Enjoy a Day Strolling Santa Fe’s Historic Plaza

Sabbatical or short-term visit, the point of staying walking distance from the most interesting neighborhoods or historic downtown area is to be able to walk out the front door and in no more than 20 - 30 minutes be exploring the city’s main points of interest. That’s why the Canyon Road area and nearby historic Plaza are ideal locations to target in Santa Fe.

For tips on how to optimally set up a longer duration trip, see last week’s blogpost, Go on a Near-Home Sabbatical.

Tip 1: Get acquainted with the local area.

Get a walking map of the area. Even though they’re not drawn to scale, these maps are much easier to use than Google Maps for a day long stroll. At least for me. It seems like every time I try to navigate a city walk using a map app, I head in the wrong direction and the app doesn’t seem to notice for at least a quarter of a mile!

Santa Fe Walking Map from the Santa Fe Visitor Guide

This map is from the Santa Fe Visitor Guide. Just about every city has something similar that you can order online at no cost and have sent to your home months or weeks before you travel. These are great resources for walking maps and suggested off the beaten path things to check out.

In the Santa Fe Visitor Guide I discovered there’s a Margarita Trail Passport where patrons are awarded a passport stamp for each unique margarita ordered at specific bars and restaurants. It’s fun. I never would have discovered this without the Visitor Guide.

Tip 2: Don’t miss the top-rated tourist spots in town. There are often quirky and equally interesting places nearby you’ll stumble across just by being in the area.

My favorite part of Santa Fe’s Historic Plaza area is where Water Street crosses the Old Santa Fe Trail. This is home to the top-rated Loretto Chapel with its Miracle Staircase. If you visit no other tourist attraction in Santa Fe, visit this one. It’s my top pick, and it’s privately owned which makes it one of the few places open during Covid.

The story of the staircase is interesting. You can read more about it here. This special staircase is an architectural marvel. Experts can’t figure out how to replicate it 100+ years later. Nor can they identify the type of wood of which the staircase is made. Not to mention they also aren’t sure who the mystery carpenter was that unexpectedly showed up after the Sisters prayed for help to build a safer route to the choir loft.

The $5 entry fee is well worth it. Richard, collector of the fees, is a delightful historian who can answer any question that’s not addressed in the 10 minute-long continuously playing audio guide of the Chapel.

Tip 3: Meet the locals, learn their stories, and ask them to share their top picks about the best places to visit.

The other reason I love this historic crossroad is because of what can be found on weekends in the open area next to the Loretto Chapel. It’s filled with local artists working and selling their wares.

Randall Chavez Art at the corner of Water St. and Old Santa Fe Trail

Supporting the local economy has never been more important, and I love meeting local artists to hear their stories, learn what inspires their art, and find out where they are from.

You simply must visit Randall Chavez - @randallmchavez on Instagram - who sets up shop in this little corner of paradise every weekend. He is an abstract artist from the little town of Abiquiú (population 231), 53 miles north of Santa Fe, where the late American artist Georgia O'Keeffe called home.

Randall paints and makes southwestern-style jewelry. I enjoyed spending a good half an hour chatting with him on a couple of different occasions. From Randall I learned of the Plaza Blanca, a stunning landscape that loosely inspired some of his artistic works (including the painting I bought!).

Tip 4: When the main building you expect to tour is closed, see what magic can be found around the exterior.

It seemed like another “must-do” to visit the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis which is just around the corner from Loretto Chapel.

For those with inquiring minds, the difference between a Basilica and a Cathedral - a Basilica has a higher (the highest) church ranking in the Catholic Church hierarchy. The Basilica title is bestowed upon the church by a Pope (Benedict, in 2005) based on its historic and spiritual importance.

It is a title once bestowed that can never be removed. The Santa Fe Cathedral Basilica was important in the spread of Christianity in this part of the world and there has been a thriving church on this site since 1610.

I’m sure this particular Basilica is lovely. However, it was closed due to Covid restrictions in January 2021. Normally, I wouldn’t have thought to walk around the outside of the Church if the main doors had been open. And I would have missed this lovely and intriguing spot surrounding a statue of Mary.

Green Ribbons for Mary the Untier of Knots

This park-like area with a couple of benches has an uncountable number of green ribbons tied all over. This is the spot where Mary, Un-tier of Knots, works her magic.

Take a green ribbon from the box on the nearby wall of the church, contemplate a particular “knot” or block in your life that needs un-tying, and ask Mary to intercede on your behalf as you tie the ribbon on a bench, branch, or metal mesh pole in the area. It’s encouraged to pray for others in this way also.

I loved this unexpected find and the story that accompanies it. This is a spiritual place that welcomes anyone, of any faith tradition (or none at all), who wishes to release the knots that hold them back.

Don’t just follow the expected path or entrance, look around for what else is there for you to discover in the area.

Tip 5: Look for unexpected connections between the places you’ve traveled before.

In my wanderings that day, I ran across a Christmas Shop near the Plaza that happened to be open.

Who doesn’t love Christmas any time of year? With row after row of decorated trees, it brings back the joy of my many childhood holiday memories.

In my quest to support locally owned establishments, I knew I’d find something special in this shop, especially since owner Rick Griego was full of stories about the many locally made items.

I couldn’t help but buy a couple of ornaments – a shiny colorful glass one depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe (we’ll visit that sanctuary in an upcoming blogpost) and a paper crane.

The paper cranes made by local artist Ross Tapia stole the show.

I first heard the paper crane story when I visited Hiroshima, Japan with my younger son, CJ.

In Japan and other Asian countries, cranes typically stand for good fortune and longevity. After World War II, paper origami-folded cranes became a symbol of peace. Sedako Sasaki, a young girl exposed to radiation from the nuclear bomb that struck Hiroshima, made it her goal to fold 1000 paper cranes to restore good health, happiness, and world peace. She created 644 paper cranes before she died of leukemia. Her classmates finished the rest.

Children’s Peace Monument Hiroshima, Japan

The Children's Peace Monument in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park is dedicated to this young girl and the crane story. Check out this photo from my Japan trip for a glimpse of this spot. Sedako Sasaki, is immortalized at the top of this monument. In the background, you can see many paper cranes in the display cases. This is such an inspiring and moving story, I wish I had a close up of the cranes to share!

Finding the paper crane Christmas ornament (or window decoration, if you prefer) in the Shop in Santa Fe brought back memories and connected my far-flung travel worlds once again. I knew I had to find the perfect crane for my Christmas tree in Arizona. I chose the yellow one shown here because it reminds me of the sunny positive energy of sunflowers, my favorite flower.

Paper Crane Ornament from the Christmas Shop at Santa Fe Plaza

Consider connecting personally with this story of healing and peace by buying a paper crane window charm/ornament for your Christmas tree from the online store at the Santa Fe Christmas Shop

Tip 6: Explore shops you wouldn’t normally venture into and be attuned to the unexpected.

Along one side of Santa Fe’s Plaza is a Five and Dime store. When is the last time you’ve been in a Five and Dime? You have to be of a certain age to appreciate this reference as Five and Dime stores were ultimately replaced by Dollar Stores.

Every summer while visiting Grandma’s house in central Wisconsin, my brother and I looked forward to visiting the Ben Franklin Five and Dime. There we would immerse ourselves, for hours at a time, in the aisles and aisles of low-cost treasures hiding there. There were different philosophies between us about how to spend the $5 allowance we were given for the week’s adventures, but the Five and Dime accounted for a sizable portion of it every year.

In Santa Fe’s Five and Dime, I channeled my inner child and bought marbles, incense, and an Etch-a-Sketch to help me reminisce at the casita after my long day of explorations.

Singing Bowl from the Tibet Emporium Santa Fe Plaza

A little further down San Francisco street, in the indoor arcade, I wandered into the Tibet Emporium souvenir shop. Singing bowls on display caught my eye as I had always wanted to purchase one. Those available in the shop were machine made bowls, which more than fit the bill as a unique sabbatical purchase. Many YouTube videos later, I’ve learned that playing a singing bowl is more difficult than it appears.

I hope you can feel and appreciate the fun I had just wandering into unique places. This is something you’ll find more space to do when you relocate for a few weeks to a new location.

Tip 7: Get outside the main tourist areas and explore the side streets. There are great stories and fun facts to learn about off the beaten path!

In Santa Fe one of these areas is Burro Alley. This area is a nod to the 19th century burros that carried the firewood they had trekked into town to keep Santa Fe residents warm in the winter months.

Tip 8: Be open to and get inspired by the signs you find along the way.

Who doesn’t need a caffeine pick-me-up at some point during a day wandering about town? I stopped into Starbucks near the Santa Fe Plaza for a refreshing iced tea and was inspired by the message of this unexpected chalkboard sign.

You never know what words of wisdom you’ll run across just by keeping your eyes open.

Tip 9: Visit locations at different times of the day (or even different seasons when you can).

Santa Fe Plaza is great fun to explore during the day. In the evening, it’s also magical as it lights up with activity from people enjoying the local restaurants.

There are always luminarias (paper bags typically filled with a small electric candle) glowing around the Plaza and among the flat roof, adobe style homes and hotels in the area.

If you’re lucky enough to visit Santa Fe during December and January, you’ll see the Plaza lit up with countless strings of holiday lights. It’s a fun place to stroll and to drop by one of the second-floor restaurants with views overlooking the Plaza.

Summary: I hope this blogpost inspires you to think outside the box about additional ways to explore at a slower pace, in a way that leaves time for the unexpected. I’ll share blogposts in the coming weeks about other fun day-long strolls within the city of Santa Fe as well as road trips to stunning locations about an hour’s drive outside of Santa Fe. Even if you’re not able to sabbatical here for a month, these suggestions are sure to spark the “wanderluster” in you to explore more of this magical state or your home state.

Check out @travelistaliz on Instagram for more photos and stories of New Mexico, visits to other corners of the Southwestern U.S., and even glimpses into unique places around the world I’ve found a way to explore. If you have any questions about this itinerary, reach out in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer.