Reply to Albuquerque-How is it living there?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I lived there for 10 years before moving here. More PhDs per capita than any other state in the nation. Incredible amount of research going on there- with two national labs (Los Alamos and Sandia) and a large "Research I" university (UNM). A lot of PhDs teaching high school. Also a large Microsoft fab there, employing a lot of highly qualified people making a lot of $$. Culture is where you find it: If culture means back-to-back black tie charity galas populated by washington lawyers, you won't find it. If you like deep, native culture, you will find it. at least a dozen pueblos line the Rio Grande, as they have for hundreds of years. A plaque in town honors the original 12 Spanish families, and you can still find their kin in the neighborhoods. The Navajo Nation is on its original land.  The world's largest Native American pow wow is in ABQ every year: an event I will never forget. Santa Fe have quaint gallery openings and a stunning opera. Georgia O'Keefe? Ever wonder what all the fuss was about? Of course there are poor parts of town and low performing schools. Where are there not? It's the only place I ever moved to because I wanted to and for no other reason. It's also the only place I could ski on saturday and mnt bike on sunday (and hike on monday- if it were a 3-day weekend). ABQ has held it's real estate value very very well. If you go, be sure you have an extra bedroom because you will have an endless stream of visitors. PP sounds very superficial, I mean, very D.C.[/quote]

While there are a lot of PhDs in the state, Los Alamos can't really be considered part of the ABQ area (it's north of Santa Fe) and the lab you refer to, I'm assuming is Intel, not Microsoft, in Rio Rancho, right outside of the city. While the native american culture is fascinating and I understand your boosterism for the place, you cannot deny that there is a great deal of poverty. The state currently ranks near the bottom (48th) when it comes to the people living in poverty and much of it was profoundly depressing to me. I had a friend counsel gambling addicts many of them native americans who were losing everything to the casinos that were supposed to be a boon to their communities. Alcoholism and drunk driving are major problems. As many people in ABQ know, Santa Fe and its environs, its chi chi art galleries and its touristy vibe feels a world apart from the realities of living in Albuquerque even though its barely an hour's drive. There is surely something in the air there, that draws artists, it's almost magical, the blue skies and red rock monoliths are spectacular but it's also not entirely accurate to paint such a rosy picture. Living in Nob Hill near UNM sounds great until you have to call the police 50 times to get the johns from screwing prostitutes in their cars outside your house. [/quote]

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