Travel and Leisure magazine rated Santa Fe number one out of 35 US travel destinations for "cultural getaway" and also for "peace and quiet."
On the flip side, we ranked dead last for "wild weekend"
and "singles/bar scene." But tourists rated us #5 for romantic escape,
and locals rated us #4 in that category, so while this might not be the
best place to meet someone wild and crazy, it's apparently a good spot
to bring your existing mate for a mildly pleasurable experience. And
for antiquing (#4), good weather (#4) and...bbq? According to the
tourists polled, that's one of Santa Fe's culinary specialties. There
is a category for ethnic food, but not for Mexican, New Mexican, chile,
or sopaipillas—a category we would surely rule.
Tourists rated us #17 for people watching (keep in mind, this was before the AHA Festival) and 34th for pizza, in spite of the recent rating of Rooftop Pizzeria's 'Santa Fe' as among the best in America by the Food Network. Locals also have a (slightly) higher opinion of their city's overall attractiveness and smarts than tourists do. Santa Feans rated the city 10th in intelligence and 22nd in attractiveness; tourists rated us 13th and 26th, respectively. Get Jerome Block Jr out of the public eye and Santa Fe should better itself in both of those standings.
