Breakfast on your own. We depart the hotel lobby at 8:00am to begin our day.

One doesn’t normally think of New Mexico as a technology hub. Yet the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) carries a proud 80 year history of science and innovation. In 1975, Paul Allen and Bill Gates founded Microsoft in Albuquerque. More recently, it’s suggested that the Los Alamos-Santa Fe-Albuquerque triangle could be a "Silicon Valley of the Southwest."

We drive via private vehicle to Los Alamos, the famed mesa of science and technology. A city of 18,000 people, Los Alamos has one of the highest concentrations of PhDs and is one of the wealthiest cities (per capita income) in the U.S. We meet John Charles at the Los Alamos History Museum. A wonderful storyteller and former LANL employee who worked in the weapons field, John will walk us in the footsteps of esteemed Manhattan Project scientists who cemented Los Alamos' place in history. 

Today, LANL's scientific reach extends far beyond U.S. national defense--leading U.S. scientific efforts ranging from climate change to space research to COVID vaccines. With a brief stop at the Bradbury Science Museum, we'll hear about current research that impacts us all from Museum Director, Linda Deck.. On our way back to Santa Fe, we stop for lunch at Pig & Fig Cafe and explore the prospects for New Mexico’s technology future and the linkages across Los Alamos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

Following an afternoon break at the hotel, we reconvene under the shaded trees on the Hotel's back patio for conversation with Charles McMillan, a nuclear physicist and recently retired 10th Director of the Los Alamos National Labs (LANL). Joined by his wife Janet, Charles will gift us a personal insight into the current work of the Lab and life in Los Alamos. We'll continue our conversation over dinner, enjoying a globally inspired menu under the shadow of Loretto Chapel at Luminaria Restaurant. 

Suggested Reading: 109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos by Jennet Conant

Breakfast on your own. Then grab your walking shoes and water bottle and convene in the Hotel lobby at 8:00am. We meet with New Mexico native Daniel Gibson, a man passionate about sharing the cultural, social and natural wonders of Santa Fe. On a three-hour (2+ mile) walking tour through the Santa Fe Historic District, we explore three distinguished styles of New Mexican architecture: Pueblo, Spanish Territorial and Northern New Mexican. We discuss the importance of water in New Mexico’s past and future, and bear witness to some of the personalities who’ve played a role in Santa Fe’s architectural preservation.

At the tour's end, we meet chef/owner Hue-Chan Karels at Open Kitchen, a unique culinary concept celebrating connection and community through globally inspired, locally sourced, and handcrafted food. Open Kitchen proudly recruits and trains culinary professionals from Santa Fe Community College. We each leave with a delicious lunch which can be enjoyed riverside or as you wish.

At 1:30pm, we depart from the Hotel lobby to transport to Meow Wolf, an interactive and immersive art and entertainment company and a Santa Fe "art export." Started by young do-it-yourself artists in Santa Fe and funded by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin, we visit their flagship exhibit House of Eternal Return. Following our experience, we'll meet with Director of Social Impact, Danika Padilla for an inside look at Meow Wolf's community and national impact.

Dinner is on your own this evening. On our way back to the hotel, you may choose to enjoy world-class contemporary art at the monthly Last Friday Art Walk (5-7:00pm) at the Santa Fe Railyard Arts District, dropping into contemporary art galleries while meeting artists, locals and fellow visitors. Enjoy a restaurant near the Railyard, the Santa Fe Plaza, or simply choose to enjoy a quiet evening at the Hotel.

Breakfast on your own. That said, we recommend you hold off. 

We meet in the Hotel lobby at 8:00am and walk to the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market, one of the oldest, largest, and most successful growers’ markets in the country. Held each Saturday morning at the Santa Fe Railyard, it’s the perfect place to pick up a local breakfast burrito or freshly baked pastry. To kick off the Fall chile season, we look for farmer Matt Romero roasting some of his famous green chiles.  

We stop for brunch on the balcony of the offices of Circa, a formerly California-based data marketing company that in 2020 relocated to a beautiful formerly empty space above the tourist center of Santa Fe. We hear the story of founder & CEO, Alex Patriquin and the vision for the city from Santa Fe's Head of Economic Development, Rich Brown as we ponder if the Circa story exemplifies Santa Fe's future. 

Afterwards, take advantage of the diverse art at your fingertips. Strike up conversations with local artists at The Santa Fe Society of Artists outdoor exhibit across the street. At the corner, enter Andrea Fisher Fine Pottery for an intro to Native American pottery from the world expert. Down the street, visit Sequoia Santa Fe and ask questions of artist/designer/entrepreneur Sequoia Madan.

At 5:30pm, we meet in the Hotel lobby to immerse in the Spanish influence of Santa Fe with Carolina Olea Cosignani and Manuel Lezcano de Orleans. Born abroad and having lived all over the world (most recently, Mexico City), they now call Santa Fe home. Though they operate Casa Culinaria by day, Carolina and Manuel have invited us into their own home for a special last-night dinner. 

Suggested Reading: New Mexico Chiles: History, Legend and Lore. by Kelly Urig