As Autumn firmly takes hold, I have friends and family who think a trip to the southwest is a great option for Thanksgiving, whether you are alone or with a large family and I couldn’t agree more.  From the fresh scent of roasting green chile at roadside stands to the glorious golden leaves of the aspen trees, there’s no other place like it.  After all, Santa Fe was founded well before the pilgrims landed in Plymouth.

For those who just adore southwestern cuisine, you may want to look for a restaurant presenting a Thanksgiving meal that will feature cornbread, chilis, and, if the weather is right, a meal in front of an outdoor kiva fireplace.

Here are three choices offering specialty dining on Thanksgiving Day.

La Casa Sena  – Built in 1868, Sena Plaza is one of the oldest surviving houses in Santa Fe and located 1 block off the plaza. Click HERE to see the Thanksgiving menu.

Terra – Ecantado’s signature restaurant features majestic views of the surrounding vistas, offering an inventive interpretation of American Cuisine with regional influence. Click HERE to see the Thanksgiving menu.

The Anasazi Restaurant  - Offering a fine dining atmosphere that is welcoming, elegant and rusticly Southwestern. Regional artistry is tastefully displayed throughout this Santa Fe restaurant for patrons to enjoy.  Click HERE to see the Thanksgiving menu.

For a real southwest treat, visit the Santa Fe Plaza for the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting celebration held annually the Friday after Thanksgiving Day.

This year will mark the 40th time that the Balloon Fiesta

has filled Albuquerque’s crystal blue skies!

The Balloon Fiesta is still the premier international ballooning event,
powered by the perfect October climate and a phenomenon called the
“Albuquerque Box,” (a combination of weather patterns and geographic
landscape, the box allows balloonists to control and even retrace their
adventure).

The place to be in October is at Balloon Fiesta Park. The 200 acres of
grass and booths will be filled with balloons and vendors selling everything
from traditional New Mexican food to Balloon memorabilia._

Each year balloon teams from around the world participate in the event and
news coverage originates from more than 50 countries. It has become the most
photographed event in the world.

CLICK HERE for event schedule.

Gay Pride in Santa Fe is a highly celebrated event. In fact, it is spread over ten days with lots of fun usually beginning with the third weekend of June and ending on the  fourth weekend. There are events for all tastes. One of my most favorite Pride events is the Pride train to Lamy. It starts at the Santa Fe historic depot where you board an old freight train that is adorned in rainbow flags.

Once on board you can choose to ride in the vintage dome car, traditional passenger cars each equipped with a cash bar to purchase cocktails. For the more adventurous, you can stand outside on the cattle car as the train winds its way through Santa Fe before embracing the scenic countryside.

After swaying back and forth for just over an hour we debark in the little village of Lamy for an outdoor catered BBQ around a mini bonfire.  While dining on picnic tables, we enjoy listening to music from a live band before we board for our trip back to Santa Fe.

As we watch the sun set and the sky darken from the cattle car,  we wind our way through the countryside for our return trip. It is now you will notice that one of the cargo cars has been transformed into a dance club where disco music is blaring and you might even see a drag queen performing.

It is a great deal of fun to enjoy this gay train ride in the middle of nowhere full of Santa Fe Pride.

See the full list of Santa Fe Gay Pride Events.

More Information on Gay Santa Fe

7000 feet above sea level, I sit on my deck looking out over the dessert floor watching the Santa Fe sun set low over the mountains.  The colors appear almost magically, brilliantly before me. The bright reds and oranges have erupted filling the sky as if lava burst from a volcano. It takes my breath away.

And as quickly as it formed in my vision, it has now transformed into yellows and reds without me seeing nature’s illusion.  Alive and breathing like living art, the sun sinks lower into the mountains as it prepares for its final act.

I take another sip of my wine and calmly wait with anticipation as the colors change into hues of pinks, purples and blues while it slips away altogether. It is at this moment I realize I have just witnessed a rainbow of colors, my second of the day and think back to the rainbow of colors from today’s Santa Fe Pride events.

As years in past and those to come, Santa Fe’s pride colors were represented all around; the parade, the floats, the gay pride train and costumes, (those intentional and those not). Dorothy and her friends undoubtedly enjoyed all the events including the music, the dancers, the food booths and street party.  And as quickly as you could say “Toto, I have a feeling we‘re not in Kansas anymore,” Santa Fe has transformed herself back in to the City Different for which she is known.

Save The Date: Saturday, June 19th, 2010

3:30 – 5:00 pm

Let’s get the party started early – just one block from the train!!

Join us for champagne cocktails…gemstones & jewels…old friends & new at Marc Howard Exceptional Jewelry Designs. Come whether you’re riding the train or not! There will be great Door Prizes, including (2) $100 Marc Howard Gift Certificates, several Naughty Gay Gift Baskets and $50 to spend at Unity, Fashion For All!  (Drawing at 4:45 pm.)

In honor of Pride week, print this invite to receive 20% off any custom or showcase jewelry pieces during the month of June.

Details:

3:30 – 5:00 pm
Saturday, June 19th
Marc Howard Exceptional Jewelry Designs
328 S. Guadalupe St., Ste. E
(Entrance on Montezuma)
505.820.1080

See the full list of Santa Fe Gay Pride Events.

Who are the “Friends of Dorothy” anyway? And why does this mysterious lady seem to be popular enough to have friends in Santa Fe?   Actually it is a special interest group that host informal gatherings for gay and lesbians to meet and mingle and enjoy the gay life in Santa Fe. The term Friends of Dorothy, often abbreviated as FOD, became popular in the 50’s as the LGBT community felt a special connection to Judy Garland.  And thus became a secret code word that gays used in discreetly identifying other gays to socialize with.

Fast forward to the present. We are here! And we are queer! No longer feeling the need for secrecy, Friends of Dorothy gatherings have become a huge social network across the globe and its presence in Santa Fe is no different. The group meets once a month on Friday’s at 6pm onwards and is attended by 200 – 250 members of Santa Fe’s gay community.

This is our first time at this award winning venue. They will be providing complimentary appetizers and there is plenty of free parking….At the moment they are doing a Winter Dinner special and they will extend the hours on the evening especially for us…..

Look forward to seeing you there and please pass the email onto anyone you think would be interested in joining us!!

The Silver Starlight Lounge at RainbowVision has been great for creating so many fun events for the LGBT crowd from drag shows, trash disco, etc. and now they have done it again.

They have put together the first ever Men’s Only Dance.  So let’s pack the house and spread the word.

Mark Your Calendars

Invite Guys From Albuquerque

Lets Pack The Bar With Men

Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010