Half work, half play in Santa Fe

I travel a lot for work, but this work trip was different. I decided to take my mom along for the ride. Mostly because I wanted to make a mini girls trip out of it (in the hustle and bustle of life, my mom and I don’t get to do this much anymore) and because Santa Fe holds a special place in our hearts.

I was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico – only moving to Scottsdale, Arizona when I was 14. So whenever I see the colors of Santa Fe (as seen in the Navajo blankets, the turquoise, the red chile ristras, the adobe buildings) it makes me feel really nostalgic.

I worked most of the time but mom and I did spend a lot of time walking the historic Plaza, window shopping and eating at all of the great restaurants this city has to offer. And don’t feel too bad for mom because while I was in morning meetings, she was getting pampered with a signature spa treatment at La Posada de Santa Fe. And from what she described, a visit to the spa while you’re in Santa Fe should be on the top of your list!

We walked the historic plaza and saw so many indigenous things. My favorite part was the Native American Indians selling their jewelry and pottery in the plaza. Everything was handmade and authentic (and expensive!). My mom says you can barter them down but I wasn’t in the mood for that so we just window shopped. Here are some pictures from our quick trip to Santa Fe.

We stayed at the La Posada de Santa Fe resort. Every room is casita-style and completely unique from the other. You truly feel like you are apart of Santa Fe when you stay here. The property dates back to the 19th century as it was first constructed in 1882.

It’s a darling love story of how it was built (Abraham Staab built this grand house for his wife, Julia Staab). She loved to entertain high society and was always the life of the party. The original Staab house is still on property as the resorts bar. It’s truly a charming hotel and one worth staying at while in town.

We spent Tuesday walking the Historic Plaza. We loved the history, the Indian jewelry and pottery, and indulging in the great food. We had lunch at The Shed, window shopped and took a peek inside the glorious Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.

See the dragon? He wrapped around the entire building.

Then we went to dinner at the Four Seasons and had way too much amazing food before calling it a night. The best part about this trip was all of the funny moments we had along the way.

The journey to find a Starbucks (evidently they are not easy to find in New Mexico), the hundred times I curled up like a baby on my mom’s shoulder during the flight because I hate turbulence, or how we realized half way to the airport that the trunk was open. Oh mom … never a dull moment.