Hey!
By East Mountain, I imagine you mean the east side of Albuquerque?
Number one advice is to get used to the chile. It's on everything here, and once you get used to it, that's a great thing.
this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2023
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New Mexico
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Yup, the area past the Air Force base heading east beyond Sandia Mountain.
And the chiles are an added bonus. :)
Okay, awesome!
Nob Hill has some great eateries, such as Soo Bak and Geckos. There's also Basil Leaf and Taj Mahal on the East side (West of where you'll be).
Jemez is close by, and has excellent hiking and sight-seeing. The Sandias also have some great hiking trails.
Let me know if you need any recommendations when you get down here. Welcome to New Mexico!
I will eat at all these places! Thanks for the recommendations.
Aside from eateries, what behaviors make people stand out as out-of-towners. I'll never be a true local, but I hope to soak up the culture and assimilate.
@biznachio I envy you, and hope it goes well. Enjoy the desert.
Thanks for the well wishes. Any particular reason for the envy? I'd love to hear your thoughts and perspectives.
@biznachio I don't know how much I have that's useful. I went to college and lived in Las Cruces for about 6 years, and just developed a love for the desert, the history and culture and the food. I live in Colorado Springs now, which is so bland it could be on an ulcer diet. Starbucks and Walmart on every corner, and Yogurt has more culture.
Just take it all in, and see what you like. If I can ask, why are you moving there?
Work and lower cost of living are the two more attractive factors. I'm wrapping up a 20 year career in the military and looking for a quiet area that has access to decent jobs
It's funny you mention the prevalence of big box stores and franchises. The smaller town feel is appealing. Getting to know people and do things with the fellow community appeals to me. The East Mountains seems to always have some fair, festival, or event going on.
At present I'm living in Vegas, and I prefer the desert climate, similar to yourself. Vegas is cool and all, but it's insanely expensive and way too crowded.
@biznachio Funny, I was stationed at Nellis for 6 months before I cross trained. Congratulations on your impending retirement. Going on 8 years since mine.
Hope you enjoy the area.
Trail Rider pizza is bomb.
East Mtn library is a good place to get audiobooks for your half hour drive in and out of the city. Try to get all your city stuff done all at once because it can get expensive driving back and forth; but more importantly, itβs glorious to be out there for days without needing to drive into the city.
Be careful on I-40 East of Tramway when itβs snowy or icy.
Check out the hiking trails off south 14.
When you have time, take a day trip to some of the smaller towns in the area. For instance, right now is a good time of year to visit the Salinas Pueblo ruins because the weather is cool and nice for walking outdoors. Some folks really vibe with Madrid to the north. You could also visit Billy the Kidβs gravesite in Ft. Sumner, a couple hours southeast. You can also access Santa Fe βthe back wayβ on a lovely scenic drive up north 14. There used to be a cool little bar and an antique thrift shop in Cerillos.
Thanks! I especially appreciate the city shopping advice. Making an effort to avoid daily trips is golden.
I've driven the back route between ABQ and Santa Fe. Thoae vistas rewrote what I thought I knew about New Mexico.
Might want to look for a more sustainable place to plant roots than a dying desert.
Otherwise, Christmas all year round!
What do you mean dying desert? I haven't heard anything about diminishing water resources.
In fact, I've read and seen models that say we'll fair pretty well during climate change.
Oh my god please give me what you've been reading! I've only heard and read the exact opposite.
I'd like to see sources on both claims. A dying desert sounds alarming!
@biznachio really, it's only dying as badly as everything else is with climate change, etc. Up by Santa Fe there was a drought for a few years, which led to an invasive beetle that killed of a lot of pine trees, which led to fires. It's all still changing and evolving. But the desert will reclaim itself.
Mother Nature has no reverence for mankind.
I took a peek at the New Mexico Water Data groundwater dashboard. I can't say I'm smart enough to fully understand if trends are up or down. It's also specific to domestic wells.
@biznachio Man is a part of nature, we just keep trying to act like we're above it instead of going with it. It was inevitable it'd bite back.
The aquafer has been dropping for decades due to over use. But that's everywhere in America.
If you take a look at ImpactLab, while our temperatures are going to be increasing, it will be about average with other counties at our latitude. I've seen most models stating we'll increase temperatures, and some models stating we'll decrease temperatures slightly.
Either way, one thing virtually all models agree on, is that our mortality will be low compared to most of the US. Our energy costs will also be very good compared to the rest of the US. You can see these in action by selecting the correct view in ImpactLab.
https://projects.propublica.org/climate-migration/
ProPublica is showing that while we will have increased heat, it will be in line with most of the US, and not worse than much of the Southwest; our crop yield will stay steady, and eventually, some of New Mexico will actually become some of the most suitable land in the US.
I've been very into the upcoming climate change, sometimes unhealthily so. However, the general consensus for the future of New Mexico, especially Bernalillo county, is a major reason I'm not moving elsewhere in the foreseeable future.
Fascinating reads. Thanks for sharing!