After a brief off-site respite, I am back at the Advanced Photon Source once more. I was just about to start running my sample, when the beam cut out. Then I had to reload my sample and restart not once, not twice, but three times. My sample just got started in the past hour. Oh well. The data looks okay-ish now, so hopefully, this keeps up! Right now, I am manually recording the temperature at which each pattern is being taken. I will personally pay for Argonne to automate this process if it means that I do not have to do this again when I come back.
In the time that the beam was down, I trolled around Pinterest for a while. Now, I'm not actually on Pinterest because I know that I would turn into that person who is ALWAYS on Pinterest. But that doesn't mean that I can't troll around on it occasionally. (Revelation: I just realized that Pinterest is a play on "interest." Don't judge. Just because I'm in grad school, that doesn't mean that I can't be slow to get things some times. :P Also, it is 2 or 3 in the morning.) I dug up a bunch of fun recipes, so I'll have plenty of things to blog about in the coming weeks. :)
We have about six more hours of beam time left before we head back to Evanston/Chicago. It's been a good experience, albeit a tiring one. Being here and seeing the capabilities has given me a bunch of ideas on stuff that I want to try. That's the problem with research sometimes....one idea can lead to twenty more (or sometimes, one meeting with your advisor can turn into three months of work).
I've got to go tend to my sample now, but until next time!
Showing posts with label lab. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lab. Show all posts
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Argonne, Day Three
Day Three: Coffee consumption increases exponentially
Or, as our sector manager Greg said, day three is when the pessimism starts to kick in. But seriously, all in all, I think our session is going pretty well. We've broken just about everything you can break in our experimental setup, but at least we're learning what not to do and are getting some pretty legit data (okay, maybe that was some of the pessimism right there). Here is a list of the things I've observed so far at the APS.
1) You don't actually need special training to ride the tricycles. However, I discovered that I am really, really bad at riding them. Luckily, I made this discovery at 9 PM at night when no one but my colleagues were around to see me unceremoniously plow into the wall of our sector. Practice makes perfect?
2) The food at the APS is kind of icky. The "401 Grill" is basically a temporary desk put at the edge of the kitchen in Building 401 and serves generic burgers, sandwiches, salads, etc. Also, we are on the direct opposite side of the APS from where the food is. However, the breakfast buffet at the Argonne Guest House is delicious. Sweet potato pancakes with boysenberry sauce? Cinnamon rolls completely covered in frosting? Yes, yes, yes.
3) I can't understand anything that the audible alert system says. I just have to hope that what they're saying means that I won't get zapped with x-rays while I'm changing a sample.
4) The screensavers on the computer monitors for our sector are freaky. Especially at 2 AM. There's one of a cow that just bounces up and down for a good ten minutes. There's also another one that makes me think the girl from The Ring is going to jump out of the screen at me. Odd choices.
5) Opening and closing the door to the beamline hutch makes me feel like I'm in Star Wars. Also, the fact that everything is called a sector makes me think that I should be reporting my distances in parsecs or lightyears rather than meters and feet.
Tonight, I'm going offsite for a bit, but I'm going to be working the 2 PM to 8 AM overnight shift from Saturday into Sunday. Look for more updates to come! Cheers!
Or, as our sector manager Greg said, day three is when the pessimism starts to kick in. But seriously, all in all, I think our session is going pretty well. We've broken just about everything you can break in our experimental setup, but at least we're learning what not to do and are getting some pretty legit data (okay, maybe that was some of the pessimism right there). Here is a list of the things I've observed so far at the APS.
1) You don't actually need special training to ride the tricycles. However, I discovered that I am really, really bad at riding them. Luckily, I made this discovery at 9 PM at night when no one but my colleagues were around to see me unceremoniously plow into the wall of our sector. Practice makes perfect?
2) The food at the APS is kind of icky. The "401 Grill" is basically a temporary desk put at the edge of the kitchen in Building 401 and serves generic burgers, sandwiches, salads, etc. Also, we are on the direct opposite side of the APS from where the food is. However, the breakfast buffet at the Argonne Guest House is delicious. Sweet potato pancakes with boysenberry sauce? Cinnamon rolls completely covered in frosting? Yes, yes, yes.
3) I can't understand anything that the audible alert system says. I just have to hope that what they're saying means that I won't get zapped with x-rays while I'm changing a sample.
4) The screensavers on the computer monitors for our sector are freaky. Especially at 2 AM. There's one of a cow that just bounces up and down for a good ten minutes. There's also another one that makes me think the girl from The Ring is going to jump out of the screen at me. Odd choices.
5) Opening and closing the door to the beamline hutch makes me feel like I'm in Star Wars. Also, the fact that everything is called a sector makes me think that I should be reporting my distances in parsecs or lightyears rather than meters and feet.
Tonight, I'm going offsite for a bit, but I'm going to be working the 2 PM to 8 AM overnight shift from Saturday into Sunday. Look for more updates to come! Cheers!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Argonne After Dark
Long nights in lab seem like the perfect time to write blog posts, don't you think? Well, this time it's not really my lab exactly. I'm out at Argonne National Laboratory with a few of my collegues at the Advanced Photon Source. The thing about the APS is that when your beamtime is scheduled from 8 am on Wednesday to 8 am on Sunday, this means that you start at 8 am on Wednesday and run 24/7 until 8 am on Sunday, not only-day-time-hours-between-8am-Wednesday-and-8am-Sunday. Thus, I am writing this post in the wee hours of the morning during an overnight shift monitoring our data collection. In the words of Lionel Richie, I am chillin' out at Argonne allll niiiight loooong.
Even though I'm being facetious about this whole thing (probably due to lack of sleep and overabundance of cookies), the opportunity to be out at the APS is kind of awesome. I thought that I wouldn't really have need to come out here given the nature of my research, but I'm really glad that the cookie crumbled such that it was possible. You can get data here that you really can't get anywhere else. People come from all over the world to work here, and it's right in our backyard!
In between frantic periods of sample changing and gas line fiddling, there's a whole lot of waiting, as you can tell by the fact that I'm writing this post now instead of hovering over an instrument somewhere. Luckily, the folks at the APS thought of this and gave us office space full of spinning, rolling office chairs. Hours of entertainment. Also, to get around the APS, there are, I kid you not, adult-size tricycles. I think you need special training to ride them, but oh man. Oh man.
More on Argonne adventures later...now it's time for some frantic gas line fiddling!
Even though I'm being facetious about this whole thing (probably due to lack of sleep and overabundance of cookies), the opportunity to be out at the APS is kind of awesome. I thought that I wouldn't really have need to come out here given the nature of my research, but I'm really glad that the cookie crumbled such that it was possible. You can get data here that you really can't get anywhere else. People come from all over the world to work here, and it's right in our backyard!
In between frantic periods of sample changing and gas line fiddling, there's a whole lot of waiting, as you can tell by the fact that I'm writing this post now instead of hovering over an instrument somewhere. Luckily, the folks at the APS thought of this and gave us office space full of spinning, rolling office chairs. Hours of entertainment. Also, to get around the APS, there are, I kid you not, adult-size tricycles. I think you need special training to ride them, but oh man. Oh man.
More on Argonne adventures later...now it's time for some frantic gas line fiddling!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
California Adventures
Hi, all!
Okay, for real, I'm going to update more frequently and stuff.
It's been a busy few weeks with the transition from ABQ to CA. This week was actually my first full week at Sandia/CA because of all of the travel! Last week, I had my fellowship conference in Washington, DC, so I basically dropped my stuff in California and then took off for the east coast 48 hours later. Over the course of a week, I was in every time zone. I started the week in ABQ, moved to Livermore, flew to DC via Chicago, and then flew to Chicago and finally SF. (I also discovered the exact turnaround time of a 46" x 41" poster at FedEx/Kinko's if submitted the night before it is needed. But that's a story for another day...) Oof. I am racking up the frequent flyer miles, let me tell you. I keep saying that I should take a vacation when I'm done with all of this summer stuff, but really, I may just want to stay put for a while.
I was able to squeeze in a much-needed but entirely too short visit home to Evanston. Andy and I signed a lease on an apartment in Chicago(!) while I was home, which was very exciting indeed. I got a chance to walk through it, too, which was awesome. It's a HUGE place with a kitchen that is easily the size of our current living room. I'm excited for the move and excited to have people over for a housewarming! I'm heading home in a few weeks to help pack for the move, even though I can't be there during the actual move. Chicago people, I'm counting on you in my absence! :)
Even though I've only been here working for real for a little over a week, I've already been working hard. I've been working 9, 10, even 11 hour days. I didn't think this whole practicum thing was supposed to be so intense. Maybe I got the short end of the stick. Who knows. I get to play with lasers so that's cool? The experimental setup that we're using is more complicated than anything I've ever used before, which is super intimidating. There are so many things that can go wrong. Luckily, I have a fellow grad student name Darwin (which is apparently a very common name in Indonesia where he is from) who is a pro at operating the system. He claims that I can bother him with as many questions as I have. I hope this is true, but at least he doesn't seem to be too annoyed yet. :) I'm starting to get the feel of the system now, but I feel like once I get it mastered, I'm going to be leaving. Ah well.
Since this was my first weekend in Livermore, I decided to walk about a bit. The downtown is super cute and friendly. There are all kinds of restaurants and small shops. I spent a good chunk of my morning sitting outside Panama Red Coffee Co with my Kindle and a tall cup of coffee. I got in some quality people watching while I was at it. Moving along, I stopped by the Donut Wheel and Noah's Bagels to get some donuts for breakfast tomorrow and bagels for breakfast throughout the week. I walked all the way to Nob Hill Foods (no, not like the ABQ Nob Hill. It wasn't THAT long of a walk) and Trader Joe's (yes, I found it already). One thing I've found is that, apparently, no one takes public transit here. In the morning, no more than four people have been on the bus. Today I figured out that on Saturday, only every other bus runs to the stop near my building. So I got stranded for a bit at the Livermore transit center with my bags of groceries. Oh well. Chicagoans don't know how good we have it. For real. I miss the el!
Livermore is also home to about 50 wineries. After perusing Google Maps today, I found out that there are at least two wineries down the street from my apartment. Maybe this will be how I spend my Sunday, hmmm? I'm really looking forward to checking out the farmer's market tomorrow. I love farm-fresh produce, and I really missed having that opportunity in ABQ.
Speaking of ABQ, I've recently started watching Breaking Bad. I am really glad I did not start watching it when I was living in ABQ, as I may not have ever left my hotel. At least I never went to the South Valley, so I guess I would have been okay? The show is, uh, addictive, so to speak, and I've already gotten through the first season. Eep!
California is generally pretty okay so far. I'm starting to get my bearings, and I hope to do some exploring! If anyone has any ideas or suggestions on things to do in NorCal, I am open to suggestions!
Have a great rest of the weekend, folks!
Okay, for real, I'm going to update more frequently and stuff.
It's been a busy few weeks with the transition from ABQ to CA. This week was actually my first full week at Sandia/CA because of all of the travel! Last week, I had my fellowship conference in Washington, DC, so I basically dropped my stuff in California and then took off for the east coast 48 hours later. Over the course of a week, I was in every time zone. I started the week in ABQ, moved to Livermore, flew to DC via Chicago, and then flew to Chicago and finally SF. (I also discovered the exact turnaround time of a 46" x 41" poster at FedEx/Kinko's if submitted the night before it is needed. But that's a story for another day...) Oof. I am racking up the frequent flyer miles, let me tell you. I keep saying that I should take a vacation when I'm done with all of this summer stuff, but really, I may just want to stay put for a while.
I was able to squeeze in a much-needed but entirely too short visit home to Evanston. Andy and I signed a lease on an apartment in Chicago(!) while I was home, which was very exciting indeed. I got a chance to walk through it, too, which was awesome. It's a HUGE place with a kitchen that is easily the size of our current living room. I'm excited for the move and excited to have people over for a housewarming! I'm heading home in a few weeks to help pack for the move, even though I can't be there during the actual move. Chicago people, I'm counting on you in my absence! :)
Even though I've only been here working for real for a little over a week, I've already been working hard. I've been working 9, 10, even 11 hour days. I didn't think this whole practicum thing was supposed to be so intense. Maybe I got the short end of the stick. Who knows. I get to play with lasers so that's cool? The experimental setup that we're using is more complicated than anything I've ever used before, which is super intimidating. There are so many things that can go wrong. Luckily, I have a fellow grad student name Darwin (which is apparently a very common name in Indonesia where he is from) who is a pro at operating the system. He claims that I can bother him with as many questions as I have. I hope this is true, but at least he doesn't seem to be too annoyed yet. :) I'm starting to get the feel of the system now, but I feel like once I get it mastered, I'm going to be leaving. Ah well.
Since this was my first weekend in Livermore, I decided to walk about a bit. The downtown is super cute and friendly. There are all kinds of restaurants and small shops. I spent a good chunk of my morning sitting outside Panama Red Coffee Co with my Kindle and a tall cup of coffee. I got in some quality people watching while I was at it. Moving along, I stopped by the Donut Wheel and Noah's Bagels to get some donuts for breakfast tomorrow and bagels for breakfast throughout the week. I walked all the way to Nob Hill Foods (no, not like the ABQ Nob Hill. It wasn't THAT long of a walk) and Trader Joe's (yes, I found it already). One thing I've found is that, apparently, no one takes public transit here. In the morning, no more than four people have been on the bus. Today I figured out that on Saturday, only every other bus runs to the stop near my building. So I got stranded for a bit at the Livermore transit center with my bags of groceries. Oh well. Chicagoans don't know how good we have it. For real. I miss the el!
Livermore is also home to about 50 wineries. After perusing Google Maps today, I found out that there are at least two wineries down the street from my apartment. Maybe this will be how I spend my Sunday, hmmm? I'm really looking forward to checking out the farmer's market tomorrow. I love farm-fresh produce, and I really missed having that opportunity in ABQ.
Speaking of ABQ, I've recently started watching Breaking Bad. I am really glad I did not start watching it when I was living in ABQ, as I may not have ever left my hotel. At least I never went to the South Valley, so I guess I would have been okay? The show is, uh, addictive, so to speak, and I've already gotten through the first season. Eep!
California is generally pretty okay so far. I'm starting to get my bearings, and I hope to do some exploring! If anyone has any ideas or suggestions on things to do in NorCal, I am open to suggestions!
Have a great rest of the weekend, folks!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The Albuquerque Experience
Hi, S&C-ers!
Given the time elapsed between my last post and now, I think you can probably get an idea of what my time here in ABQ has been like. I've been working long days trying to get lots of work done during the five short weeks that I'm at Sandia NM. My work has paid off (I think? maybe?), and I have a bunch of things to test when I get to CA. It took a while to get used to living in a new city, fitting in with a new crowd, and acclimating to the national lab setting, and now when I feel like I know what I'm doing, it's time to go!
Fortunately, my time here hasn't been all work. Andy came to visit me a few weeks ago. We did some quintessential ABQ stuff like the Sandia Peak Tramway (the longest in the world!) at sunset, Petroglyph National Monument, driving down old Route 66, and eating (sopaipillas! green chile! carne adovada! oh my!). The main event of Andy's visit, however, was the Grand Canyon. We drove out on Sunday, spent the afternoon hiking down into the canyon, and came back up to the rim for sunset. I can't remember the last time I had my breath taken away, but the Grand Canyon definitely did it. We stayed the night in Flagstaff, AZ then headed back to New Mexico the next morning. On the way home, we swung through Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, during which I'm pretty sure we set a record for the fastest touring of a national park. We put almost 1000 miles on our rental car in three days. Awesome.
My parents also came out to visit for a weekend. We stayed more local and checked out Albuquerque sights like the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, which I thought was really awesome. Albuquerque also has its own minor league baseball team called the Albuquerque Isotopes, which sends players to the Los Angeles Dodgers. We also took the Rail Runner up to Santa Fe, which is absolutely adorable. Even though it rained, we got a chance to see the historic square, church, art fairs, and more. If I'm in NM again, I would definitely visit Santa Fe again!
My time in Albuquerque was eye-opening, but I am looking forward to heading to California. I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow! I'll miss the beautiful mountain scenery and the yummy food in New Mexico. I've learned all about Southwestern wildlife, too. Did you know that road runners are real?! Apparently, there is a restaurant in Chicago that serves New Mexican-inspired food, so I'll have to check it back when I'm back home.
I'll try to be better about updating on the West Coast. Until next time! Have a great week everyone!
Given the time elapsed between my last post and now, I think you can probably get an idea of what my time here in ABQ has been like. I've been working long days trying to get lots of work done during the five short weeks that I'm at Sandia NM. My work has paid off (I think? maybe?), and I have a bunch of things to test when I get to CA. It took a while to get used to living in a new city, fitting in with a new crowd, and acclimating to the national lab setting, and now when I feel like I know what I'm doing, it's time to go!
Fortunately, my time here hasn't been all work. Andy came to visit me a few weeks ago. We did some quintessential ABQ stuff like the Sandia Peak Tramway (the longest in the world!) at sunset, Petroglyph National Monument, driving down old Route 66, and eating (sopaipillas! green chile! carne adovada! oh my!). The main event of Andy's visit, however, was the Grand Canyon. We drove out on Sunday, spent the afternoon hiking down into the canyon, and came back up to the rim for sunset. I can't remember the last time I had my breath taken away, but the Grand Canyon definitely did it. We stayed the night in Flagstaff, AZ then headed back to New Mexico the next morning. On the way home, we swung through Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, during which I'm pretty sure we set a record for the fastest touring of a national park. We put almost 1000 miles on our rental car in three days. Awesome.
My parents also came out to visit for a weekend. We stayed more local and checked out Albuquerque sights like the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, which I thought was really awesome. Albuquerque also has its own minor league baseball team called the Albuquerque Isotopes, which sends players to the Los Angeles Dodgers. We also took the Rail Runner up to Santa Fe, which is absolutely adorable. Even though it rained, we got a chance to see the historic square, church, art fairs, and more. If I'm in NM again, I would definitely visit Santa Fe again!
My time in Albuquerque was eye-opening, but I am looking forward to heading to California. I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow! I'll miss the beautiful mountain scenery and the yummy food in New Mexico. I've learned all about Southwestern wildlife, too. Did you know that road runners are real?! Apparently, there is a restaurant in Chicago that serves New Mexican-inspired food, so I'll have to check it back when I'm back home.
I'll try to be better about updating on the West Coast. Until next time! Have a great week everyone!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Public Transit and "Red or Green?": My First Week in ABQ
Happy Sunday, S&C readers!
It's been a hectic first week in ABQ. Work-wise, I've had a variety of fun battling Sandia's computer resources, getting used to commuting, and working in a new lab. I think I'm starting to get the hang of things, but every lab has its own culture, which requires some adjustment. Also, I've finally come to terms with the altitude in that I no longer feel winded when I climb a flight of stairs. Huzzah! I don't think I'll ever get used to this heat, though, however dry it may be. I have learned to apply moisturizer daily, always have your sunglasses handy, and when in doubt, slather on sunscreen. I even have a bunch of freckles and a sort-of tan.
Uptown, the section of the city where I'm staying, is basically home to every chain store you could ever want. I'm about a seven minute walk away from Trader Joe's, and I'm slowly eating my way through every product that TJ's sells. Not that this is a bad thing. The view from my hotel room is quite striking. You can see the mountains really well. We had some thunderstorms on Thursday (which was very much needed due to the wildfires that have been running rampant), and I got to see bolts of lightning streak across the sky above the mountains. Awesome.
I couldn't find the bus stop on my second day of work. This sounds ridiculous, I know, but I'm not always thinking clearly first thing in the morning. In Chicago, not every bus stop is marked, so I didn't think anything of there not being a sign at the spot where I thought the bus would stop. Long story short, that wasn't the bus stop, and it took me an hour to catch the bus on Tuesday morning. Also, after whacking my bike into my shins half a dozen times, I've finally become a pro at hoisting my bike into the bike rack on the front of the bus (and have some really wicked bruises to boot). ABQ Ride, the name for the bus system here, has a really awesome video, which teaches you how to use the bike rack. It's like magic.
Since I've been working during the week, I haven't had too much of a chance to explore. Last weekend, I walked around in Coronado Center, the mall across the way, and did some shopping. Hellooooo, 7% sales tax! It seems so cheap compared to the 9.5% I'm used to. Ha. On Friday, I grabbed lunch with my NU friend Harold, who works for Intel. I discovered that there are a bunch of neat restaurants fairly close to my hotel, including several Japanese and Vietnamese restaurants. Who knew?
Yesterday, I decided to start exploring the rest of the town. ABQ Ride has a Rapid Ride line that runs along Central Ave, which is the old Route 66 that runs east-west through the city. It runs through Nob Hill and Downtown ABQ then on to Old Town. ABQ has tried to keep some of the old Route 66 charm, especially in Nob Hill, where neon signs abound, so it was fun to see snapshots of history along the way.
I ended up in Old Town, which is on the western side of the city. The main plaza area of Old Town is a favorite of tourists and has a bunch of shops selling jewelry, art, and kitsch, an assortment of restaurants, and a few museums like the Rattlesnake Museum. Old Town extends farther west than I ventured and also includes the ABQ BioPark and some other fun stuff.
As I mentioned, there's a bit of a kitschy element to some of the character in Old Town. For $4, I couldn't say no to the Rattlesnake Museum. I got a "Certificate of Bravery" for going through the exhibits and everything. If any of you are fans of the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, you may have seen the rattlesnake mugs that he and his robot-skeleton sidekick Geoff drink out of on the show. If you don't know this show, that last sentence probably made no sense. Anyway, I actually saw those mugs in the flesh (snakeskin?) in the museum gift shop. Because I realize there are some snake-phobic readers of this blog, I'll spare you the snake pictures and instead show you the entrance where, if you heed the sign, you can slither on in to the museum.
To top off the day in Old Town, I searched for some traditional New Mexican food. I wound up at the Church Street Cafe upon recommendation from the two nice old men who manned the Visitor Center desk. Basically everything on the menu at a New Mexican restaurant is smothered in cheese and either red or green chile. "Red or green?" is a common question, and it seems that everyone has a favorite place to get the best of either. I decided to opt for the choice of "Christmas," which means you get both red and green chile. I think I might be a red chile gal, but the combination was pretty delicious. Further experimentation is needed to have a full data set on the matter. I am an engineer after all.
Hopefully, this week will be smoother than last week. Also, I have the best motivation to keep going through the week: Andy is coming to visit this weekend!!!
I hope everyone has a great week! Cheers until next time!
It's been a hectic first week in ABQ. Work-wise, I've had a variety of fun battling Sandia's computer resources, getting used to commuting, and working in a new lab. I think I'm starting to get the hang of things, but every lab has its own culture, which requires some adjustment. Also, I've finally come to terms with the altitude in that I no longer feel winded when I climb a flight of stairs. Huzzah! I don't think I'll ever get used to this heat, though, however dry it may be. I have learned to apply moisturizer daily, always have your sunglasses handy, and when in doubt, slather on sunscreen. I even have a bunch of freckles and a sort-of tan.
Uptown, the section of the city where I'm staying, is basically home to every chain store you could ever want. I'm about a seven minute walk away from Trader Joe's, and I'm slowly eating my way through every product that TJ's sells. Not that this is a bad thing. The view from my hotel room is quite striking. You can see the mountains really well. We had some thunderstorms on Thursday (which was very much needed due to the wildfires that have been running rampant), and I got to see bolts of lightning streak across the sky above the mountains. Awesome.
The view from my living room pretty much sums up this section of the city: TJ's and mountains. (During the day and at sunset.)
I couldn't find the bus stop on my second day of work. This sounds ridiculous, I know, but I'm not always thinking clearly first thing in the morning. In Chicago, not every bus stop is marked, so I didn't think anything of there not being a sign at the spot where I thought the bus would stop. Long story short, that wasn't the bus stop, and it took me an hour to catch the bus on Tuesday morning. Also, after whacking my bike into my shins half a dozen times, I've finally become a pro at hoisting my bike into the bike rack on the front of the bus (and have some really wicked bruises to boot). ABQ Ride, the name for the bus system here, has a really awesome video, which teaches you how to use the bike rack. It's like magic.
Since I've been working during the week, I haven't had too much of a chance to explore. Last weekend, I walked around in Coronado Center, the mall across the way, and did some shopping. Hellooooo, 7% sales tax! It seems so cheap compared to the 9.5% I'm used to. Ha. On Friday, I grabbed lunch with my NU friend Harold, who works for Intel. I discovered that there are a bunch of neat restaurants fairly close to my hotel, including several Japanese and Vietnamese restaurants. Who knew?
Yesterday, I decided to start exploring the rest of the town. ABQ Ride has a Rapid Ride line that runs along Central Ave, which is the old Route 66 that runs east-west through the city. It runs through Nob Hill and Downtown ABQ then on to Old Town. ABQ has tried to keep some of the old Route 66 charm, especially in Nob Hill, where neon signs abound, so it was fun to see snapshots of history along the way.
I ended up in Old Town, which is on the western side of the city. The main plaza area of Old Town is a favorite of tourists and has a bunch of shops selling jewelry, art, and kitsch, an assortment of restaurants, and a few museums like the Rattlesnake Museum. Old Town extends farther west than I ventured and also includes the ABQ BioPark and some other fun stuff.
The tower of the San Felipe de Neri Parish marks the center of Old Town.
As I mentioned, there's a bit of a kitschy element to some of the character in Old Town. For $4, I couldn't say no to the Rattlesnake Museum. I got a "Certificate of Bravery" for going through the exhibits and everything. If any of you are fans of the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, you may have seen the rattlesnake mugs that he and his robot-skeleton sidekick Geoff drink out of on the show. If you don't know this show, that last sentence probably made no sense. Anyway, I actually saw those mugs in the flesh (snakeskin?) in the museum gift shop. Because I realize there are some snake-phobic readers of this blog, I'll spare you the snake pictures and instead show you the entrance where, if you heed the sign, you can slither on in to the museum.
"Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?"
To top off the day in Old Town, I searched for some traditional New Mexican food. I wound up at the Church Street Cafe upon recommendation from the two nice old men who manned the Visitor Center desk. Basically everything on the menu at a New Mexican restaurant is smothered in cheese and either red or green chile. "Red or green?" is a common question, and it seems that everyone has a favorite place to get the best of either. I decided to opt for the choice of "Christmas," which means you get both red and green chile. I think I might be a red chile gal, but the combination was pretty delicious. Further experimentation is needed to have a full data set on the matter. I am an engineer after all.
Hopefully, this week will be smoother than last week. Also, I have the best motivation to keep going through the week: Andy is coming to visit this weekend!!!
I hope everyone has a great week! Cheers until next time!
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