After checking out the Loretto Chapel we did some window shopping and came upon Saint Francis Cathedral.
I actually wanted to check out the cathedral. Apparently, the oldest existing statue of the Virgin Mary in North America resides in the Basilica. Sadly they were closed during our stay in Santa Fe, so I guess it's on the list for the next time.
Cathedral Park was positively buzzing with a craft market. We ended up spending a good amount of time checking things out and even bought some gifts for folks back home.
From here we strolled along East Palace Avenue until we came upon this shop.
The Missus loved this shop and even bought some gifts. I however, was here for a different reason. This…..
It is in this spot that folks like Robert Oppenheimer and Richard Feyman first arrived. It was the portal to Los Alamos. You can read about it here or even in this book.
By this time our room was ready and we walked on over to the Inn of the Governors. We enjoyed this hotel, which was perhaps a bit on the noisy side, but what do you expect being in the middle of Santa Fe? We enjoyed our room.
And were given a Sherry Tasting with some Biscochitos as a welcome gift.
We enjoyed sitting on the balcony….which while it wasn't a great view, was nice and relaxing.
The staff in the hotel were so friendly and welcoming.
Because we got a bit of a late start on planning this road trip a couple of places on our "list" were fully booked and for some reason, the Missus was not interested in trying out New Mexican Cuisine. I did manage to make two dinner reservations and on our first night, it was at a place that was a pleasant 10 minute stroll from our hotel away from the bustling center of Santa Fe named Joseph's Culinary Pub.
We both enjoyed the quite diverse menu, which ran the gamut from duck fat fries to posole verde to steak au poivre. The service was relaxed and friendly.
And while things were empty when we arrived, the dining room and bar filled up fairly quickly. Based on the interactions we saw between staff and customers, there seemed to be a nice mix of locals and visitors.
We ordered three apps and one main for our dinner.
Starting with the Polenta Fries and Grilled Radicchio.
The Missus who is a fan of radicchio loved the savory-bitterness and the sweet mild maize flavor of the nicely crisp polenta worked like a charm. The Gorgonzola sauce added a savory-salty component and this was very tasty.
The New Mexico Lamb Tartare was quite refreshing and not very gamey at all, if minced a bit too finely, making for a mushy texture.
It actually did well with the tortilla chips.
The Missus really enjoyed the "Charred" Ratatouille.
Which seemed to be a combination of charred and dried. The flavors were quite intense and the crunchy texture quite interesting. The ricotta gnudi was a nice mildly acidic-cheesy addition which added a textural contrast to the dish along with a good milkiness. It was the Missus's favorite item of the evening.
As with many meals we had, our least favorite item was the one main we ordered, the Root Vegetable Napoleon.
We found this to be on the bland side in spite of the Sherry Beurre Blanc, the Cardamom Phyllo was soggy when it hit the table and this was just a bunch of root vegetables in a bland sauce. Not quite worth the $32 for the dish.
Still this was an enjoyable meal overall and we'd return and stick with the starters.
Joseph's Culinary Pub
428 Agua Fria St. 
Santa Fe, NM 87501
We enjoyed the leisurely walk back to our room. Santa Fe, at least this area seemed really relaxed and we enjoyed ourselves. Things seemed so peaceful and quiet.
There was a certain combination of color, beauty, art, and history that made Santa Fe so interesting and attractive to us.
We just felt so blessed to be able to visit and partake of what the city had to offer!
It was a pleasant stop and we'd eat here again if in the area. And we saw Jean Pierre walk to the dining area and engage in a lively conversation with another gentleman……in full on French. The Missus and I loved it!
Man, this place was quite busy. The lines did move quickly though. The Missus bought some chocolates and a couple of bags of "elixirs" and we headed on out.
Well, to be more specific; it's about the staircase in the chapel. The construction of the Lorreto Chapel was completed in 1878. Unfortunately, due to some weird "oversight", there was no way to reach the choir loft which was 22 feet above. After many consultations the Sisters of Loretto were told that the only way to access the choir loft would be by ladder as a staircase would interfere with the design of the chapel. At wits end, the Sisters started praying to the 
dinner, She said, "I'd like some ramen…." So, my first thought was Menya of course. But then I remembered "FOY" Junichi's mention of enjoying having a bowl of ramen at Santouka. Santouka holds a special place in our hearts. We consider it to be the first "real" ramen spot to open in San Diego, which started what we call "San Diego's Ramen Renaissance" back in 2008. Over the years it's the 
Man, this was so much better than takeout. The noodles, which were the biggest issue with takeout was decently springy. Still not quite I recall it being in the "good old days", but much better.
There it was, Cliff Palace, I was actually here! Our Ranger was just like all the rest, so knowledgeable, first going over the safety protocols, we'd be using ladders to ascend….five in total. There were a couple of folks that struggled a bit, but for us it was pretty easy.
Petroglyph Point was the more interesting of the two and also the more strenuous. There were several tight squeezes, a couple of drops and some variations in terrain as well. The Missus was loving it.
And truth be told, I was actually enjoying this trail. All the changes in terrain and views kept me visually stimulated.
I thought this trail was easier than Petroglyph Point, but also less interesting. It was quite peaceful as we did not see another soul during our hike.
While the SYSCO crinkle cut fries weren't fried very well and quite soggy, the sandwich was not bad. The bread could have been toasted a bit more, but I liked the fact that they used Parmesan Texas Toast, which had a nice salty-buttery-milkiness. The short ribs were tender and beefy, loved the caramelized onions, and the cheese, which was a Boursin was herbaceous and nice and gooey. This was nice to share.
And then we took the long and winding drive down to Wetherill Mesa and easily found parking in the lot.
You can pretty much linger as long as you want. 
I set about reheating the broth and moving the noodles and proteins to a proper bowl. One thing I noticed was that the broth really didn’t have that wonderful lemongrass-beefy fragrance of typical bun bo hue broth. Though I was prepared for the lack of banana blossom and such this time.
Well, that decent bowl of 
The noodles were the same as the NRM. The duck was much better this time around; you can tell by the color, there as much more five spice flavor and the meat, while on the tough side had taste. The skin was still a bit rubbery for my taste, but the fat had been rendered nicely. This was a definite improvement.
I ended up ordering The "O", like I did on my previous visit. It's now $7, a buck more than on my last visit, which ain't too bad considering I've seen banh mi approaching nine bucks these days.
The acidity of the tomato and the mild spice from the jalapeno, along with the creamy Russian Dressing supported the wonderful "meat in tubular form" that had been seared nicely. The bun was nice and fluffy.