In June 2009, The Atlantic published a story titled “Cold Fusion”—a heavily serious headline for an article about cocktail ice. Suffice it to say that, in some coastal cities, mixology is a discipline, and cocktails are an art.
Characteristically, Santa Fe is looking both ways—twice—before it crosses that street, but we’re getting there.
For this year’s issue of our annual bar and nightlife guide, though, we focused on more than just drinking (although we did coax a few secrets out of Rio Chama bartender Rob Rittmeyer and did a quick analysis of the burgeoning local distillery scene). Two of SFR’s talented interns, Jackson Larson and Tescia Schell, share their views on the under-21 nightlife scene (page 26) and lend some advice for what to do if you can’t/don’t/would rather not drink.
On page 25, Schell also offers some tips for getting home safely—because, when it comes down to it, we’ll never get to explore the vast universe of oddly shaped cocktail ice unless we’re smart enough not to hurt each other in the process. Summer’s long nights and balmy breezes are coming; be smart, stay safe and have fun, Santa Fe!
—Alexa Schirtzinger
I write this letter in response to the perpetual claim in your publication and others about the “sad state” of the scene here in Santa Fe. I have heard this rhetoric for years now and I have to disagree. Yes, Santa Fe lacks venues that support courageous art and music, but there is a wealth of talent here that is remarkable for a city this size. You complain about a lack of an audience, yet you tell people there is not a good scene here. Maybe in fact you are fostering the public’s apathy to investigate what is here. You have convinced yourselves there is nothing worth investigating as it makes your job easier to have reporters talk about themselves than truly investigate what is happening in underground art and music here in Santa Fe. Stop telling the public the scene sucks; stop giving yourself an excuse for pathetic journalism. Santa Fe has a world-class underground art and music scene. It isn’t in bars, hotel lobbies or galleries. It’s in alternative, off-the-radar venues. Get off your ass. Open your eyes, your ears and your mind and you might surprise yourself.