Alex De Vore
If you’re looking to hang out and have a nice cup of coffee or a house made beer, add Travel Bug to your list of places to go. You can buy books there, too, and not just about travel.
You’ll find not one but two signs at downtown travel shop, bookstore and, perhaps unexpectedly, café and beer outpost, Travel Bug that read, “Buy books from people who want to sell books, not colonize the moon.”
And you know what? Heard. It’s a solid dig at the most dig-at-able Jeff Bezos’ seeming war on independently owned bookshops for sure. And even in Santa Fe, where folks go around telling people we’re progressive as all get-out, many still patronize Amazon more than our local haunts. That on its own wouldn’t be so bad—people are only human—but it’s usually at that point we turn around and wonder why things have changed so much around here for locals.
I digress. In the case of Travel Bug, change is good. But then, maybe it’s not change-change so much as it’s a methodical and deliberate evolution that has played out over many years under the watchful eye of owner Greg Ohlsen. When one thinks of Travel Bug, they likely envision suitcases and paper maps, maybe a nice sunhat or a sturdy water-resistant watch. It’s the place you go when you want or need a high quality printout of a USGS map pulled from any coordinates in the country. And though you’ll surely find those things, Travel Bug also boasts a comfy café with a simple menu of hits such as panini, a breakfast sandwich and bagels, plus coffee; Ohlsen has also been brewing his own beer on the premises lately.
And though it is notable that Travel Bug is also the only Briggs & Riley luggage retailer in the city, not to mention a solid stop for new-release non-travel books, I specifically visited one recent afternoon to learn more about the burgeoning beer program and to get a little snack. After doing so, I’m ready to call it, folks: Travel Bug is a winner, and more people should hang out there.
Of course, you probably know the name. The business has been a Santa Fe fixture since 1998, when Ohlsen, formerly a contractor, opened up on Montezuma Street near the former Sanbusco Center. Previously, circa 1990, Ohlsen and his wife, Ellen Stelling, founded Garcia Street Books, but they sold that business when Travel Bug opened. Since then, they’ve been adding any elements to their travel mecca that strike their fancy, including the aforementioned menu and beer, plus travel talks, poetry readings, slide shows and more. It was enough to make me ask myself why I don’t frequent the place, but employee Devin Horne kind of hits the nail on the head: “I just don’t think people know it’s all here,” she says. “But they should.”
When it comes to house-brewed beer, for example, most folks might not immediately grok to a travel store carrying that particular item. It’s just the one variety for now: an IPA-style number that’s still in flux a bit, but it’s reportedly getting better with each new batch. The small sample I tasted was not over-hoppy, but it was certainly refreshing and bordering more on the traditional pale ale style. Considering Ohlsen only started brewing beer in earnest during the pandemic, though, it feels like he’s on the right path.
“It’s a challenge, it’s harder than I thought, I watched a lot of YouTube,” he tells SFR. “I went around and talked to the local brewers, but it can be hard to learn how to do anything just from talking to people.”
Ohlsen’s one of those can-do types, though, so he’s making it happen. Travel Bug serves up a damn fine cup of coffee, too, from Albuquerque’s Red Rock Roasters, and though the shop doesn’t offer drip, note you can get espresso drinks—including an Americano; $2-$3.95 depending on your preferred number of shots. Really, this trip was about the ham panino with roasted red peppers and sun dried tomatoes. At $9.95 it’s a good deal, and you can add the aforementioned beer if you like ($4 per half-pint, $6 for a full-pint) or just stick with coffee. You can enjoy it all in the cozy inside space’s seating areas, or, once warmer months roll around, the street side patio on Paseo de Peralta. Ohlsen is even kicking around the idea of adding a small pizza oven to his operations, but that’s not a done deal yet. Besides, the business is already working for many patrons as-is, especially nearby resident Judy Costlow.
“I come in here most every day,” she tells SFR. “I like the ambiance, the coffee, the treats.”
Ditto, Judy. In fact, if I were looking for a place to do some writing, pick up a new novel or even just hoping to throw down a quick sandwich with a bud, Travel Bug is pretty high up on my list now. Or how about knocking back a cold one, recently brewed, while enjoying a travel-based slideshow or poetry reading some evening? Sounds like summertime magic to me.
Flowering Poetry Club Open Mic: 6 pm Saturday, March 4. Suggested donation. Travel Bug, 839 Paseo de Peralta, (505) 992-0418
In Other News
More Coffee
Having stumbled upon a friend’s Facebook post last week about a new Iconik Coffee Roasters location inside the former Discount Tires building at 1366 Cerrillos Road, I found myself sitting inside with a different friend not even an hour later. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I’m an Ohori’s guy, but the new Iconik, dubbed Red, is a real stunner, from its warm yet industrial environs to its ample seating and convenient location. So why haven’t some of you heard about this yet? Well, according to a very nice manager, the location is in the midst of a soft opening. I salute the endeavor, as it was nice to be in there without a million yahoos working on their screenplays or whatever. Was there talk of gentrification and how SFR sucks on the @sfreporter Instagram pic I posted that day? You bet! But when something changes from a tire chain to a locally owned coffee shop...well, let’s just say worse things have happened to our town. And anyway, Discount Tire literally moved, like, 50 yards away from its original location, so if you’re missing that specific business, don’t fret. As for Iconik Red, well, you could probably call (505) 375-0741 or just head over to iconikcoffee.com for more info, though as of this writing the site had not been updated with the most current info on the new space.
More Tacos
Speaking of new locations for things, Fusion Tacos announced via its Facebook that it’ll bring a truck over to 1704 Llano Street as of Feb. 28. Obviously that’s a few days ago, but it’s pretty cool that Fusion is giving people who fear the Southside a chance to sample its famous and beloved tacos. For those new to the business, they’re excellent tacos, too, and the breakfast burrito is a personal favorite. You can also get what they call ramen-birria, which is a real banger.
