Santa Fe Tips

Susan Spano’s article “Santa Fe on a Shoestring” (March 19) plopped onto the driveway just at the moment we were driving off to Santa Fe and environs, so we’re glad we waited for the paper.

Our trip was a return, as we had just been there over Christmas on an Elderhostel program, which took us to six pueblos to observe the religious experience of ceremonial dances; so we had some idea of the scene. However, Spano puts forth many ideas we would never have discovered: places to eat, places to stay, etc.

Some comments: Regarding the $10 Museum of New Mexico Pass: You can also join the museum foundation for $40 for a one-year membership, which entitles you to entry to the same museums plus a number of state monuments, and also offers a discount on items purchased at the museums--worth it if you contemplate a $900 kachina doll.

What you say of the city’s pricey shops--”Santa Fe’s chief spending trap”--cannot be over-stressed.

We thought of going by Amtrak, one of the options you mention, but the train runs all night, thus missing the scenery, so we drove.

CHARLES McKINNON

Woodland Hills