About a week and change before our trip, I hit Buns & Noodles for a Santa Fe book to give to Margie.  It was actually tough, because most the guide books are New Mexico in general, or Santa Fe  / Taos / Albuquerque all rolled into one (which means spending a lot of money for just a portion of the book if all you want is Santa Fe).

I finally ended up with the Insiders' Guide toSanta Fe.  It covers the area very nicely -- history, restaurants, places to visit, galleries, lots of explanatory text, etc.  Recommended.  Except ...

Well, if you're too cheap to buy a book, and don't feel the need to read and plan before you get there -- well, once you're here, you can't swing a dead kokapeli without finding extensive guide books for free in any gallery or hotel you visit.  Canyon Road Arts Compete Visitors Guide to Santa Fe; Inside Santa Fe; Santa Fe Circle Art Buyers Guide; Collectors Guide (Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos) ... plus numerous maps and brochures and whatnot at every stop. 

Each of the guides tends to be long on advertisements and short on other stuff, but most have maps, a nice description and reference pages for the various galleries and restaurants in the area (at least the ones that paid to be included), a few interesting articles, etc.  Lacking a "real" guide book, they can help you get by without too much trouble -- but it was nice to have figured out ahead of time some places we wanted to eat (and/or visit).

It's also worth noting that a lot of hotels and B&Bs carry a collection of local guide books beyond the advertisement-ridden ones. They may be a year or two out of date, but a lot of the info still pertains.

Filed under :: Media - Books :: Travel
Link · Print · Edit · TR/G