The Rail Runner takes travelers north or south from Albuquerque, depending on their preference. Our preference on Christmas Eve was north: Santa Fe. Since we have been severely deprived of public transit options in DFW, we thought the train would be a good option. Not that our one evening makes up for years and years of driving our gas guzzling vehicles around the metroplex, but it’s a start.

We made reservations for a birthday dinner at the Amaya, located inside the Hotel Santa Fe. We’d stopped in before with a large group on the way to the mountains, and remembered a quiet atmosphere with minimal music, attentive waitstaff and bonus: no other customers (probably explains the attentive waitstaff). Reservations booked, we navigated our way to the train station in downtown. We considered trying to figure out a ride on the bus to train station, but decided it might be nice to have the car since we were anticipating a late return.

Car parked and all valuables removed, we went to wait for the Rail Runner. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. But there we were, shivering in our winter coats and hats, wondering if we should have added layers.

The Rail Runner arrived and fortunately its warm interior made us forget about the extra layers.

We found a seat on the top level and settled in.

Public transit: sit back, try to tune out the other noisy passengers, enjoy the view or read a book.

For most of the way, we enjoyed the view while eavesdropping on a heated debate on whether Google maps can track one’s speed.

Sandia Peak is is an impressive presence. It’s visible from most places in the city, and even as we sped north through Bernalillo and Rio Rancho, there it was, tall and beautiful.

Just before Santa Fe… snow! Finally. At this point we’d been in Albuquerque for over a week and had yet to see anything close to snow.

The train stopped and we hopped out, on a mission to find a pre-dinner beer. Our first choice was Second Street Brewery, not far from the station and a known. One of us had been there before. We hopped over ice patches (neither of us bothered to wear appropriate shoes) and avoided slippery spots. Like in Albuquerque, a bright sun does not equate to warm air.

Arriving at Second Street, we were disappointed to find the windows dark. Peeking in, we saw chairs on tables and lights turn off. Closed for the holiday, evidently. Fortunately, there is more beer in Santa Fe. We found it be chance – just wandering down the sidewalk and saw a sign for Restoration Pizza. It appeared reasonably quiet. And warm. We went in. With greetings from a very enthusiastic bartender, we found two spots at the bar and reviewed the menu. Santa’s Favorite House caught our eye. Mostly because of the ABV. Twelve percent? It’s rare to find strong beers in these parts. We had to have one. It was Christmas Eve and if Santa loved this particular we were sure we would too.

We did. Santa’s Favorite was now our favorite as well.

Leaving Restoration, we had some time to kill before our reservations, so we went over REI, browsing through all the outdoor gear we were sure we might need at some point during our time in New Mexico. In the shoe department we accidentally found Santa’s Favorite Hiking Boots. We both tried on a pair of Merrells and decided we couldn’t live without them. It was one of our birthdays and besides they would be handy for the trek back to the train. We spent some time chatting with the friendly shoe salesman (whose name was Hopper so how could we not talk to him?) about hiking trails, live music (ever hear of Anti-Gravity Love Machine? His daughter …), and rugby.

As we paid for Santa’s favorite boots we glanced at our phones and realized our reservation at Amaya was twenty minutes ago. Oops. We considered calling – confident they wouldn’t be too busy and our tardiness wouldn’t be an issue – but then we remembered the menu at Restoration Pizza. Pizza with white sauce, pizza with red sauce, pizza with veggies, pizza with meat. They all sounded amazing. We made the decision to bail on the fancy Amaya and opt for cheap(ish) pizza and beer.

We had the La Trufa: white sauce, spinach, bacon, mushrooms … It was amazing. The perfect birthday dinner. Santa would approve. Especially since we consumed more of his favorite beer.

It was time to catch the train home but first, one more quick stop. Another accidental detour: we wandered into the Jean Cocteau Cinema, a tiny indie theatre that was currently showing The Shining and regularly carries a lineup of classic films along with live shows. It’s a small building, but there’s enough room in the micro-lobby for concessions, a bar and three small tables. We were jealous of the folks there to see the movie; if our only option for transportation home was not the Rail Runner we might have purchased tickets. But the train’s last ride was leaving at 8pm, and we needed to be on it, or a very expensive Uber ride home.

We saved the theatre as a place to return and went to find our seats on train. The ride home was not completely quiet, but we tuned out the crowd and read our books. What a nice change from driver/passenger and complete control over your vehicle.

The hiking boots? An excellent investment. We’ve worn them every day since, whether actually hiking or just wandering through town.