At the end of January, I went to Albuquerque for the ITMI Symposium, which is an annual gathering of tour directors and tour operators to discuss the industry and interview for open positions with different companies; however, it's mostly just a chance to network in an industry in which we all rarely see each other. I'm grateful I went for that purpose and to see my friends that I went to training with, but I didn't really glean that much from the sessions themselves. I roomed with my friend Rhonda, which was fun, even when she accidentally locked me out and fell asleep. I also got to see one tour director slap another for coming on to her too aggressively, and the same night a tour operator told me I looked like Frodo. Events like this definitely blur the line of professionalism.
As well, the location was a bit on the boring side, so I guess it was good that there wasn't much free time to experience the city. Albuquerque is in a beautiful location with mountains nearby making a gorgeous skyline, but the town itself is lacking in substance at least in my experience. There is the historic Old Town district which consists of a few blocks of older buildings dating back to the founding of the city and a gorgeous church; however, all of the other buildings in the square are now filled with lame souvenir stores, which to me ruins the historic factor. They have a portion of historic Route 66 going through town with the neon signs and classic diners littering the street.
My friends and I went to one of these Route 66 diners for dinner after our interviews to celebrate. It was called Standard Diner, and the food was excellent. I had a great Cream of Calabasita soup along with the Macaroni and Cheese. I judge all restaurants by their mac and cheese if it's on the menu. Apparently the restaurant was on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, not that it matters to any amount of legitimacy as an eating establishment. The other restaurant I went to was traditional New Mexican cuisine. Just like friendships in Alabama can be drawn based on your college football team of choice, New Mexicans get serious when it comes to liking red or green chilies in your food. Apparently, no self-respecting person orders it "Christmas style," which mixes the two. I LOVED that type of food. I ordered the enchiladas, and the rice, beans, tortilla, meat, and cheese were all mixed together on the plate so that it was just one big blob of deliciousness. Obviously, presentation is low on my scale of importance when it comes to the tastiness of food. The restaurant is called Sadie's, and I highly recommend it if you find yourself in New Mexico. The owner was one of our speakers on the conference and prides himself on customer service, so feel free to complain if something goes wrong.
The one cool thing I experienced and the only thing I can see giving Albuquerque a draw was the Balloon Museum. I would love to go back and see the Balloon Festival. It looks gorgeous and brings so many people from all over the world to a tiny town in New Mexico. This would be the only reason I would see myself returning unless I become a big fan of Breaking Bad in the future. I am glad to cross it off my list of destinations and to have seen all of my friends while making new ones, but overall Albuquerque was not an impressive travel destination on its own.
Here is a picture from inside the Balloon Museum
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