Albuquerque

Open Space Visitor Center

6500 coors blvd, +1 505 897-8831, (http://www.cabq.gov/opens...). tu-su 9am-5pm. the center for the city's open space program, which encompasses land from around the city to preserve for environmental and recreational use. the visitor center has exhibits on the natural and cultural resources of the area, an art gallery, a nature area, and views of the bosque and mountains. free.

Santa Ana Star Center

Just off of unser in neighboring rio rancho, +1 505 891-7300, (http://www.santaanastarce...). it is home to the new mexico scorpions (http://www.scorpionshockey.com) ice hockey team. there are also concerts, conventions and other events. scorpions tickets $15-40.

Rio Grande Valley State Park

(http://www.cabq.gov/opens...). a very pleasant state park running along the banks of the rio grande through albuquerque. the park encompasses almost the entirety of the bosque cottonwood forest in the city, which is home to much wildlife, such as geese, roadrunners, beavers, rabbits, squirrels, and numerous other species. numerous trails criss-cross the park, most notably the paseo del bosque paved bike/walk trail which runs the length of the park (http://www.cabq.gov/opens...). there are also several picnic areas and wetland areas. free.rio grande nature center, 2901 candelaria rd nw, +1 505 344-7240, . 10am-5pm daily. the bosque provides a tranquil setting for this small but delightful visitor center, with its nature pond and exhibits on the native wildlife. nature lovers will particularly enjoy the enclosed views of the pond behind the visitor center. two short trails head into the bosque from the visitor center. free, parking $3.

New Mexico Lobos

unm sports, avenida cesar chavez / university blvd south of unm, +1 505 925-5626, (http://www.golobos.com/). the lobos are big. for a deafening experience in college sports, try to catch a basketball game at "the pit," the university's semi-underground fieldhouse that has been a house of pain for visiting basketball teams for years. the women's teams have been doing better than the men's in past years, and attract crowds every bit as raucous - when the teams are doing really good, games will sell out. right across the street is university stadium, home of the immensely popular lobos football team. football tickets $14-27, $8-17 children. basketball tickets $8-22, $4-8 children women's game tickets are cheaper than men's. unm students are free, guests of students can get sometimes a discount.

Albuquerque has evolved into a fairly "high-tech" city from the employment point of view. Albuquerque major employers are mostly military and technology based: The Kirtland Air Force Base and the Sandia National Laboratories are the region's largest employers. Intel has a huge plant just outside the city in neighboring Rio Rancho. These are surrounded by spinoffs, support organizations, etc. UNM and the medical industry are also major regional employers as well.

Recently, the film industry has hit New Mexico and Albuquerque in particular in a big way, with new movie studios being built and some big-name films being produced in the area. Keep your eyes open; you may be able to find an interesting job.

Unemployment tends to run below the national average, so jobs are comparatively easy to get. Being bilingual English/Spanish is a plus in the retail workplace, although by no means essential.

Albuquerque Isotopes

At the corner of avenida cesar chavez and university blvd south of unm, +1 505 924-2255, (http://www.albuquerquebas...). the isotopes, triple-a affiliate of the los angeles dodgers, play baseball in a beautiful stadium. seats in the park are both good and cheap—$11 can get you a seat behind home plate $13 if you buy your ticket on gameday. all the concessions and restrooms are located along a big concourse behind the seats which is open to the field, so you don't miss any of the action. for $6 a ticket, you can bring a picnic blanket and find a spot in the grassy "berm" behind right field that's perfect for kids—they can enjoy the grass and play on the playground on top of the berm. beware of foul balls—the park is a notorious "launching pad" for hitters that drives pitchers nuts. $6-24.

 

At Balloon Fiesta Park, located north of Alameda Blvd., one mi 1.6 km west of I-25 take either Alameda Blvd or Tramway Blvd exit off I-25, (http://www.balloonfiesta.com/). $6, children ages 12 and under free parking $10 per car.

The Fiesta is the world's largest ballooning event, largest annual international event in North America, and one of the most photographed events in the world. A cultural landmark for Albuquerque and indeed, all of New Mexico, this festival gives you a first-hand look at the world of ballooning. For nine days in October, you may walk out onto a large field where balloonists from around the world set up, inflate, launch, and possibly land their balloons. Mass ascensions of balloons with hundreds of different colors and shapes create an often stunning and magnificent sight. It's one of the most heavily attended festivals in the entire U.S.

Balloons fly best in cooler conditions, so many of the events take place early in the morning. Traffic is pretty bad around the festival; expect a long, long line of cars you may want to seriously consider taking park-and-ride to beat the traffic. Get your hotel reservations far in advance, because everyone fills up around this time of year.

The event begins on the first Saturday of October and ends with a farewell mass ascension on the Sunday of the following weekend, with numerous events in-between, such as concerts and balloon races. Here are a few of the highlights of the fiesta:

Dawn Patrol

Every day there's a Dawn Patrol at around 6AM, where a few balloons take off before the sun rises. These balloons test the conditions before other balloons take off.

Mass Ascension

On weekend days at about 7AM the Mass Ascension occurs, which is the lift off of all the balloons participating in the fiesta, usually in two waves. Not to be missed.

Balloon Glow

On weekend evenings except for the final day of the event a Balloon Glow takes place, when the balloons don't lift off the ground, but are illuminated by the light of their propane burners going off.

Special Shapes Rodeo

The Special Shapes Rodeo happens at 7AM on the Thursday and Friday of the event, which is a Mass Ascension for all the "special shape" balloons. There are also Balloon Glows called Glowdeos a portmanteau of "glow" and "rodeo" for the special shape balloons. The special shapes are the balloons in forms other than the standard balloon shape, and are very popular with kids - expect to see animals, cartoon characters, clowns, and many other colorful creations. Returning favorites include a milk cow, a wagon coach, and a trio of bees.

 

And if you want to do more than watch the balloons, there are several local companies which provide balloon rides year-round: Rainbow Ryders, +1 505 823-1111, (http://www.rainbowryders.com/) is the only one which operates directly from Balloon Fiesta Park during the Balloon Fiesta, but there's also Above and Beyond Affordable Balloon Rides, +1 505 293-0000, (http://www.aboveandbeyond...), Above It All Balloon Rides, +1 505 861-3386, Aliens Aloft, +1 505 864-8871, (http://www.aliensaloft.com/), Beautiful Balloons Co., +1 800 367-6625 (http://www.beautifulballo...), Private Balloon Flights, +1 505 550-2677, (http://www.privateballoon...), and Skyspan Adventures, +1 505 250-2300, (http://www.skyspanadventu...).

 

Besides the Balloon Fiesta, there are numerous festivals and celebrations on a yearly basis. Here are some of the major ones:

Native American Gathering of Nations Pow-Wow

The Native American Gathering of Nations Pow-Wow (http://www.gatheringofnat...) is an event bringing Native Americans from across the country together. There are many events, including the powwow, native music, arts, crafts, and food, and Miss Indian World. The event takes place in late April at the UNM Arena "The Pit".

New Mexico Arts & Crafts Fair

(http://www.nmartsandcraft...) takes place in june at the expo new mexico fairgrounds and features a great variety of arts and crafts all made locally.

luminarias

Around Christmas time, thousands of luminarias a paper bag half-filled with sand with a lit candle placed inside line the streets of Old Town. If you come to the city during this time of year you are also likely to see electric luminarias a string of lights designed to resemble authentic luminarias lining the roofs of many buildings in the city. You may also see luminaria displays in some of the city's residential neighborhoods, on the UNM campus, and on many a individual's front yard, but Old Town provides the most accessible and dramatic display.