Albuquerque

Our day trip from Santa Fe to Albuquerque via the New Mexico Rail Runner Express was a lot of fun.  It was another early morning, arriving for departure from the Santa Fe Depot at 7:00am.

We chose to ride on the upper deck.

This photo of the Santa Fe Depot is from a different day..7am is too early for photos!

The trip on the Rail Runner, departing from Santa Fe going to Albuquerque, takes about an hour and thirty minutes as it stops at commuter stations and some of the New Mexico Pueblos.  We noticed that even though the train was not full on this morning, people were boarding and departing at almost all of the stops.

View from the train as we pull out from the station.  This is a great REI, by the way.

It was a relaxing trip both ways.  Seats are comfortable and the coach was cool.

The Rail Runner travels through some beautiful New Mexico countryside too.

The Rail Runner arrived at the Alvarado Station in downtown Albuquerque on time. Soon afterwards we located info for the public bus transportation to travel to the Old Town Plaza.

Alvarado Station in Albuquerque  Time on the clock is incorrect, it was about 8:54 am.

Our bus ride to Albuquerque's Old Town Plaza was about 5 minutes.  Folks were friendly and helpful as we navigated the public bus system.  No problem.

Now, it was hot this day..94 degrees.

We got some coffee and scones for breakfast then walked to the center square to enjoy the cool shade.

Old Town Plaza

Navy Brass Band happened to be scheduled to play this day.

We took the ABQ Trolly Company's "Best of ABQ City Tour".  The tour was about 80 minutes long, highlighting points of interest in Albuquerque.  We saw a variety of museum locations, Route 66, the New Mexico University campus as well as other high points.

The KiMo Theatre on Route 66.  It is a great example of the Pueblo Deco Style.

The Crossroads Motel, on Route 66, was used for the TV series Breaking Bad.  In fact, the trolley took us to several places used/seen in the TV series Breaking Bad.  

Departure platform at the Alvarado Station.

More scenic New Mexico countryside.

Whew..we were a little tired when we arrived back to Santa Fe around 6:00pm.  Yep, that's another storm looming off in the horizon.

We had no need for dinner when we arrived back since we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Backstreet Grill in Old Town Plaza.  We would take the Rail Runner again, it was a fast yet relaxing way to travel to Albuquerque for the day.

More later..