santa fe new mexico

Someone saw me taking a picture out the window (I was there a little before my friends to secure a table for us, so was alone) and offered to get one of me in front of the snowy window, so here I am! 

anne mauney standing at a window with snow outside

While waiting for my friends to arrive I had a really yummy carrot orange muffin that I forgot to take a picture of to start, and then for my main meal I enjoyed their bacon, eggs (on top of polenta), and balsamic brussels sprouts.

It was delicious and pretty, too!

bacon, eggs, brussels sprouts, and polenta

Another great meal we had while in Santa Fe was at a spot a few of us stumbled into while doing some sightseeing and shopping in the main downtown area of Santa Fe.

It was called Apothecary and we immediately loved the vibe – calming and mellow and with a delicious and nourishing menu. Apparently it’s also an oxygen bar, but we didn’t try that!

apothecary restaurant in santa fe

They even had kombucha on tap! I tried the berry flavor and it was great.

apothecary santa fe

The cold weather had me craving soup, so I ordered a chicken soup with bone broth, veggies, and noodles. It was super spicy but really delicious and hit the spot. 

soup from apothecary in santa fe

I also had two yummy meals at the restaurant on site at Ojo Santa Fe, which is a lovely spa that the ladies and I spent the day at on Saturday. We all had massages scheduled and spent the rest of our time there hanging out in the various outdoor hot tubs and pools.

It was glorious and the contrast of the super cold air and the hot water felt really good!

ojo santa fe outdoor hot tub

We had heard you needed to get there right when it opened to secure a day pass, so a few of us decided to grab breakfast there so we’d already be on site. I had their avocado toast with eggs, salad, and fruit.

avocado toast from ojo santa fe spa

The bread was delicious and I loved that the salad had truffle oil, but I felt like the avocado situation could have been more interesting – mashed vs. sliced, and with some seasonings. 

For lunch at the restaurant in between my massage and soaking (I know, best day ever), I had a roasted poblano pepper stuffed with quinoa, and a side of salmon.

roasted poblano pepper with quinoa and salmon from ojo santa fe

It was delicious, and came with a really yummy (unpictured) smoky cashew-based red sauce. I also loved their blue cornbread!

As for dinners in Santa Fe, the first night I met the group out at a Northern New Mexican food restaurant called Tomasita’s right after arriving from the airport.

I forgot to get a picture in all the excitement of meeting everyone but I had some chips and guac and then got their tortilla soup, which was really delicious… I wasn’t in the mood for a huge meal since I’d been snacking all day on planes so it was just the right amount, and super cozy and comforting.

For our other two dinners we decided to all stay in and be cozy and order food! One of the nights we had an Asian dumpling feast (forgot to get pictures, but it was yummy), and the other night we ordered a whole bunch of tacos from a spot called Fusion Tacos. 

tacos on a counter

Yum!

tacos on a plate

Running in Santa Fe

I got out for two solo morning jogs while in Santa Fe and they were both fantastic – despite the fact that I was at over 7,000 feet, I felt really energetic and had a blast exploring and seeing a bit more of the neighborhoods and views of mountains in the distance. 

It was fun to just meander around and go wherever I felt like with no specific agenda or route in mind!

running trail in santa fe

Running up even gradual hills definitely had me more out of breath than I would be at home at sea level, but I kept it casual and did a run/walk and really enjoyed myself out there.

I always love running in new-to-me cities – such a great way to explore! 

neighborhood in santa fe

And I like running in cold weather so the 20 degree temps didn’t bother me. 🙂 Although one of the days I ran was cloudy and the other was sunny and I preferred the sunny weather of course. 

I discovered some pretty neighborhoods:

neighborhood in santa fe

And found this lovely trail along a creek:

trail along the creek in santa fe

I loved this poem:

A closer view:

I also loved this raven sculpture:

raven sculpture in santa fe

I had wanted to get out for a hike while we were in Santa Fe, but the reports I read online said all the trails were still quite snowy and icy. Bummer – I bet the trails in the mountains around Santa Fe are gorgeous! 

I ended up covering about 2 miles one of the mornings and about 3 the other and it felt just right. 

The only downside to meeting in Santa Fe was that it took forever to travel there – I had a long 3+ hour layover in Dallas on the way there and back so it took me about 12 hours of travel on Friday as well as Monday. But, it was worth it!

I was sad to say goodbye to everyone on Monday – it was so nice to be with them in person instead of on a computer. Until next time, friends! 

airplane outside in sante fe new mexico

Oh and one last thing – have any of y’all ever seen/tried this “Farmer’s Fridge” situation in an airport? There were a bunch in Dallas, and I saw one in the airport in Chicago while traveling last month, too. Their website shows locations in hospitals as well which is a cool idea.

It’s a vending machine, but with really fresh food. It was so good! I want one in my house… 😉

farmer's fridge salad

I had this salad (the “green goddess” with quinoa, lettuce, chickpeas, feta, pickled onion, celery, and candied pecans with a Greek yogurt herby dressing) one of the days, and a different one on my way home, plus their chia pudding with pineapple both days.

All of it was super delicious and really fresh, and I loved eating something yummy but nourishing and that didn’t feel heavy while traveling. 

green goddess salad from farmer's fridge

Have you ever been to Santa Fe? Or anywhere else in New Mexico?

- anne
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9 comments
  • Laurie Wilder March 31, 2023 · 11:05AM:
    Hi Anne! I'm a dedicated reader of your blog. It was a surprise to see you were here in my home town! I'm a 2nd generation Santa Fean and other than college at NMSU in Las Cruces NM I've never lived anywhere else. It was fun to read about SF from another's experience. My parents' childhood homes are in the same area as your air bnb. It was fun to see familiar places in your pictures. It's sad that the Santa Fe River (the creek) is dry more often than not. Compared to the rivers East of the Mississippi, even our Rio Grande is a creek in comparison. :-) The Teahouse is a wonderful place and I like how they reinvent themselves often. Their food is yummy. If you ever come back you must try La Choza. It's the sister restaurant to The Shed which you may have seen downtown as it is across the street from the Cathedral. La Choza is my favorite of all the New Mexican restaurants in Santa Fe. Fusion Tacos are amazing and I've been excited to see how they have expanded. Yum! The French Pastry shop located in La Fonda is another wonderful place to eat. I envy your day at Ojo Santa Fe. Ojo in Ojo Caliente or 10,000 waves are other wonder spas you'd enjoy. Also if you come back the museums are incredible as are visits to the various pueblos, Bandelier National Monument etc. (Great hiking). One of my favorite places to visit is Georgia O'Keefe's home in Abiquiu. Summer and fall when the various cactus bloom is amazing too. NM is amazing, not that I'm biased. OK. Yes I am. :-) A long weekend doesn't even scratch the surface of our great state known as "The Land of Enchantment". I hope you were enchanted enough to return sometime and enjoy it even more. I'd love to show you around. :-) Laurie
    Reply
    • Anne
      March 31, 2023 · 11:46AM:
      I wish we had had more time - definitely felt like we barely scratched the surface! I will totally take you up on that offer if I make it back there someday :) Really wished I could have seen more and done some hiking, too - the rest of the group got there on Thursday, so they had Friday to do some of the museums and I was jealous as I didn't get in until dinnertime Friday. Oh well - next time! Also, the Santa Fe River was flowing while I was running along it!
      Reply
  • Ana March 31, 2023 · 12:39PM:
    Looks beautiful! I went once for a business trip but had literally no time to sightsee. 👎 Would love to go back!
    Reply
  • Roadrunner March 31, 2023 · 4:40PM:
    Sounds like a great adventure, Anne, bravo to you for doing it! Was Sante Fe a place to which you want to return some time, or what is a "one and done?"
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 6, 2023 · 1:30PM:
      I'd love to go again and see more of it - we barely scratched the surface! Especially would like to do some hiking.
      Reply
  • Herman pino April 2, 2023 · 1:42PM:
    Found your article interesting since I was born and raised in Santa Fe. I feel bad that the food you described could probably have been found in large cities across the United States. You missed out on the original Spanish and Native American food that really give Santa Fe that special flavor. So much has changed. The adobe houses you described are actually not for the most part adobe and are stucco over modern materials. Still a good place to visit
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 6, 2023 · 1:30PM:
      Interesting, good to know!
      Reply
  • Sarah April 3, 2023 · 10:56AM:
    My sister and I took a trip to Santa Fe in our early twenties. We spent the day at the spa too! It was a splurge but so incredibly relaxing and beautiful. That night we went to a bar with a live band and enjoyed margaritas and had so much fun dancing and laughing. It was one of the best weekends of my life. I miss those carefree days when taking a trip wasn't a big deal (now I have kids, pretty much on lockdown haha).
    Reply
    • Anne
      April 6, 2023 · 1:31PM:
      Totally feel that!
      Reply
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about Anne

anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

When I’m not writing or cooking for fannetastic food, you can find me running, coaching nutrition clients, or on an adventure with my family. Feel free to reach out - I'd love to hear from you!

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