According to a new BusinessWeek.com and Sperling's Best Places study, Santa Fe has been named the second most creative city in the nation. This is of no surprise to me, considering the the artist population of the city and the natural beauty. Here is the full list:

1. Los Angeles: 56.105
2. Santa Fe, N.M.: 36.449
3. Carson City, Nev.: 24.701
4. New York City: 14.852
5. Kingston, N.Y.: 13.128
6. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, Calif.: 12.649
7. Nashville: 11.443
8. Boulder, Colo.: 11.076
9. San Francisco: 9.682
10. Nassau-Suffolk County, N.Y.: 8.943

Alan Arkin, a Santa Fe resident, won the Oscar at the 79th Annual Academy Awards for best supporting actor for his role as the grandfather in "Little Miss Sunshine". Congratulations Alan!

Labels: Film, Residents

Had a fantastic dinner at Maria's last night! Maria's is THE place in town for authentic margaritas, just watch yourself as one is usually enough!!! The chile rellenos (a New Mexico green chile stuffed with cheese lightly battered and then fried - then smothered in chile - for those of you who don't know what a relleno is) were outstanding as always. The service was good and the room is well, just Santa Fe 100%. If you are looking for TRADITIONAL New Mexican food Maria's is a must while in Santa Fe.

Labels: Food, Restaurants

We spent the day at the Albuquerque Zoo. It was cool (about 43 degrees) but you can feel that spring is right around the corner. I'm sure that we will have one or two additional snow storms, but I think most New Mexicans are ready for the warmer weather. It's been a cold snowy winter which has been great for the ski areas and will be a blessing this summer, as it will bring strong run off, less fires, and beauty in the mountains.

Labels: Activities, Albuquerque, Things to Do

Enchanted Forest Cross Country Ski Area near Red River, NM will host its annual Just Deserts Eat and Ski day this Saturday. This is a great event in which you cross country ski through the forest and discover tables covered with sweats. Not only do you get to eat, you have a chance to burn off the cakes and candy by skiing the 32 kilometers of trails - which, by the way, have over 65 inches of snow on them!

I'll be hosting an open house today at 2152 Ridgeview Circle. Please come by and take a look at this great house. The home is just over 2500 square feet and is on almost a half acre of land. It has 3 bedroms, 3 baths and includes a 815 SF In-Law apartment. The price is $549,000. Click HERE for directions.

Just returned from a great ski weekend in Taos! We stayed in one of the new "Helen's House" rooms at the Taos Inn. The room was great and so was the hotel experience. Saturday night, we ate dinner at Lambert's and had a great meal. The food room was nice and the food was good -- We will be going back. We had a great day of skiing at Taos Ski Valley, although they could use a bit more snow....

All in all a great easy getaway from Santa Fe.

Labels: Activities, Things to Do

A feature film called Sunshine Cleaning will start shooting in and around Albuquerque thext week.

The film will star Santa Fe resident Alan Arkin, Amy Adams and Emily Blunt.

The State of New Mexico Forestry Division is selling tree seedlings to NM land owners with at least one acre of land. This is a great way to pick up a large (or small) number of trees for your property at a reasonable price. The department is offering 45 species on their website - www.nmforestry.com.

We have just listed 16 lots in the new 2000 acre Rancho Vista Grande subdivision. The lots range in size from approximatly 80 acres to 148 acres, and range in price from $241,957 to $443,796. The covenents allow for horses and grazing, and each lot has water. World class trout fishing is just 3.5 miles away. Easy year round access and close proximity to Santa Fe and I-25.

The owners are offering a 5% discount on cash offers. With 50% down, the owners will consider carrying the loan.

Click HERE for more info on this great opportunity to own a large ranchos.

Labels: Land, New Listing, Ranch Property

I'm sorry to have to report that Sam Ballen passed away on Tuesday night. Sam was my neighbor and he and his wife, Ethel, were both good friends of my grandparents. Sam has owned the historic La Fonda Hotel on the Santa Fe Plaza for 39 years, and will be missed by many.

My last memory of Sam was from late December - we had just received two+ feet of snow. I was at the bottom of my driveway in my1964 Mercedes Unimog trying to bust through the drifts, and I see 84 year old Sam trudging down the street shovel in hand. I jumped out to see him and he said that he was walking down the road to dig his car out from the ditch he had gotten stuck in earlier that day. Of course, instead of him shoveling himself out, we used my Unimog to pull him free. Best wishes to the whole Ballen family.

Welcome to the Santa Fe Life Blog. My name is Steve Hardy and I am a real estate professional in Santa Fe, NM. I handle residential, commercial, land and development opportunities for my clients, and plan on using this blog as a place to keep the word informed of the comings and goings in and around Santa Fe. Please feel free to contact me at any time with suggestions or comments.

All the best,

Steve