Rio Grande Zoo installs solar panelsThe Rio Grande Zoo recently installed six solar panels in partnership with the New Mexico Solar Energy Association. Thirty students from a PV Design & Installation Workshop helped install the Photo Voltaic (PV) solar panels on the roof of the Zoo’s gift shop, which will create a one kilowatt system that is “grid-tied” – as the panels generate electricity, the amount of power the
shops utilize from the electrical utility will decrease. The solar power inverter, located at the back of the gift shop, will accommodate additional panels in the future, to upgrade to a three kilowatt system. Besides reducing energy costs, the solar panels will be used as an educational tool to inform visitors about solar energy and encourage energy conservation at home.
National Atomic Museum to move and change name Construction has begun on the new site for the National Atomic Museum. The museum, which is currently housed in
Old Town, is scheduled to open in spring 2009 and it will be renamed the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. The new museum will be located in southeastern Albuquerque on 12 acres of land at Eubank and Southern Boulevards on the north end of Sandia Science and Technology Park. The new museum will include a 30,000 square foot building plus an outdoor park for aircraft and other large artifacts currently housed on Kirtland Air Force Base. View
media release for details.
www.atomicmuseum.com.
Albuquerque Botanic Garden to add InsectariumAn insectarium is in the works at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden. The new 2,600 square foot building will be located on the south side of the
gardens. The primary lab will be a breeding and development center for the insect exhibits. There will be additional exhibit areas adjacent to the main building. The project is expected to be completed mid-2009.
www.cabq.gov/biopark
Albuquerque Studios buzzing with business
With New Mexico's close proximity to Los Angeles and the state's film incentives, film production is on the rise in the Albuquerque area. The 28-acre Albuquerque Studios opened in April 2007 with eight sound stages with a combined total of 168,000 sq. ft. of space. The $74 million state-of-the-art motion picture and television production facility also offers full support facilities including production offices, mill space, storage and construction space, and a vast backlot. The 90-minute flight from L.A. and quick access from the Albuquerque International Sunport makes the studios very accessible to the industry. Albuquerque Studios will eventually provide work for about 2,500 people. The studios is located at Mesa del Sol, a new 9,000-acre planned urban development on Albuquerque's southwest mesa. www.abqstudios.com and www.mesadelsolnm.com
The decision by one of Hollywood's major studios to establish a new facility in Albuquerque is the lastest indication of New Mexico's rapidly expanding film industry. The 100,000 square-foot satellite facility is projected to open at Albuquerque Studios in Mesa del Sol beginning with 100 jobs in digital media, animation and visual effects, eventually expanding to 300 employees. Sony pictures Imagworks has also recently welcomed
University of New Mexico as a new member in its Imageworks Professional Academic Excellence program in an effort to nurture young talent.
www.imageworks.com/press/expansion
Albuquerque welcomes jeep tour operator
New Mexico Jeep Tours provides a unique experience for locals, tourists and movie scouts wishing to view off-road sights, which include Spanish homesteads dating back to the 1700s, wagon train stations from the 1800s, and Pueblo ruins dating back as far as 1200 AD. www.nmjeeptours.com
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center offers pueblo tours to Acoma & ZuniA local partnership between the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, the Pueblos of Acoma and Zuni, and local tour operators have created new tours for Albuquerque visitors who are interested in a Native American cultural experience. The Into the Sunset Western Pueblo Tours begin with a tour of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Then visitors board a bus for a guided tour to Acoma and/or Zuni Pueblos. The tour includes lunch and snacks. Participating in this tour saves visitors several driving miles while providing an opportunity to learn from a Native American guide and enjoy the scenery during the drive.
www.indianpueblo.org
Rail Runner to extend to Santa Fe by of of 2008
The Rail Runner, which is a new light rail system running north and south through the city extending north to Bernalillo and south to Belen. Current plans involve expansion to Santa Fe expected to be complete by December 2008. The trains have
bike storage areas for easy transport as well as WiFi for business commuters. Stay up-to-date on the progress of service to Santa Fe online
www.nmrailrunner.com Rapid Ride is a high-speed bus route that connects the main visitor corridors for
shopping, dining and
museums along Central Avenue from the city's west side to
Uptown. All Rapid Ride buses have bike racks.
Hotel News
- Just south of Albuquerque the Isleta Casino & Resort opened a hotel complex on July1, 2008. The resort hotel features 200 luxurious rooms and suites, an aquatic themed spa, a 24-hour café, an Asian bistro, a new nightclub and a family activity center. Already existing, the Isleta Casino has more than 1,600 slots, table games and poker rooms. Next door, the Isleta Eagle 27-hole golf course is a challenging course designed around three lakes near the Rio Grande. View media release for details.
The historic La Posada de Albuquerque Hotel will reopen late 2008 as Andaluz, following a $30 million renovation. Upon completion, the hotel will boast 107 rooms and suites, with meeting space for a variety of corporate booking needs. The hotel’s décor will incorporate Moroccan and Spanish colonial influence reflective of the original design of the lobby, and will feature a mezzanine-level cultural center honoring New Mexico’s museums, cultural institutions, performing arts groups, and other culturally significant organizations. The renovation will preserve the historic nature of the building, while modernizing the technology and introducing environmental sustainability. When complete, the property will achieve silver LEED certification – a unique distinction for a property on the National Register of Historic Places. Andaluz, located one block from the Albuquerque Convention Center, is sure to become the anchor property of a vibrant and revitalized downtown Albuquerque. View factsheet for hotel details.
- The Sheraton Uptown is in the final stages of its $25 million renovation and is scheduled to be completed in November 2008. The first fully renovated guest floor holding about 40 guest rooms has already been opened to the public. Other renovated floors will be opening one at a time about two weeks apart, and the entire public space, which consists of the Lobby, registration, hotel bar and meeting space should be open after Labor Day. The project included renovation of the 17,000 square feet meeting space and furniture upgrades to the 295 rooms and suites. Upgrades will be made to the ventilation, heating and air condition systems and the indoor swimming pool, as well as new additions including an Internet lounge and a media center. To learn more about the renovation visit http://sheratonabq.com/transformation.htm
Albuquerque in the national spotlight
- Albuquerque's growing population moved the city to the big city category for 2008, but we are still a top 25 art destination, at 7th Best Big City Art Destination in AmericanStyle Magazine, April 2008
- Albuquerque was named as America's 3rd Fittest City for 2008 by Men's Fitness magazine
- No. 16 of America's 50 Greenest Cities by Popular Science, February 2008
- No. 20 on Top 25 Eventful Cities by www.eventful.com, December 2007
- Top 50 Best Places to Live and Play by National Geographic Adventure magazine, September 2007
- Golf on the Santa Fe Trail ranked among four best muli-stop shops for your next golf trip, GOLF Magazine, May '07
- Outdoor recreation opportunities made Albuquerque the 3rd best mid-sized city for cycling in Bicycling Magazine.
More Top Albuquerque Rankings
Coming Events & Attractions:
New Mex Now Mix: Works by Alex Chavez, Kenny Chavez, Goldie Garcia and Johnny Salas August 9, 2008-January 11, 2009
This exhibit features the work of four contemporary New Mexican mixed media artists who transform the everyday and familiar into the extraordinary and fabulous. Located at the National Hispanic Cultural Center www.nhccnm.org/
Meso-Americhanics de la Torre Brothers and Border Baroque September 12, 2008-February 22
The de la Torre Brothers translate their creative passion and critical thinking into intensely collaborative, opulent yet monumental, blown glass “mix” media works. And, even though their art constantly addresses and questions complex issues, they love a joke, a visual pun, hidden symbols, and wordplay. For the de la Torre Brothers nothing--and everything--is sacred including politics, religion, tradition and geographical location. Located at the National Hispanic Cultural Center www.nhccnm.org/
A Fiesta patchwork: Images Through Time September 28, 2008-December 2009
Enjoy this graphical celebration of Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque’s premiere annual event. Colorful posters, bumper stickers and “living history” recordings connect visual images and stories about artists, ballooning pioneers and the ballooning fraternity that capture the magic of Balloon Fiesta over the past 35+ years. www.cabq.gov/balloon
Jamestown, Quebec, and Santa Fe: Three American Beginnings October 25, 2008-March 29, 2009
The dramatic, often violent, story of European settlement in the new world is told in three languages and through the eyes of the powerful, the dispossessed and the enslaved. In conjunction with the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. www.cabq.gov/museum
Image: Eastern Medicine, Einar & Jamex de la Torre