Cruisin’ ABQ
Outdoors. Art. Cuisine. History. Contemporary. Vibrance. Charisma. Where you’re in Albuquerque, you get it all.
Albuquerque is the perfect place to soak in the sights and sounds of the Land of Enchantment – something that Olympic skater and Albuquerque native Mariah Duran does at a pace unique to her.
Meet Mariah
Mariah Duran played many sports while growing up in Albuquerque, but when her brothers gifted her a skateboard on her 10th birthday – suddenly things changed. Just three years later, Mariah was entering her first skateboarding competition.
“I love skateboarding because you can never really master it,” Mariah said in an interview with New Mexico Magazine. “There are so many different tricks you can learn and so many different ways you can do a trick. It’s a really big mountain to climb.”
In 2016, at age 19, she went pro and began competing internationally on a board bearing her name. Her big break came in 2018, when Mariah won gold twice at the X Games Minneapolis and the X Games Sydney. And in 2019, Mariah qualified to become one of 12 members on the inaugural U.S.A. Skateboarding National Team for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Now, age 26, and with more than 153,000 Instagram followers, Mariah is the pride of New Mexico. And she’s just getting started.
Mariah’s ABQ
The Frontier Restaurant, a beloved Albuquerque institution since opening their doors in 1971, is located on Central Avenue across from the University of New Mexico. They serve delicious breakfasts, burritos, burgers, roasted green chile, homemade flour tortillas, fresh squeezed orange juice, and the famous Frontier Sweet Roll. Open from 5 am until midnight, seven days a week.
The Railyard Market of Albuquerque operates on Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm during the months of May through October. Originally established in 2014 by volunteers and neighborhood residents, this non-profit growers’ market celebrates all things local and at the heart of New Mexican culture. Much more than a typical farmer’s market, every Sunday you can peruse hundreds of New Mexico’s finest food, farm, artisan, healing vendors, live musicians and come away enriched from educational and demonstration zones for kids and adults. Located in the heart of Albuquerque, in the historic Barelas neighborhood.
In Nob Hill’s section of Central Avenue, an arch crosses four lanes of traffic buzzing with neon lights. This marks Route 66 in Albuquerque. In pedestrian-friendly downtown Albuquerque, Route 66 crosses...itself. The original Route 66 alignment looped around the north side of the Sandia Mountains to reach Santa Fe, but politics and geography blended in 1937 to "re-align" the Route. Instead of passing through Albuquerque north-to-south along 4th Street it shifted to and east-to-west trajectory along Central Avenue.
In the heart of downtown Albuquerque stands a majestic and historic theater unlike any other. The KiMo Theatre, a Pueblo Deco picture palace, opened on September 19, 1927. Home to a variety of theatrical performances, movies, concerts, and more, the iconic KiMo Theatre continues to offer a unique venue for quality entertainment in Downtown Albuquerque. Visitors may view the inside of the theatre during office hours on Wednesday through Sunday. Visit the website for a current events including film, theatre, and musical performances.
No-frills, old-school take-out spot known for unfussy burgers, chili cheese dogs, fries and shakes. Used as a backdrop in TV shows “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” this restaurant has been a staple in Albuquerque since 1960, with its iconic neon sign, an elongated dachshund wagging its tail and chewing on a string of sausages.
Rising from the hustle and bustle of Albuquerque, the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway takes you on a 15-minute ascension of one of America’s most stunning urban peaks. From the observation deck atop 10,378-foot Sandia Peak in the Cibola National Forest, an 11,000 square-mile panoramic view of Albuquerque as well as the Rio Grande Valley can be seen. Once atop the mountains, enjoy a meal at TEN3 or hike one of the 100 accessible trails. Open Wednesday through Monday, tickets must be purchased online.