As we walk around town, Jack and I have noticed that Santa Fe appears to be a very homogenous city, which is just a politically correct way of saying it's very White. I haven't checked the demographics on race here but we've seen very few African Americans or Asians and the local minority appears to be predominately Native American. Almost everyone is friendly here and the people we meet enjoy talking about what they love about area, what brought them here, and why we should consider relocating to Santa Fe.
I've told Jack that I'm not sure that I could settle in this desert environment. I miss the many beautiful shades of green in the Midwest and the simple pleasure of driving with the sun shining through the leaves on treelined streets. I'm missing lawns, trees and shrubs right now. A typical street in Santa Fe looks like the picture of the adobe house below.
Most homes don't have lawns or paved driveways. They use gravel or dirt for driveways here which, with my middle-class Midwestern filter, seems messy and poor. It just isn't appealing to my eye. Outside the Center of town many of the streets are dirt roads, even in neighborhoods of million dollar homes with street names like "Mansion Ridge Road". For my Joliet friends, imagine neighborhoods like Timberline and Twin Oaks with dusty Land Rovers and BMWs parked on dirt driveways.
While I miss the green of the Midwest I sure don't miss the humidity. Jack and I love the dry air, the clear skies and the view of the mountains as you walk down the street in Santa Fe. We're still adjusting to the altitude which has affected us more than we expected it to. Sometimes I find myself huffing and puffing just walking around town which is pretty humbling. It makes me appreciate my good health and want to preserve it. Running is a struggle so I just try to go slow and put one foot in front of the other. Local people have told us that it can take several months for your body to produce enough red blood cells to push more oxygen in this high altitude.
One of the great things about visiting or living here is that art is all around you. Whether it is a giant sculpture carved from a tree trunk on a main thoroughfare, original artwork for sale on the walls of a local restaurant, or a bronze sculpture in a courtyard, there is always something new and beautiful to notice and enjoy.
A person could get into a LOT of trouble buying art or jewelry here in Santa Fe. I told Jack that he is just lucky we're traveling in a Volkswagon Passat that is packed to the roof, not a Winnebago. There are so many beautiful, unusual things for sale! I'm not sure how all of the galleries stay in business - there are so many of them in a concentrated area. Of course, when a small sculpture is almost $4,000 you only need to sell one or two a month to pay the bills, I guess. Our landlady told us that she hosts small art openings for new artists in her home in exchange for a piece of art. That's a novel way of acquiring original art that I would never have thought of myself.
Santa Fe appears to be a very spiritual town and religious imagery is everywhere. Christianity, Native American, Goddess worship and Eastern religions all find a place here.
I like the open acceptance of all religions and the fact that people talk about things like faith and entering the Age of Aquarius in the same breath and with total sincerity. I'm sure that bigotry and narrow world views are here, we just haven't run into it.
All in all, Santa Fe is a great place for a vacation or to stay awhile. It's full of history and charm. Good food, Happy Hour that starts at 3:00 p.m. (what kind of jobs do these people have?), art, and some terrific hiking only 45 minutes away make Santa Fe an excellent destination for a girlfriend getaway, a family vacation or a romantic trip for two. Add it to your bucket list!
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