OT - Albuquerque NM vs San Jose CA weather similiar !

[kylen]

Ratsy and I just checked into a hotel on the Rio Grande in Albuquerque New Mexico. The cool news is the weather feels similiar to what we're used to in San Jose. We noticed it starting to dry up a bit about half-past Oklahoma (we're driving from Knoxville Tennessee to San Jose CA).

 

So I'm thinking Albequerque might be an acceptable alternative to San Jose down the road weather wise. In fact the guy who checked us in lived in San Mateo up until about 3 weeks ago and says it's real similiar here weather wise - and much cheaper !

 

Any opinions about Albuquerque? Maybe Bugs Bunny might show up

[YourMotherShouldKnow]

Dang Kylen, you're getting around, buddy. You shoulda stopped by Austin, Texas on your way by. Woulda done some eatin' and drinkin'.

 

I went to Santa Fe last year by way of Albuquerque airport but didn't see much of Albuquerque. I enjoyed Santa Fe very much (it helped having a sweet babe around) but New Mexico is too dry for my liking. Everything is brown and gray and stony. I grew up around water so it's hard for me to see so much dryness.

 

Whose Ratsy and what is this adventure you're on, anyway?

[kylen]

Hi LanceMo ! Ratsy is my wife & partner in crime - that's her forum name !

 

I think the potentially cool thing about Albuquerque is that the Rio Grande runs thru it - there's a green strip on either side so at least there is some limited vegetation !

 

Well we really love Austin - next time we get down there we'll give you a ring for a couple of beers on 6th street ! We only got into the Texas panhandle a bit as we were on route 40...we've been out on the road for over a month so we're trying to find our way back to San Jose, hehe...we started out at Lee Fliers show in LA 31JUL, then Phils BBQ, then we flew to Baltimore MD to see the Grandkids and have been driving ever since !

 

I sure love the USA - it is full of so many great villages, towns, cities and great people (some jerks too, mostly in cars though - hehe no offense anyone if I flipped you off - it's just a car thing!) it's a real hoot to drive across this thing and meet all the cool strangers - I'm always just a split second away from making a connection with somebody

 

LanceMo - Hope you're rockin out in Austin !!!

[The Studio Pet-Rock]

Albuquerque is a great town! I lived there from '95 to '97. You MUST go to the Frontier Restaurant on Central and get yourself a breakfast burrito. I giant slab of heaven

 

I thought it was very expensive place to live, but I went there from Fargo, ND. I'm sure It's quite a bit cheaper than California though.

 

Albuquerque does have some crime issues, but again, these may pale in comparison to San Jose.

 

Other than that, a very artist-oriented community. Lots to see and plenty to do.

 

Just don't buy/rent a house in South Central. That's the rough part of town.

[Geoff Grace]

kylen, I would have never thought of equating Albuquerque's weather with San Jose's. Then again, I'm more familiar with San Francisco and Santa Cruz than I am with San Jose; and while I spent a fair amount of time gigging in Albuquerque, it's been 20 years since I was last there.

 

I'm pretty sure that it can snow some in Albuquerque during the winter; and I wouldn't be surprised if the summer months are hotter there than in San Jose. Here's some other bits of what I recall about the Albuquerque I knew in the eighties:

 

Hot air balloons

A thriving bar scene for cover bands

A conservative political climate

Neighborhoods decorated with luminarios during the holiday season

 

Have fun and don't forget to turn left at Albuquerque!

 

(Or was that don't turn left at Albuquerque? )

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Boggs]

Albuquerque is great... Weather is actually quite different from San Diego. It is MUCH drier for one. You do get the perfect blend of cool nights and hot days. It can be 105 degrees out but you do not feel it because of the altitude and low humidity. Funny thing is, it can be that hot out and sun blaring but step out of a swimming pool and you will shiver like you've never shivered before because evaporational cooling is so effective! You will be completely dry in about 3 minutes without a towel, but you will FREEZE during the process! In fact, they do not use air conditioners in their homes. They use evaporators which pump water up to them and when it evaporates, again due to the consistently low humidity, it effectively cools the whole house. Very efficient. The biggest thing they have to contend with is winds. It can get quite windy and dusty at times. Also, STAY OUT OF THE ARROYOS! These channel rain water and they can fill in a heartbeat from runoff from the mountains that you will not know is coming. You get caught in them during a flow, you are toast.

 

Lots of culture in Albuquerque, too... especially Native American and Mexican. Old Town is a really neat place and there are also flea markets to get cool stuff. The mountain range is so close that you can drive up and ski, drive back down 20 minutes, put on your shorts, and play golf! Lots to do there. Of course, there is the hot-air balloon festival as it is the hot air balloon capital of the world.

 

My father moved out there to retire so I got to see it a couple of times and loved it. Oh yeah... I think Garcia's is on Central Ave and has phenomenal Huevos Rancheros (or did the last time I was there). They bill it as the "World's Best Huevos Rancheros" and I have had none better since! Get it with Salsa Verde... Mmmmm! Boggs

[Botch.]

I lived in Albuquerque for five years, and absolutely loved the weather (I hate humidity). Never got too hot in the summer, great lightning storms every night, and skiing's only 25 minutes away. The racial divide and the crime (my house was robbed annually) soured me on the place, however.

As far as breakfast, Huevos Rancheros at Little Anita's; even though its a local chain there's something about it, damn I'm hungry now! If you happen to hear a band called Dottie B. and Sagebrush, tell 'em Botch says Hi!

[Rick K.]

I lived in Albuquerque as well. There are some things that I miss and some that I don't. The music scene, I found, was great provided you played New Mexico Music which is very traditional. I had wonderful opportunities to play with some great and talented people there and would be happy to refer you to any of them if you need to network to find a gig. Overall, I feel that the money per gig was a bit better than here in Phoenix.

 

The New Mexico cuisine is supurb. This time of year is green chile season. I love it--absolutely crave it. The balloon festival is a must see. The street fairs, fiestas, and various celebrations are not only frequent, but traditional. Lots of emphasis on their particular music.

 

Contradictory to what Geoff said, it is a very liberal political climate with Democrats pretty much running the show.

 

Crime, like Botch said, is pretty bad. They always seem to have a gang problem. DUI's are an every day occurance, with New Mexico basically setting the mark for how NOT to be.

 

The scenery is amazing. The Sandias are awe inspiring. We lived less than a half mile from them and spent many an hour hiking them seeing all kinds of wildlife. The lightning shows are impressive especially from the Sandias. Most of New Mexico is Indian Reservation. They aren't necessarily the open kind we have here in Arizona, which was a major bummer for me and my passion for mountain biking.

 

Economically, the city just didn't work well for me. I found that housing was overpriced, wages generally lower than they should be, insurance very high, and taxes obnoxious compared to the quality of the roads and such.

 

The weather is pretty nice. You'll get almost 4 seasons there. Winter gets pretty cold and windy, but not much snow. Lots of ice though. Swamp coolers (or Evaporative coolers) adorn nearly every roof top for the 100 +/- degree summers which are actually pretty pleasant.

 

If you choose to move there, once again let me know. I'll gladly help you get gigging.

[Michelle ggurl]

Double double post post ...

[Michelle ggurl]

Don't know much about Albuquerque, but since you're from San Jo, Kylen, you probably already know this regarding crime rates: San Jose, at least the most recent stats I heard, has among the lowest crime rates for a city of its size. From what others are saying, that may be a bit different from Albuquerque (of course Albuquerque is likely smaller, yes? I dunno, what's population there? so this may not apply).

 

Um, well, as you were ...

[GTRBass]

My wife's family is from Albuquerque. I spend a fair amount of time there. It's a great place to be...FROM!!!

 

Abq is the show most filmed on Cops. They actually had to stop filming there because the city council felt it was making the area look bad. The best episode is about the drunken transvestite truck driver pulled over by the county sheriffs. He gets out of his truck wearing a dress. (No, I'm not making this up.)

 

All kidding aside, I really like Albuquerque. In its own way it is beautiful. The best area (to me) is Corrales. Crime is a bit of a problem, because the job market is pretty slim. Alcohol & drug abuse is rampant because there's "nothing else to do". UNM is a great university. I could live there. Hey, I spent one year of my life living right off Hollywood Blvd (near Gower) After that, I can live anywhere...

[kylen]

Hi Guys & Gurls !

Thanks for all your cool anecdotes & opinions & whatever else you feel like saying of course...

 

We're holed up in Kingman Arizona for the night but Ratsy and I are discussing all the comments you've made about Albuquerque and will have some comments of our own.

 

We expect to be back home in San Jose tomorrow - Linda Pense & Cold Blood as well as Los Lobos will be at the Oakland Labor Day Party over the weekend so we'll probably show up there - anyone else - Bunny ? Have a fun & safe Labor Day everyone !!!