We spent two days here and really enjoyed exploring downtown and the Plaza. It was Adam’s first time to Santa Fe, and while Annie had been there prior to visit her brother James, she really hadn’t gotten a chance to do much exploring. She does recall that her college self packed very poorly for the trip because she hadn’t realized how cold it would be as a result of the altitude.
Late Night Girl Talk – Feminism?
One night, while Adam was on his computer actively planning his friend’s bachelor party, Annie stayed awake chatting with two other guests staying at our Airbnb.
One guest was in her mid-20’s and had a very high-pitched voice. Like really high-pitched. We bonded over our shared distaste for Donald Trump. She despised his decision to reduce climate research funding and nearly broke down in tears as she described its impact. She regularly volunteered to restore trails in national parks (some of these trips took 6 weeks) and she deeply cared about the environment.
The other Airbnb guest was a woman in her mid-60s. She didn’t own a home, had broken her foot from tripping in a parking lot, and claimed to “work in real estate,” however Annie later learned that this meant she lived in wealthy people’s homes to ensure nothing happened while they were away. The older woman voted for Trump, in part because she hated Hillary Clinton so much (and when asked why she hated her, she always got started on Bill). Somehow we moved to the topic of feminism and the older woman said, “I feel very strongly that the feminist movement has been destructive to women. The idea that women and men are treated differently is just in women’s heads.” As you probably guessed, Annie and she didn’t agree on that subject either. Despite a lengthy conversation that included citing various studies, personal experiences, and various women's movements, it didn’t matter. This is what she believed. And neither one of us changed the others’ mind. At one point, Annie asked, “Okay, so you think that the feminist movement has hurt women - which part of this movement are you referring to? Surely, you can’t mean gaining the right to vote.” And she retorted, “Well no, not that part,” but she subsequently didn't cite any part.
At some point, Annie wanted to go to bed, but it was a bizarre end. We had disagreed so much. We'd all stayed calm, but we really didn't think like each other. This trip tested our ability to have deeper conversations with people who do not share our beliefs. Some of these conversations went better than others. But it was eye-opening, and like Annie said, great practice.
City Skyline & Altitude
Santa Fe has a really distinct look and feel. Buildings and homes are made of adobe bricks. In downtown, no structure is more than 4 stories tall. A city ordinance actually exists to limit the height of any new construction, which has really helped to preserve the historic architectural style. We were shocked at how cold it is in Santa Fe. When we were thinking about New Mexico, we were expecting to be in shorts and a t-shirt. Santa Fe’s altitude is at 7,198 feet. At such an elevation, the temperatures are much colder. We walked around in winter jackets and pants during our 2-day stay.
Georgia O’Keefe Museum in 12 minutes
Maybe art museums aren’t really our thing, but we were not impressed by the Georgia O’Keefe Museum. This is listed as one of the top 3 things to do in Santa Fe so we decided to test it out. We lasted a grand total of 12 minutes before agreeing it was time to leave. It helped us recognize that art is often meaningless to us without context.
PHOTOS FROM SANTA FE
