Day 2.27: Santa Fe Day 2

Arielle had planned to sleep in while Abe wanted to get up for breakfast, and he ended up waking up early so he went right to the gym before going to eat, which was almost as good as day one other than the lack of bananas which were sorely needed to make the greek yogurt more palatable (in his opinion). Arielle woke up a bit later and we left to head to explore Santa Fe. We drove to the historic plaza, where Arielle had visited many years ago. We immediately found the unexpected Hebrew word Joy had mentioned we would see on the door frame at the church, and Arielle was able to find a few great books on grief in the church gift shop.

We strolled around the streets and came across Café Pasqual’s, which our Oklahoma City host Helene had told us was her favorite place in Santa Fe. We put in our name and kept walking round for a while, returning just in time a bit later for lunch. Arielle got the Huevos Motuleños, which had eggs, peas, feta cheese, black beans, sautéed bananas, tomatillo sauce and tortillas – it was freaking awesome. Abe got corned beef hash, something he hadn’t actually had before, and found it quite tasty. It came with an English muffin dripping in butter. We tried to drain it and Arielle had it with homemade Santa Fe raspberry jam, the leftovers of which she of course took to go. We browsed the jewelry made by Native American artists and Arielle had a hard time finding just one thing she liked most that wasn’t extremely expensive (as the real turquoise was).

We then drove to Meow Wolf, an attraction everyone had recommended. It was weird right from the start. Arielle would say it was like a combination of an escape room, a Mcdonald’s PlayPlace, and a black light party. Abe, who has never done an escape room, felt it was like an escape room you’re not supposed to escape from. Don’t get the 3-D glasses – they’re only a dollar but not worth it since they only amplify a few things throughout the entirely trippy experience. If you really like art or you’re into solving abstract puzzles, this could be the place for you. If you’re claustrophobic, don’t go. We tried one clue, were confused and not that interested, and gave up and just explored. We Got to slide into a washing machine and walk out of a refrigerator, so that’s something. Ultimately, we spent just over an hour there, and felt this is an activity we would only selectively recommend.

We went to Tribes Coffee House to get a chai and talked to the friendly barista there. We went back to the hotel, where Arielle worked out while Abe did some work.

It started raining, though fortunately it only took about fifteen minutes to get to our restaurant for the evening, Vinaigrette. There, we met Rick and heard how about he got involved with the Chevra Kadisha and how he ended up in Santa Fe. It was great to get to know him and to get his guidance on future work and travel. Arielle got the Asian Chopped Salad with grilled tofu, which she liked, and Abe got the Omega salad with seared tuna. While he didn’t necessarily need the fish, the salad was delicious, especially without the bell pepper, red onion, and blue cheese dressing that were supposed to come with it!

We went back to the hotel after dinner and relaxed, finishing the Baskin Robbins from the night before and even digging into some of the snacks we travel with for Abe to enjoy some chocolate pudding. We also found that the hot tub was not yet full but operational, and so we went in briefly.

Approximate number of miles covered: 19