Santa Fe, Are You There?
Plus the Paris catacombs are back, baby…
This week on The Escapologist…
This Week’s Travel Briefs
NYC’s Sardi’s, the iconic theater district restaurant that’s been in operation for more than a century, will temporarily close in June following a change in ownership. It’s been acquired by the Shubert Organization, longtime Broadway theater owners and producers who own much of the surrounding real estate. The goal is not to radically change the restaurant but to give it an upgrade, including a new menu. It’s an interesting development, mostly because the Shuberts are not restaurateurs and don’t seem to have experience in the hospitality space, but they certainly know the neighborhood and its whims. My impression of Sardi’s is that the ground floor is mostly crammed with tourists who come to have an okayish pre-show dinner and see the caricatures of Broadway stars that cover the walls. Its landmark status is indisputable but the food quality? Not so much. The real action at Sardi’s has always been upstairs at the bar, where actual Broadway personalities, not just their two-dimensional representations, can be seen sipping very solid martinis after and between shows. The last time I was there, I saw Gavin Creel having drinks with Victoria Clark. Let’s hope the changes can preserve the magic. (MSN)
I’m super excited to check out Frida and Diego: The Last Dream at the Museum of Modern Art, an exhibition created in partnership with the Metropolitan Opera. (MoMA)
Visitors to the Vatican Museums can now view a newly restored version of Michelangelo’s famous fresco The Last Judgement. Restoration on the work included the removal of a filmy layer of salt that had accumulated on the surface over time. Where did the film come from? From the skin of the thousands of sweaty-ass humans who walk through the Sistine Chapel each day. If you’re heading there soon, enjoy! And also know that you’re gross. (AP)
The new David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art are slated to open on April 19. Instead of organizing works chronologically or geographically, the gallery uses the earth’s major bodies of water – and the ideas of flow and interconnectedness – to display its works. The new building cost $724 million and has a squiggly concrete design by Peter Zumthor. (New York Times)
Because I’m taking hope where I can find it these days, the Obama Presidential Center, with monumental design and a 19-acre campus by Todd Williams Billie Tsein Architects, opens on the South Side of Chicago on Juneteenth.
The Paris Catacombs have reopened after a period of restoration. I also just read a memoir where the author steals a bone from the Catacombs, which made me cataclysmically angry. Don’t do this. It’s a crime and a moral affront and also, do you want that kind of bad juju in your house? (Euronews via MSN)
Scratchpad: Santa Fe
Status: I’ve been once, in 2024, and I immediately wanted to go back 20 more times.
Why now? It’s one of the shiniest jewels along Route 66, which turns 100 this month.
Sleep:
La Fonda on the Plaza: This century-old icon, dubbed “Santa Fe’s living room” helped to establish Santa Fe’s pueblo revival style. Stop by Bell Tower, the rooftop bar, for incredible sunset views.
The Inn of the Anasazi: Understated Southwest style is the hallmark of this Rosewood property, which does what you think it does – caters to a somewhat older, well-heeled traveler who will greet you with a wave and a, “No pictures, please.”
Inn of the Turquoise Bear: This former mansion, which once hosted Willa Cather, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and D.H. Lawrence, among others, has smartly themed rooms that pay homage to its famous former guests.
Inn of the Five Graces: This fever dream of a hotel has jewelbox rooms that combine global design influences – Native American, South Asian, Moroccan – into spaces that somehow feel uniquely Santa Fe.
Eat and Drink:
Plaza Cafe – Santa Fe’s oldest restaurant – is a must for breakfast. (Pick your hot sauce – red, green or “Christmas.”) Be sure to find the cutaway spot on the wall that reveals the structure of the original adobe walls.
For coffee, head to local roaster Iconik.
For almost everything else, there’s The Shed, another stalwart that’s been open since 1953. Order massive plates of chili, enchiladas, and tamales.
If you need a romantic spot for a date or a celebratory evening with friends, head to James-Beard-Award-winning Zacatlan, where chef Eduardo Rodriguez is updating classic Southwest dishes with modern Mexican flavors.
See and Do:
Yes, of course, go to the Indian Market, noodle around the art galleries and gem shops, and browse your morning away at Collected Works bookstore. Here are some other bits to consider…
The Museum of Indian Arts & Culture has a staggering collection of Native American artifacts, but its rotating exhibitions are a highlight. In a city filled with art that sometimes feels like it’s commenting on the Native American experience from the outside, this museum stresses the opposite.
Meow Wolf, the always zany, sometimes profound, forever entertaining art collective started right here. The “immersive” experience has visitors climbing through, under, and around a house that tells a story – and hides a few sinister secrets. Look for allusions to 1950s alien abduction narratives, religious cults, and vintage comic strips.
An hour outside Santa Fe, Bandelier National Monument preserves the former homes of the Ancestral Pueblo people on 33,000 hikeable acres. You’ll see the remains of domestic and agricultural structures, petroglyphs, and cave shelters.
Painter Georgia O’Keefe lived in New Mexico for more than 40 years and this museum holds the world’s largest collection of her work. It also contains studio objects, personal items, and even clothes that O’Keefe wore. Keep an eye out for the silver “OK” brooch that Alexander Calder designed for O’Keefe. It was on display when I visited but on further research, it appears to be a reproduction. The location of the actual brooch, as far as I can tell, is unknown. Yes, this will in fact bother me for the rest of my days.
Farther Afield: Chaco Culture National Historic Park, about a three-hour drive from Santa Fe, is considered to be one of the most important historic sites in the United States, if not the world. Bearing a UNESCO World Heritage designation, this incredible collection of ruins is the remnants of a major cultural center of the Ancestral Puebloan people.
You may have seen this site in the news lately. The current administration is pushing to remove a ten-mile “buffer zone” around the site where mining and oil drilling activities are banned.
Follow: The Santa Fe Opera for updates on their summer season and performances in their grand, open-air theater.
You’re always so on brand for my recent travels. I was able to get in on a guided catacombs tour in October less than a week before they closed for renovations. As you can imagine this was a must see for me but after experiencing some under ground anxiety in the Roman catacombs Mike decided to stay topside for this one.