---
# System prepended metadata

title: Christmas

---

Christmas
====
# New Mexico

- [ ] Bring Passport
- [ ] National Park Pass
- [ ] Offline Map
- [ ] Learn how to check tire tread depth
- [ ] Download Podcast (many places w/o internet)
- [ ] Bring Cash, Coin 

## 12/21

| ⏰ | ❓ | 📝 |
| ----------- |---|---|
| 10:28pm    | Arrive at ABQ / Pick up car  | Check tire tread depth / Ask if it's good to drive to Carlsbad, White Sand and Colorado / Tips in snow / Add Sophia as additional driver / Car damage insurance / is it an awd car |
|       |  Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town    ||



## 12/22

| ⏰ | ❓ | 📝 |
| ----------- |---|---|
| 6:45AM    | Goooooo (Carlsbad Cavern, ~5hr drive)   | Check road condition to Carlsbad Cavern / if bad condition, buy extra food / drinks in case got stuck |
| ~7:35AM        | Breakfast *[1]*     | Consider buying extra to skip lunch / stuck in snow |
|  | Stops: Roswell (3hr from ABQ) (1.5hr to Carlsbad Cavern) *[2]*
| 1:30PM | Carlsbad Cavern Tour *[3]* | |
|  | Dinner | |
|  | Hampton Inn & Suites Artesia | |

[1] 
- Little Bear Coffee Shop & Wine Bar; 7:00AM (7min drive); Michael
Michael Thomas Coffee Roasters; 6:00AM (11min drive); Michael
- Villa Myriam Coffee Roasters; 7:00AM (6min drive); Michael
- New Mexico Beef Jerky Company (Burrito); 7:00AM (5 min drive); https://www.reddit.com/r/Albuquerque/comments/13htn0z/best_breakfast_burrito_in_town_and_what_is_your/
- Golden Pride #9 (Burrito, Fast food Style, several locations); 6:00AM; https://www.reddit.com/r/Albuquerque/comments/13t61gn/go_to_breakfast_spots/
- Copper canyon cafe; 7:00AM (14 min drive); https://www.reddit.com/r/Albuquerque/comments/17b247w/breakfast_places/
- Vick's Vittles; 7:00AM (11 min drive);  https://www.reddit.com/r/Albuquerque/comments/17b247w/breakfast_places/

[2]
- Lazaro's Cuban Cusine 11:30AM  https://www.reddit.com/r/roswell/comments/fg6aic/favorite_restaurants_around_town/
- Roswell Donuts https://www.reddit.com/r/RoswellNM/comments/o32ogk/are_there_any_retro_diners_innear_roswell/
- UFO museum

[3]
- [ ] Research Carlsbad Cavern National Park

[4]
- Carniceria San Juan de Los Lagos (Red Book)
- Yellow Brix Restaurant (Red Book)
- (From https://www.reddit.com/r/CarlsbadNM/comments/tjqgml/moving_to_carlsbad_and_had_a_few_questions/)
  - Yellow Brix (pasta, generic American)
  - Trinity (seafood, pasta, steak)
  - Guadalupe Mountain Brewing Company(pizza, sandwiches),
  - Lucky Bull (burgers, chicken)
  - Mexican places El Charro.
  - Artesia has Adobe Rose, which is similar to Trinity or Yellow Brix, and the Wellhead Brewery






## 12/23

| ⏰ | ❓ | 📝 |
| ----------- |---|---|
| 7:00AM | Gooooo (White Sand ~3hr drive) |Yeah it’s worth spending at least a half day. The drive from Carlsbad to White Sands is great too. Make sure you go take the scenic route through Croudcroft, not El Paso.
| | Stops: Croudcroft (breakfast?) | https://www.reddit.com/r/NewMexico/comments/xyghe1/cloudcroft_recommendations/ |
 | | White Sand [1] | ~4hr drive to Santa Fe, leave at ~1:00pm |
 ||Stops: Truth or consequences [2] | |
 | | Santa Fe  | [3] |
 |8:30PM|Market Steer Steakhouse ||
 ||Ojo Santa Fe||

I love the vietnamese baked goods and che ba ba at banh mi coda, exceptionally strong coffee too


[1] 
- [ ] Research White Sand 

[2]
- https://www.reddit.com/r/NewMexico/comments/14zprzg/where_should_we_stay_on_our_1st_visit_to_nm/
  - Truth or consequences is in between ABQ and White Sands, and a great place to stop for hot springs! Riverbend is gorgeous and has day passes. Stop at Passion Pie for coffee and pastries and The Giddy Up Cafe for lunch or dinner! It's a cute artsy eccentric town with a lot of art studios worth checking out. Just be sure to check the hours of everything before you go, they're pretty limited so that's the only downside. Have a great time!! NM is a beautiful place.

[3]
#### Eat

- Kakawa Chocolate House (Kakawa Chocolate House (In both ABQ and Santa Fe))
- [ ] 7pm La Boca (Cancel)?
- Clafoutis (https://www.reddit.com/r/NewMexico/comments/a1mj4p/best_recommendations_for_a_staycation_in_the_new/)
- Maria’s (https://www.reddit.com/r/NewMexico/comments/a1mj4p/best_recommendations_for_a_staycation_in_the_new/)
- Paper Dosa (https://www.reddit.com/r/NewMexico/comments/a1mj4p/best_recommendations_for_a_staycation_in_the_new/)

#### Activities

- Georgia O'Keefe Museum
- International Folk Art Museum
- Wandering around the plaza & downtown area
- Wandering around Canyon Road's numerous art galleries
- Meow Wolf
https://www.reddit.com/r/NewMexico/comments/10be8ir/3_day_new_mexico_itinerary_help/

## 12/24
| ⏰ | ❓ | 📝 |
| ----------- |---|---|
 |2:30PM|Pick Up Sabrina at ABQ ||
 ||ABQ [1] ||
 |7:45PM|La Boca ||
 ||Ojo Santa Fe||
 
 [1] 
 - Old Town ABQ




----
#### Dump Section For New Mexico

Santa Fe - Taos and see the Taos Puebl - Denver
https://www.reddit.com/r/backpacking/comments/xrhiqu/looking_for_suggestions_of_places_to_stop_on_a/

The Hobbit House in Santa Fe. Gorgeous, like being in a museum, and walking distance to good restaurants like Clafoutis, Maria’s, and Paper Dosa. Easy drive to wonderful museums.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Albuquerque/comments/17a2wxh/favorite_restaurants_to_take_outoftown_guests/

- Ten Thousands Waves (Japanese Spring)
- Meow Wolve
- Canyon Road
- Inn of the Mountain Gods
https://www.reddit.com/r/NewMexico/comments/14zy9jv/fall_trip_advice/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNB9osFw1YM
- https://www.bearcreekcabins.com/
- Bear Mountain Lodge
- Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
- Hotel Zaaz
- Hotel Chaco
- Breaking bad tour?
- Silver City Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNB9osFw1YM
- Bear Mountain Lodge
- The Cat Walk 
https://www.reddit.com/r/NewMexico/comments/1az18g/visiting_nm_for_the_first_time_ever_what_are_some/
- Hotel Zaaz
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- Kakawa Chocolate House

Bandelier National Monument
Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Yeah it's worth spending at least a half day. The drive from Carlsbad to White Sands is great too. Make sure you go take the scenic route through Croudcroft, not El Paso.

https://www.reddit.com/r/NewMexico/comments/dsh04s/carlsbad_caverns_worth_a_4_hour_detour_or_nah/

do it. 4 hours drive time is chump change out west. i’d actually say carlsbad over white sands- BUT close to white sands is smokey bear national monument and a space museum. do it all, no ragrets.

---

## 12/25
- Stay at Kingship Landing

| ⏰ | ❓ | 📝 |
| ----------- |---|---|
| 7:00 |Go (Great Sand Dune NP ~4.5hr drive) ||
| 7:15 |Get Breakfast / Lunch [1] ||
|11:00 | Great Sand Dune National Park: <br> Great Sand Dune View Point Trail <br> Montville Nature Trail ||
||Stops: Sand Dunes Recreation $18/person, Zapata Falls (15 min from Great Sand Dune)
|12:00|Lunch||
|1:00|Drive to Colardo Springs||||
||Stops: Bishop Castle (Additional 1 hour drive)|||
|6pm| Colorado Springs, Dinner [2]|||

[1]
- Flying Tortilla (Mexican) (open at 6:30)
- **Angel's Coffee Shop (Bakery)(open at 7 am)**
- **The Pantry (Mexican) (open at 7am)**
- Tia Sophia's (Mexican) (open at 7am)
- Counter Culture (Mexican) (open at 8am)
- Clafoutis for breads (open at 7am)(More toruisty)

[2]
- **StreetCar 52 (New Ameican Eletric Food) (5 min walk from Hotel)(4pm - 10pm)**
- Shuga's (American Fushion)(10 min walk from hotel)(open till midnight)
- Slice 420 (Pizza)(7 min drive from hotel)(10:30am - 8pm closed on Mon)
- Jack Quinn's Irish Pub (Irish)(11am - 10pm)
- Uwe's German Restaurant (German)(11am - 1:45pm)


## 12/26
- Stay at Le Méridien Denver Downtown

| ⏰ | ❓ | 📝 |
| ----------- |---|---|
| 8:00 am | Breakfast [1] ||
| 9:20 am | Pikes Peak Railway||
| 1:00 pm | Lunch [2] ||
| 2:30 pm | Manitou Clifff Dwelings -> Garden of the Gods -> Manitou Springs Town|Optional: Caves of the Wind|
||Stops: Can grab some food to eat: [3]||||
| 6:40 pm | Drive to Denver ||
| 8:00 pm | Booked Buckhorn Exchange for Dinner at Denver|Rocky Mountain Oyster|

[1]
- Monse's Pupuseria (Salvadoran hot Pockets)(7 min drive from hotel)(11am - 7pm closed on Mon)
- The Exchange on Tejon (Breakfast/Cafe)(5 min walk from Hotel)(7am - 4pm on Tue)
- **Omlette Parlor (Omlette)(9 min drive from hotel)(opens at 6am)**

[2]
- **Adam's Mountain Cafe**
- Sahara Cafe (mediterranean)

[3]
- **Slice 420 (Pizza)(7 min drive from hotel)(10:30am - 8pm closed on Mon)**
- Jack Quinn's Irish Pub (Irish)(11am - 10pm)
- Uwe's German Restaurant (German)(11am - 1:45pm)

## 12/27
- Stay at St Julien

| ⏰ | ❓ | 📝 |
| ----------- |---|---|
|7:00 am | Breakfast [1] ||
|8:00 am | Pick up Car in DEN||
|11:30 am | Rent Snow Gears [2]||
|12:00|Rocky Mountain NP <br> Sprague lake trail <br> Bearlake Trail|Find what trails to go|
|5:00 pm | Boulder: <br> - Stand on the 40th parallel north between the halves of a boulder that has been split in two <br> - The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse |Pearl Street Shopping|
|| Grab some food [3]||
|8:15 pm|Book at BlackBelley|||

[1]
- **Tokyo Premium Bakery (15 min drive from hotel)(open at 6am)**
- Lucile's Creole Cafe (New Orleans)(15 min drive from hotel)(open at 6am)
- Snooze an A.M eatery (opens at 6:30 am)

[2]
- https://www.estesparkmountainshop.com/winter-rentals

[3]
- Rincon Aregentino (11 - 8pm) (5 min drive from hotel)
- Stella's (3 min walk from Hotel)(New American)
- Zoe MaMa (5 min walk from Hotel) (Chinese)
- **The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse** (open 9pm)
- Tasuki Bistro (Japanese)(5 - 10 pm)(6 min drive from hotel)

## Colardo
### Denver
- Big Blue Bear
- Union Station
- Meow Wolf 
- Convention Center'
- Art Museum
- Cherry Creek Mall for shopping
- Colorado State Capitol


#### Dump Section For Colorado
- 


# 12/28
| ⏰ | ❓ | 📝 |
| ----------- |---|---|
|7:30 am | Breakfast [1] ||
|8:30 am | Departure: Strawberry Hot Spring Park||
|12:00 pm | Lunch [2]|| 
|1:45 pm|Strawberry Checkin |
|5:00 pm | Steamboat Downtown|
|7:30 pm| Dinner [3]||

[1]
- Brasserie Ten Ten
- OZO Coffee Company
- 

[2]
- The egg at steamboat 
 

[3]
- Mai Thai - Steam curry seafood must eat
- Besame

# 12/29
- 8:30pm to Vegas

## Evening?




