Courtesy University of New Mexico Press
Slowin’ It Down/Enchantment Revisited
Travel journalists present a slowed-down approach to travel with new book
As fun as planning a trip to the other side of the world can be with the mapped out itineraries, hotels, flights and such, maybe planning so meticulously defeats the purpose? Maybe the destination isn’t always the point. Honestly, is flying across the globe always necessary to having new and exciting experiences? Award-winning travel journalist Judith Fein and her husband—photojournalist Paul Ross—don’t think it is.
“Travel begins every time you step outside the door,” Fein explains of her and Ross’ recently released book, Slow Travel New Mexico: Unforgettable Personal Experiences in the Land of Enchantment. “If you are in love with life, you will start having new experiences and discover things you never knew existed and adventures will happen right away.”
This is the philosophy Fein and Ross developed during the height of COVID-19, when traipsing the globe came to a halt and they had to redefine what traveling meant. It presented a chance to get to know what was outside their front door, so Fein and Ross set off on a New Mexican adventure.
Slow Travel offers insights not only into a different way to travel, but how to foster a new outlook on life.
“It’s to embrace the off-the-beaten-path mindset,” Fein tells SFR. “It doesn’t mean slowing down in a literal sense, it means really changing the way you travel—not racing to get to the end of something but truly experiencing and enjoying where you are. If you go into New Mexico with an open heart and you stop thinking about the best hotel, best restaurant—if you start really going without expectations, you meet New Mexico the way it really is.”
At an event at the Southside public library this weekend, Fein invites audience members to join the discussion on what slow travel means and how to integrate it into the next big adventure. Ross will also perform his “cowboy poetry.” (Adam Ferguson)
Slow Travel New Mexico: Unforgettable Personal Experiences in the Land of Enchantment Event: 2 pm Saturday, Dec 14. Santa Fe Public Library (Southside) 6599 Jaguar Drive, (505) 955-2820
Courtesy nmschoolforthearts.org
Won’t Somebody Think of the Children?!
While we get the desire to own highfalutin’ artworks by bigger names, one of the most enjoyable experiences of art-dom is picking up a piece from a fledgling creator. Enter the New Mexico School for the Arts’ Visual Arts Art Fair Sale & Fundraiser. Set aside the egregious wording of “visual arts art fair” and think about what this means—a group of passionate and energized students from the school’s visual arts department showing works from a period in which they’re developing their voices through various media? Sold. Proceeds benefit the school, too, so you can feel good about picking up a masterpiece from an unknown entity. And what if they strike it big later? You’ll be rich! (Alex De Vore)
NMSA Visual Arts Art Fair Sale & Fundraiser: 5 pm Thursday, Dec. 12. Free (but pay for art, duh). New Mexico School for the Arts, 500 Monteuma Ave., (505) 309-4194
Courtesy Pixabay.com / Mylene2401
Stringing You Along
We here at SFR have been known to crack wise about holiday craft markets, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of you at the cool ones. Take this weekend’s String of Lights, an annual affair dating back for what feels like millennia wherein figuratively bazillions of local artists, makers, craftspeople, apothecaries and various other champions ply their wares for your last-minute shopping enjoyment. Even a cursory glance at the website shows fantastic physical and experiential gift options. Time is running out, and you’ll feel better shopping local anyway. (ADV)
String of Lights Holiday Market: 3-9 pm Friday, Dec. 13. Free (but pay for stuff, duh). Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Pavilion, 1607 Paseo de Peralta highdesertmarkets.com
Courtesy Image
Baby’s Got the Bluuuuuuues
Calling all the cowboy hat-owning, electric country/blues-lovin’, heavy-heart-havin’ rock lovers in town—Austin, Texas troubadour Jonathan Terrell is on his way to li’l ol’ Santa Fe early next week, and we thought you oughta know. El Rey Court continues its love affair with all things country when Terrell drops by with his mix of electric guitar riffin’ bluesy country—but we’ve also seen photos of the guy with an acoustic guitar, so he probably feels the feelings pretty deep, too. Plus, he’s kind of got a punk rock vibe going. Terrell’s show is reportedly a high-energy one, a perfect tonic for the colder nights of the season. To put that another way, it’s about to get hot, baby. Folk musician Richard Gans opens. (ADV)
Jonathan Terrell with Richard Gans: 7:30 pm Tuesday, Dec. 17. Free. El Rey Court, 1862 Cerrillos Road, (505) 982-1931
