Real Estate Information Archive

Like all of the nation, Santa Fe is getting ready for the 4th of July weekend!  The largest local tradition in Santa Fe is Pancakes on the Plaza, a fundraiser sponsored by the Rotary Club.  Not only do you get to eat delicious, interesting pancakes outdoors under the trees on the Plaza, there are also art and craft booths, kids activities, vintage cars lining the street, live music and an auction.

The proceeds of the event make a big difference to the lives of people in need. Proceeds go to non-profit organizations that meet the Rotary criteria. Pancakes on the Plaza is now in its 42nd year and continues to be one of Santa Fe's favorite yearly events, drawing large numbers of locals.

“If there is a better place to see opera during the summer than Santa Fe, I certainly don’t know about it.” Glen Roven, The Huffington Post

Santa Fe is a well-known art and cultural destination and one reason why is The Santa Fe Opera. This year marks its 60th anniversary and the line-up is more extraordinary than usual. The Opening Weekend Celebration begins June 30, which is a fully immersive and exclusive opera, cuisine and Santa Fe home experience.

The festivities include formal dining on the scenic opera grounds, a behind-the-scenes tour of production facilities (with catering), meet and greet with the stars, private dinners in some of Santa Fe’s most impressive homes, Sunday brunch and of course, the opening night of the first opera, Die Fledermaus.Dating from 1874, Die Fledermaus is considered by most critics to be the greatest of all Viennese operettas.  Waltzes as intoxicating as champagne abound at a Prince’s masked ball, where elaborate plots are uncorked and romantic assignations go astray.

Another notable production of the Santa Fe Opera this summer is the (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, which has won national attention for its unique adaptation.  To learn more about the Santa Fe Opera, click here.  And as always, if you are in town, please let us know if you are interested in viewing any Santa Fe homes.

Photo: Susan Orth (center) with friends at the Santa Fe Opera.

There has probably been the hunger-inducing aroma of food floating through the air of downtown Santa Fe since the city began in 1712.  Now, more than 300 years later, Santa Fe has developed into a national, if not world-renowned, a cornucopia of delicious diverse food.

Besides multiple high-star restaurants, Santa Fe also hosts multiple food trucks that offer everything from unassuming walk-up fajita carts and burrito stands to fully tricked out trailers and walk-up diners.

A local favorite is Bang Bite Filling Station where most days you see a crowd of people lined up to order and then enjoying their gourmet burgers and fries on the picnic tables under the sun. Owner and operator Chef Enrique Guerrero gave up the stress and expense-laden world of fine dining in 2013.

“In a restaurant I was tied to 70-80 hours a week. Here, if I work 40 hours, I’m working too much. It’s been very fun because by 3 o’clock I’m done,” he says.

Fans of food trucks say they are attracted to smaller, more specialized menu options and often the people surrounding them. “I like being able to take my food to the Plaza and people watch,” said food stand enthusiast Jaime Ortiz, standing next to El Molero Fajitas cart on the Plaza, fajita in hand.

Food stands can be elusive despite the fact that seemingly dozens of vendors line Cerrillos, Airport and adjacent roads.  Below are a couple of links to lists of some favorites.  And, as always, if you are in town, pleased drop by, email or call, we would love to show you the beautiful homes Santa Fe has to offer!

Yelp’s Guide to the Best Trucks with reviews

Visit Santa Fe’s 9 Best Food Trucks

At 7,000 feet Santa Fe is the highest capital city in the United States and due to its high-altitude location at the tail-end of the Rocky Mountains, the City Different basks in 320 days of sunshine, vivid blue skies and some of the purest air in the country. Surrounded by 1.5 million acres of national forest and other public lands, locals and visitors alike have a lifetime of exploration at their doorsteps.

One breath-taking, nearby short hike is within Bandelier National Monument, which is about a 45-minute drive from downtown Santa Fe.  The two-mile loop trail to the Tsankawi Ruins is a foot-carved pathway that takes you atop a mesa and through the largely unexcavated village that is the ancestral home to the Tewa-speaking Pueblo people, descendants of the Chaco Canyon Anasazi.

Besides affording sweeping views of the Rio Grande Valley, Jemez Mountains, and the Sangre de Cristos, the walk also gives you an opportunity to explore small caves, scramble up ladders, and generally imagine what life atop the mesa must have been like during the 16th century. These are some of the best Pueblo ruins around, so don’t miss them if you want to know for about the area’s history.

City Different Realty serves Los Alamos and White Rock also and if you come to the Santa Fe area, please drop us a line or stop by the office.  We would love to go to work for you!

Click here to go to the Bandelier National Monument website.

 Photograph: Tsankawi petroglyphs, Wikipedia

Feel like flying through the air with the greatest of ease? Or maybe learn other circus techniques like contortion, juggling or suspended, rolling fabric aerial display? Or just come watch others who have learned such circus techniques in the many Wise Fool productions and events this summer!

Wise Fool New Mexico was born in 1997 when artists from Wise Fool Puppet Intervention in California joined with Clowns Without Borders and New Mexico-based artist/activists to bring a puppet circus tour to Zapatista villages in Chiapas, Mexico. Inspired by this collaboration, a small collective of women artists began offering hands-on experiences in puppetry and circus arts as a vehicle to build community and promote social justice.

Out of garages and in old horse corrals Wise Fool built grassroots circuses, giant puppet processions and taught summer circus camps. Now a beloved and award-winning non-profit organization at the center of Santa Fe's performing arts scene, Wise Fool serves 2,000 youth with hands-on activities and 14,000 audience members annually with high-quality experiences built upon enduring core values of community, arts accessibility, and social justice.

Wise Fool welcomes adults and teens of all ages, genders, fitness and experience levels to join us for ongoing classes in circus arts and theater! Disciplines taught throughout the year include trapeze, lyra, aerial fabric, acrobalance, physical theater, juggling, unicycling, handstands, conditioning, and more.

Where does the name "Wise Fool" come from?

In medieval times, advisors to the kings were often unable to address controversial matters without fear of retribution. However, the court jester, or "wise fool," could draw upon disarming spectacle and humor to inform the views of those in power. Over the past sixteen years, Wise Fool has been utilizing this "back door" approach to opening dialogue in otherwise touchy situations in the creation of productions about social issues such as censorship, water rights and land use, domestic violence, immigration and borders.

To visit Wise Fool's website click here.

Above Photo: Alessandra Ogren, Wise Fool NM founder performing in Chiapas, Mexico