Albuquerque peeps... a word...

[Opus]

So, my wife and I are planning a road trip this coming summer to the Grand Canyon. For the return trip we thought it would be fun to swing south and follow what's left of old Route 66 (HWY 40). This would take us through Albuquerque so we thought we would try out the Sandia tram and the spend the night.

So far, so good... then I'm looking on a thread about soft-top Jeeps being broken in to and a number of folks made a point about how Albuquerque is a great place to stay... if you want to have stuff stolen.

Now, I realize the internet generally isn't a place to go for good news... about anything. But I'm wondering from folks who live there or in the area, or who have traveled through recently... should I not think twice about staying there? Or, should I look to get a little further down the road before stopping for the night? If it's the latter, any suggestions on where? Edgewood? Moriarty?

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[Jreycnc]

I'm not in Albuquerque but I lived in New Mexico for a while. I think there's good and bad parts of town like any place. I wouldn't hesitate to park a soft top at any decent hotel chain there.

 

[Chocolate Thunder]

I heard there used to be a guy there a few years back who manufactured and distributed some very high quality methamphetamine Tweakers do some crazy stuff for that blue meth…

 

[Opus]

I heard there used to be a guy there a few years back who manufactured and distributed some very high quality methamphetamine Tweakers do some crazy stuff for that blue meth…

Yeah. I'm guessing Bryan Cranston isn't winning any awards from the Chamber of Commerce

I'm not in Albuquerque but I lived in New Mexico for a while. I think there's good and bad parts of town like any place. I wouldn't hesitate to park a soft top at any decent hotel chain there.

Fair point. My town is the same way.

 

[Squibbles]

I would recommend not leaving anything in the vehicle. Break ins are a huge issue here just like catalytic converter thefts. The west side is certainly better and I’ve never had any issues simply by not leaving stuff in my vehicles and not parking overnight is the worst parts of town. I wouldn’t let it discourage you from coming here. I would just avoid staying anywhere off of RT66 or Central ave especially in the eastern parts of town.

 

[JamesWyatt]

You might consider staying at a higher-end place away from the clusters of chain hotels. The Sandia Resort and Casino comes to mind, and it’s close to the tram.

 

[ChuckQue]

Ahh Albuquerque. Come for the beautiful mountains, stay because your car got stolen.

My wife grew up and lived in ABQ until a short time ago and also worked for the sheriffs department there. I’d just make good choices in parking and not leaving ANYTHING visible or out. It’s a roll of the dice though.

That being said, it’s beautiful there. Lots of great breweries and food. If you’re looking for guilty pleasure hangover food, I always get a shitload of taco burgers with extra green Chile at Bob’s Burgers. So damn good but don’t make plans after

We visit regularly and do intend on heading out there to wheel and camp. I’ll probably invest in a ravelco before we go though.

 

[Opus]

I would recommend not leaving anything in the vehicle. Break ins are a huge issue here just like catalytic converter thefts. The west side is certainly better and I’ve never had any issues simply by not leaving stuff in my vehicles and not parking overnight is the worst parts of town. I wouldn’t let it discourage you from coming here. I would just avoid staying anywhere off of RT66 or Central ave especially in the eastern parts of town.

Good to know. Thank you!

 

[r.stevens]

https://tenor.com/blJWE.gif

 

[Opus]

https://tenor.com/blJWE.gif

Exactly... even Bugs doesn't stay there over night...

 

[Opus]

You might consider staying at a higher-end place away from the clusters of chain hotels. The Sandia Resort and Casino comes to mind, and it’s close to the tram.

You had me at "Casino"...

 

[BDinTX]

Some AirBnB stays let you park in the garage.

 

[Opus]

Some AirBnB stays let you park in the garage.

True. For me it's a personal thing but I just can't stay in a stranger's house. It's a weird hang-up, I know, but VRBO or AirBnB would never work for me.

For this trip we have a few destinations reserved but others we've intentionally left open-ended. When we get tired we do a Google search for nearby available hotels and book one for the night. We were planning to do that for Albuquerque, but if that's a dicier proposition then we might book someplace like the Sandia Hotel and Casino in advance...

 

[tk1700]

I live in the mountains east of Abq. There is a Comfort Inn in Edgewood that is fine. There aren't many restaurants or other things nearby, but its good just for an overnight. Pizza Barn, 22 beers on tap, and Chili Hills are 2 good restaurants near. Coming from the west, you can get off of 40 before getting to Abq and drive 66 all the way to Edgewood. They are supposed to opening a Route 66 visitor center on the west side soon. Driving thru Abq there are still some of the old restaurants, motels and stores with neon signs from the 50s and 60s. The Nob Hill area near the university is unique. There are some sketchy areas with homeless people as you drive thru but as long as you stay in the Jeep you're fine, even with the top down.

Sandia casino is a nice safe place to stay and is near the tram. You can also drive NM 165 through Placitas and drive to the top of Sandia Peak. After leaving Placitas you have about 8 miles of dirt road. You can also drive to the top from the east side of the mountain using hwy 14, thats all paved. If you want to explore for a few hours Forest Service road 242 off Juan Tomas road is nice easy couple of hours trip.

Send me a PM if you have any other questions.

 

[ChuckQue]

Also, Hotel Chaco has an awesome rooftop bar with gorgeous views of the mountains. Tin Alley has some great food and beer, and is a neat place to grab lunch. Monte’s Cigars is the place to go if you like to indulge and need to resupply. The staff there is awesome.

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