Day 6: Santa Fe

Miles so far: still 2232.2
Song of the Day: Santa Fe from the hit musical “Rent”
Update: Gen DOES have cholera. We are in desperate need of a medicine man. And some extra buffalo meat. One ox has died.

Gen’s sickness, as it turned out, was a blessing in disguise. We followed Shelly’s carefully mapped out city tour and both promptly fell in love with Santa Fe. We started downtown at the Farmer’s Market, which is unlike any farmer’s market we’ve ever seen: large, organic, wonderful, varied. Yarn is sold next to burritos next to honey next to live music next to corn being sold out of the bed of a truck. It is the social event of the morning and stands often sell out by 10:30.
We grooved to an African dance class in a studio next to the market, then wandered into a couple galleries and the Artists’ Market.

Santa Fe has an overwhelming amount of art. Every other store is a gallery or a museum and it seems everyone is either working to create art or is selling it. We went into a fair number of the galleries, the most exciting of which had an Ansel Adams and Annie Liebowitz exhibit, and also visited the small but beautiful Georgia O’Keeffe museum. We thought we had already seen the art district, but then we went to Canyon Road, the actual art district, which is about a mile long and has nothing but galleries and a cute teahouse on top. We have no idea who is buying this art and how the galleries all stay in business.

The art is only one aspect of what’s so cool about Santa Fe. Everyone was dressed in totally different ways and looked relaxed and happy. Not a single person was on a cell phone during the entire farmer’s market. People are friendly, generous, healthy and they all seem to be having the time of their lives. The sky is perfectly blue, it was hot but dry, and even though you are at 7,400 feet you are surrounded by gorgeous mountains that tempt you to come hike and ski.All the houses are built in the Native American adobe style—low to the ground, blending into the hills. At night you can’t really see other house lights because the homes are nestled into the gaps of the mountains sides. Santa Fe has no tall buildings—and no downtown of commerce or finance. We asked John and Shelly what people do here and their response was “relax.”

Overall this place seems perfect. Yoga, live music, chill people who aren’t pretentious about being chill…It’s a perfect city with 4 seasons and beautiful weather, outdoor activities all year round.. Exactly what we dream about… and yet, it’s almost as if it’s too perfect. Perhaps we need to save it for after we’ve worked in the world and added something useful it (being the world), after we’ve put our brains to work, so that we really deserve and can appreciate that kind of rest. After we’ve done whatever it is we’re going to do, then Santa Fe will be ready for us to come back to. Right now, it feels like we haven’t suffered enough, or done enough that contributes to the world, for us to toss in our hands and live the life of relaxation amid gorgeous mountains and perfect weather.

So for now, Santa Fe will have to be a dream. Perhaps we’ll come back for a short stint in the foreseeable future, but nothing long term until we can afford that house on the mountain and deserve that lifestyle of outdoor bliss.

Thank you so much John and Shelly for having us—what an amazing time spent with you two. Thank you Peter for putting us in touch with such a fantastic couple—we’ll have to see you next time we’re in Santa Fe!