likie

I was here at college for eight months. Unfortunately, I didn’t really like living here – but I loved the times when I had visitors and could just go out on the plaza and pretend I was a tourist. The shopping is awesome, great (though busy) atmosphere on the square, wonderful weather between April and October. The scenery is nice, too. The so-called miraculous staircase (pictured) wasn’t all that impressive, but the church it’s in is beautiful.

If you’re looking for a nice, affordable place to stay, I recommend the Santa Fe Motel & Inn; if you’ve got money to burn, try Hotel Santa Fe or La Fonda Inn (right on the plaza!). Or if you’re feeling really lucky, go for the Inn on the Alameda. Unfortunately though, you won’t find a large hotel room for under $200/night in any of these. For eating, Pasqual’s (on the plaza) is terrific but busy; Rooftop Pizzeria (also on the plaza – upstairs in one of the mall things) is very affordable for the great atmosphere and food. Blue Corn Cafe and both of the “NYC” delis (New York Deli/Brooklyn Deli) are good for everyday eating, and Osaka is a great Japanese steakhouse, but all of those are way down Cerrillos, a good ways away from the plaza.

This place was very odd. My boyfriend and I rented a house out here. The residents seem to be either very wealthy and living in big, beautiful beach houses, or the opposite and living in trailers. (Weirdly, there’s a fence around the ‘trailer park’ area.) Truth be told, the beach was nice. The island was not – apparently in recent years the real estate market in the area has really gone downhill, and so have all the shops and such. I recommend finding a different beach.

I loved this place. It’s been a few years, but I think we went in June. Lots of tourists, but still a wonderful spot with a lot of great places to stay.

although the jury’s still out on whether or not it’s great. I didn’t do too much touristing; I was seeing a wedding with my boyfriend, so we spent most of our time in residential areas or in churches. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the atmosphere. It felt like New York City in places, with the millions of ads all over everything and incredible Asian/Middle Eastern populations, but the pollution was not even as bad as Nashville, and the people were less outrageous than the ones in NYC.

A little ski village in the Alps. On one side of the mountains are most of the homes, which all look like those Swiss cuckoo clocks stuck up against a mountainside. Take a cable car to the other side of this mountain and there are the ski slopes; I, however, went in the summer, so they were astoundingly green and beautiful. Covered in cows, too, all of which wore cowbells.

The whole place was completely mind-boggling. I would go back in a heartbeat. Literally.

In winter, you say? Yes, winter. It’s freezing, so bundle up like a bag lady, but through the snow the canyon is really beautiful. Be careful on the trails, though; I recommend getting those things for your shoes so you don’t slip on the ice. (Obviously I didn’t have any.)

I was only here for a day, and wish I had been here longer. It was, however, the middle of the summer, and very hot. The city itself is fascinating, albeit a little stinky in places (the canals). The tourist in me loved the little shops all along every road and the alleyways that make you feel like you’re exploring someplace no one else knows about.

Went to visit St. John’s College here.. I loved it so much. It’s a beautiful city, and right on the coast. Weather is awesome… like New England, but a bit warmer. I’m dying to go back and go to school there… we’ll see.

There’s nowhere else I’d rather live. Would you want to visit it just to sightsee? Probably not. But it’s quiet, comparatively speaking, beautiful, clean, comfortable, has awesome primary/secondary education, and still has a modern feel to it. Unfortunately it is being developed somewhat quickly, so get there while you can before it’s all concrete.