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DINING OUT
What's great about staying at the Hilton is that it's home to one of my favorite steak restaurants; The Ranchers Club. It's the only AAA 4 Diamond Award winner in Albuquerque and has an impressive menu with a wide selection of beef, seafood and poultry, all grilled over aromatic woods. I had the petite filet mignon that comes with different sauces like raspberry chipotle and two side dishes (I recommend the corn bread). The fine dining eatery is not cheap but the overall experience, food, service and cowboy, western-style interiors make it worth the expense. The Ranchers Club, tel:. (505) 889-8071.

SEASONS
Just north of historic Old Town Plaza is another popular restaurant called Seasons. Instead of boasting a southwestern feel, it feels more like a California winery. I prefer the former but the food here is good. I started off with a salad that was filled with chopped strawberries, butter lettuce, baby spinach, crumbled chèvre and toasted almonds with a balsamic-black pepper vinaigrette ($7.75). For my entrée, I had a half rotisserie chicken, with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed julienne vegetables and herb jus ($16.25). My friends loved their meals too: homemade artichoke ravioli with spring peas and asparagus and arugula salad, with cashew cream sauce, topped with aged asiago cheese ($16.75). Seasons Rotisserie & Grill, 2031 Mountain Road NW; tel.: (505) 766-5100.

SANTA FE
Practically everyone I know loves Santa Fe but to be honest, I'm just not one of them. Maybe I am visiting the wrong parts but to me, it feels like Disneyland. Sure, the landscape is gorgeous but it's so touristy that it doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. It's situated just 57 miles outside of Albuquerque and takes under an hour to drive there. However, there is one restaurant that makes the destination worth the drive – Tia Sophia's. It's located right downtown and is popular with locals because they serve traditional New Mexican food. It's famous for its breakfast burrito (which some claim they invented) but lunch is tasty as well. For starters, they bring out these evil, puffed-up light and hollow, hot soapapillas that are just waiting to be filled with honey (tourists top them with cinnamon powder) and polished it off. When you order any of their dishes, (burritos, enchiladas, green chile stew, chile rellenos) you'll be asked if you want "green or red". Just like that. They're referring to the sauce and I learned that it varies literally from batch to batch as to which one is hotter. I ordered mine Christmas-style to sample a bit of both. Tia Sophia's doesn't have a website and the owner says they don't plan on developing one. They're old school and that's part of their charm. Tia Sophia's, 210 West San Francisco, Santa Fe, NM; Tel.: (505) 983-9880. Other Santa Fe sites I quickly explored this time were the "miraculous staircase" at the Loretto Chapel, the Cathedral Basilica of St Francis Assisi and an outdoor marketplace where Native Americans sell souvenirs and handmade accessories, mostly made from silver. If you're really into art, you'll like Santa Fe a heck of a lot more than I did, as the city is full of art museums and galleries including Georgia O'Keefe's.

THE SANDIA PEAK TRAMWAY
Back in Albuquerque and only 12 miles from the Hilton is the state's most popular attraction: the Sandia Peak Tramway. It's billed as the world's longest aerial tramway, running a distance of 2.7 miles. I believe it's the world's longest continuous cable (there are just two poles). A Swiss company built it back in the mid-‘60s and if you remember the story of my trip to Brazil a couple of months ago, you would know that I'm not a fan of trams. I was embarrassed to admit that I actually only made it halfway up Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio and each of those two tram rides were just three minutes long. Sandia Peak's tram takes 20 minutes! So when we rolled up to have dinner at the swanky High Finance restaurant (it's atop the 10,378 foot Sandia Peak in the Cibola National Forest) I wasn't too bummed (at all) when I saw the sign: Sorry, the tram is closed due to high winds. Seriously, I didn't think I was going to make it up in one of the 50-passenger cars anyways. At some points, you're almost 1,000 feet above the ground, which is way too high for this scaredy cat. Instead, (and to my great relief!) we dined at Sandiago's Mexican Grill located at the base of the Sandia Peak Tram. Even at the base, the views of the city were still spectacular. Their traditional New Mexican dishes were just okay (the steak tacos were much better than the green rice). But many people visit just for dessert and the Sandia Sunset & Blood Orange Margaritas. Sandiago's Mexican Grill; tel.: 505-856-6692.


FYI: The tram serves the Sandia Peak ski area, which is usually open from mid-December through mid-March and is geared toward beginner and intermediate skiers. During the summer, there are more than 26 miles of trails for mountain bikers. Tram rides cost: adults $17.50, seniors 62+ $15.00, children 5 years to 12 years $10.00, children under 5 years accompanied by an adult are free. Season tickets also available. Tramway: 505-856-7325.

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