Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
140
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Santa Fe Community Convention Center and Visitors Bureau
is located down-
town at 201 W. Marcy St. (P.O. Box 909), Santa Fe, NM 87504-0909 (
&
800/777-
CITY
[2489] or 505/955-6200). You can also log on to the bureau's website,
www.
santafe.org
.
CITY LAYOUT
MAIN ARTERIES & STREETS
The limits of downtown Santa Fe are demarcated on
three sides by the horseshoe-shaped Paseo de Peralta and on the west by St. Francis Drive,
otherwise known as US 84/285. Alameda Street follows the north side of the Santa Fe
River through downtown, with the State Capitol and other government buildings on the
south side of the river, and most buildings of historic and tourist interest on the north,
east of Guadalupe Street.
The plaza is Santa Fe's universally accepted point of orientation. Its four diagonal
walkways meet at a central monument, around which a strange and wonderful assort-
ment of people of all ages, nationalities, and lifestyles can be found at nearly any hour of
the day or night.
If you stand in the center of the plaza looking north, you'll be gazing directly at the
Palace of the Governors. In front of you is Palace Avenue; behind you, San Francisco
Street. To your left is Lincoln Avenue, and to your right is Washington Avenue, which
divides the downtown avenues into east and west. St. Francis Cathedral is the massive
Romanesque structure a block east, down San Francisco Street. Alameda Street is 2 full
blocks behind you.
Near the intersection of Alameda Street and Paseo de Peralta, you'll find Canyon Road
running east toward the mountains. Much of this street is one-way. The best way to see
it is to walk up or down, taking time to explore shops and galleries and even have lunch
or dinner.
Running to the southwest from the downtown area, beginning opposite the state
office buildings on Galisteo Avenue, is Cerrillos Road. Once the main north-south
highway connecting New Mexico's state capital with its largest city, Albuquerque, it is
now a 6-mile-long motel and fast-food strip. St. Francis Drive, which crosses Cerrillos
Road 3 blocks south of Guadalupe Street, is a far less tawdry byway, linking Santa Fe with
I-25, 4 miles southwest of downtown. The Old Pecos Trail, on the east side of the city,
also joins downtown and the freeway. St. Michael's Drive connects the three arteries.
FINDING AN ADDRESS
The city's layout makes it difficult to know exactly where to
look for a particular address. It's best to call ahead for directions.
MAPS
Free city and state maps can be obtained at tourist information offices. An
excellent state highway map is published by the
New Mexico Department of Tourism,
491 Old Santa Fe Trail, Lamy Building, Santa Fe, NM 87503 (
&
800/733-6396
or
505/827-7400; www.newmexico.org; to receive a tourism guide call
&
800/777-CITY
[2489]). There's also a Santa Fe visitor center in the same building. More specific county
and city maps are available from the
State Highway and Transportation Department,
1120 Cerrillos Rd., Santa Fe, NM 87504 (
&
505/827-5100
). Members of the
Ameri-
can Automobile Association (AAA),
1644 St. Michael's Dr. (
&
505/471-6620;
www.
aaa.com), can obtain free maps from the AAA office. Other good regional maps can be
purchased at area bookstores.
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