Santa Fe Babymoon

Many people think that the last several week of pregnancy are a time when mom-to-be is exhausted and "nesting" and as such she should be pampered and cared for by her husband and family. Well, I have been feeling extra-tired, and I have definitely felt the nesting urge and have been working around the house like crazy. However, the last several weeks of this pregnancy will not be filled with foot rubs and Nick doing the laundry and vacuuming as I dreamily decorate the nursery. Why? Because on Thursday Nick had major surgery on his right shoulder and he can't move it or lift anything for 4 weeks (followed by 3-6 months of intense physical therapy before he's back to normal)! But more on that in another post.

Before you start thinking I'm being all sour about a situation Nick can't control and is frankly making him much more miserable than it is me, let me say that I only point out those things to tell you why he whisked me away to Santa Fe last weekend for a babymoon!
He made all the arrangements for us to stay in a great hotel about a block from the Plaza, planned out our daytime excursions, and treated me to several tasty meals out!
We stayed in the Hotel St. Francis. It's in a historic building, and has been completely renovated to reflect a sort of minimalist/historic mission feel, almost like a spa.  It was very romantic and perfect for a couples trip, although due to the size of the rooms (remember, it's a historic building) I wouldn't recommend it for a family excursion.  Here's a picture of Nick in the gorgeous lobby - at night it was completely lit by candles and gas lights. 

The first day there we arrived in the early afternoon.  We had a delicious lunch at Cafe Pasqual, whose chef was nominated for a James Beard Award.  We definitely will be returning to this restaurant!  Here I am outside the door with the James Beard certificates in the window.  (Please try to ignore my huge-ness in all of these pictures - I certainly do!)

While walking around the Plaza downtown, we saw this church, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis.  St. Francis is everywhere in Santa Fe!  I know he is the patron saint of the diocese, but beyond that I have no idea why he is so popular.

 For our first night out we started with drinks at a bar called Atomic Grill.  We were able to sit out on the deck and people-watch while we sipped tasty drinks - Nick tried the Arrogant Bastard Ale, while I enjoyed a hazelnut italian soda. 

 We finished up the night with dinner at India Palace, which was recommended by friends.  Since we can't get any kind of ethnic food (unless you count Mexican, and I don't think you can when you live in New Mexico) in Clovis, we really wanted to have something a little different while we were in Santa Fe.  We were not disappointed!  This place was great!  (Sorry - no pictures).

The next day we woke up, and following a visit to Starbucks for breakfast, (Don't judge!  We can't get Starbucks in Clovis either, so this was a special treat) we drove a bit out of town and headed up the mountain to check out the Santa Fe ski area.  We were excited to see that the mountain looks pretty decent, with lots of blue and black runs, and it will only take us about 4 hours to get to the actual ski area from our front door.  We are super-excited to try this out as soon as possible.  We may even take Baby H up there in her little bunting in February or March so that Nick can try it out.  Our main mission of the morning was to see the ski area, but we were pleasantly surprised by how beautiful the trees were!  I've included several pictures, especially for my South Carolina friends who have asked (seriously) whether or not there are trees in New Mexico. 

 View looking up the mountain

 Beautiful vantage point

 Nick on a hiking trail amid all the golden Aspen trees.

Something I haven't mentioned yet, but that is worth saying, is that Santa Fe is a very dog-friendly place!  We saw so many dogs there with their owners, and many of the hotels, shops, and restaurants (with outdoor seating) welcome furry friends.  Dogs are even allowed to hike with you off-leash on the mountain.  We will definitely be bringing Finlay with us the next time we visit!

We spent the rest of the day walking and shopping around the Plaza.  If you haven't ever been, there is a plaza downtown surrounding a monument, and surrounding it are all kinds of shops and art galleries.  It's a really interesting place with an eclectic mix of both things to buy and people buying them.  It's almost just as fun to watch the other shoppers as it is to shop yourself.  If you were ever lucky enough to visit my parents' old house, with the Southwestern themed family room, you may be interested to know that all of the Southwestern decor items, including Kaibab the Coyote, hail from these Plaza area shops and were purchased during a family vacation.

Here I am lounging on the Plaza. 

 After our shopping, we stopped into a rooftop bar before heading in to get ready for dinner.  It looked out onto the Plaza, great for more people-watching!

That night we had dinner at Santacafe, which was recommended by my lifelong friend Beth, who visited Santa Fe this summer.  It was definitely a splurge, but also absolutely splurge-worthy!  If you go to Santa Fe, I can't recommend it highly enough.  It's a mix of continental and Southwestern food - everything we had was delicious!  They also have an in-house pastry chef so be sure to order dessert.  You'll want to do two things if you eat here, though, bring slightly dressier clothes (lots of the guys were in suits although they're not required) and make reservations.  Even on a Monday night this place was absolutely packed, but we were able to make a reservation as late as that afternoon.

This trip was a great way for Nick and me to spend some time together and for me to feel totally pampered going into the next several weeks.  I'm so grateful that my thoughful husband planned this getaway and did all the work to make it happen.  Thanks, honey!