I had forgotten you were going to Santa Fe for NYE ... I have never been over the holidays or for NYE but it is on our short list of possibilities too. ..

admittedly it is on the lower end of our list. I think I'd rather SO's first visit to be in the summer. Also, much as I'd love to travel, we have become pretty happy with our lazy holiday staycations with games, movies and cooking.

My sister lives in SF, and her partner conducts tours. I'll ask if there are specific winter tours she recommends. They usually spend NYE on the plaza, as you've already noted.

I was there last year for the Halloween stroll along Canyon Road. It was beautiful and sunny, but even then it was chilly because the air is dry. December will be cold.

We went in December and it was chilly but it's not as bone chilling as New England cold, imo. Lots of people burn pinon wood in their fireplaces and it smells so nice everywhere! Eat a biscochito (or 2 or 3) for me!

I loved a docent led tour of the Georgia O’Keefe museum. It was a while ago. I don’t know if they still do them or not.

Update: Thanks to this thread, SO and I finalized our holiday plans. We are not going to Santa Fe-- I want his first visit to be in summer... he wants my next visit to be with the clearest vision I have ever had (this made me teary).

I will be taking notes though ... I will go over the holidays one of these years.

Summer in Santa Fe is wicked hot. I’d rather go in the spring.

What a great idea to go for NYE, which is otherwise such a dumb holiday in my book.

We went there a few years ago, between Christmas and New Years; we skiied in Taos on New Years, which was very nice!. Gorgeous fireworks there.

We had snow both in SF and Taos, which was great in our case. We needed boots and full on winter gear. It was just as cold as New England when we were there. But, as always, lovely.

Assuming you fly into or out of ABQ, Los Poblanos is an absolute must. We have been to SF several times and always took the red eye back to NYC from ABQ, and got into a tradition of dinner at LP before.

Have you eaten at Geronimos in SF? love their bar and their food.

Will you have a K; there is a a cute little market, Kaune's, to get stuff. We stayed in the Canyon Rd area and walked to Downtown Subscription for Breakfast. Sweetwater Harvest is great if you are trying to stick to a NY's resolution, LOL. We also like Social Kitchen and Bar.

We also went to a light show in a sculpture garden IIRC, and a indie movie theatre. We though the Meow Wolf Santa Fe's House of Eternal Return was fun.

December 29. Canyon Rd.

Funky — it is gorgeous in SF in Oct, FYI. The Aspens would be a treat for your ”new” eyes!

Mtn, darn, I was hoping it would be a little warmer! But we will survive. It will probably feel tropical for one couple, coming from Minnesota.

I am not sure if our flights put us in ABQ at dinner time, will check on that. I think we went to Geronimo’s last time? I’ll have to look at the web site to jog my memory.

We are staying at the same place we stayed last time — Inn at the Turquoise Bear. We loved it. Full delicious breakfast every morning, happy hour every evening, and super nice, informative innkeepers.

Meow Wolf is on the list! We tried to go last time but could ’t get in because we didn’t get tix in advance.

This all started because we went to Chicago in mid Dec a few years ago and decided we’d try to visit a different city before Christmas every year. Last year was NYC. Then we thought we’d do SF this year, but when I looked up holiday events in SF, NYE popped up so we decided to go post-Christmas. Then my cousin and his wife started talking about going, and then a local friend and her husband said they were thinking of going, and here we are. All fun, but now we have a little more juggling/planning for 6 versus 2!

PS yes, we did go to Geronimo’s! Just looked at their web site and recognized the front porch right away.

I have been in both Spring and Summer -- honestly, I cant imagine a bad time to visit but the draw of summer is the Santa Fe Opera. BFF went with her DH in Sept last year and saw a concert at the SFO (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and then ran into Robert Plant at their hotel bar). That may be a good compromise!

We went a few years ago for Christmas, and it was really cold (to this Austinite). It ranged from 10-13 degrees in the morning. It also snowed, which was fun. We stayed at La Fonda on that trip. SF is very festive for the holidays!

I'm assuming you've all booked your tickets, but if not, I encourage you to considering flying into Santa Fe's airport (SAF), which I prefer over ABQ.

My sister's partner's tour group does primarily outdoor trips, with few happening over the winter. However, they recommended a walking tour/food tour of SF, if that appeals to your crowd. There is one that covers the Santa Fe Railyard, which is a fun area to hang out, with markets, breweries, music, etc. If you don't do a formal tour, the Railyard is still worth a visit.

There are lights on the Plaza, of course, and farolitos in neighborhoods, so it will be festive. Outdoor walking is a must. I'd walk along Canyon Road and the river trail, and duck into some of the neighborhoods to view the architecture, lighted paths, and pinon wood burning. I've spent hours and hours walking through SF neighborhoods. There are skilled artisans in many of its pockets off the beaten path of the plaza.

Depending upon weather conditions, a trip up to Abiquiu might be worth considering. Some of the attractions may have limited hours, but the scenery would be lovely. The area gets a bit of snow, and your camera skills would take great photos of the snowy high desert. There are also a few hot springs outside of the city (Ojo Caliente and Jemez), but some of these are weather-dependent.

I believe Meow Wolf is overrated. I said what I said. However, it's one of those places you need to say you've been to. Maybe take a gummy beforehand to bump it up a notch.

You've received plenty of good recommendations for food, but I find restaurant ratings there a bit unreliable. I've had a few meals at the Tesuque Village Market north of the city when returning from day trips, and had a fabulous food, even though the place gets mediocre reviews.