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I'm curious - do any of the ABQ hospitals have good cardiac units? No, not for me, but in case my mom had to come live with me at some point in the future
I haven't had any direct experience with them, but ABQ Heart Hospital specializes in cardiac care. I would imagine UNM Hospital and Presbyterian Hospital would have good cardiac units as well, but again I have no direct experience with this area.
And EnjoyEP: I'm right there with you on the time to Denver. 6 hours has served as my family's benchmark time. We've done it in as little as 5.5 hours and as much as 7 (when taking more than one stop and/or hitting the Colorado Springs to Denver stretch during rush hour).
I just lived for four years in ABQ. I moved back to Milwaukee, WI (my hometown) about a month ago...and I already tremendously miss ABQ! I am already thinking uh-oh...maybe I shouldn't have done this!
Having said that, all of my wife's family lives in Denver, and I go there multiple times a year. I really, really like Denver and think it is a neat city.
However, I far prefer Albuquerque. I will give you some primary reasons why:
1) The weather: You'll be surprised what a big difference there is in the weather between the two annually. There will be some days that there is no difference (and some Denver is actually warmer), but overall, 60 inches of snowfall average per year in the city of Denver and 10 in Albuquerque - huge difference. Gardening zone of 7 in ABQ / 5 in Denver. Even sunnier and drier in ABQ. I know you said that weather didn't make a huge difference to you, but I think between the two, it would be hard to overlook weather.
2) The culture: Albuquerque is still a quirky, unique place that has a whole individual history and culture that makes it so neat and distinct. The New Mexican culture (a blend of Spanish, Mexican, Native American, Anglo, and - well - New Mexico) is just so neat to be a part of. Meanwhile, Denver has gotten so big and mainstream that - while like any city it does have of course its own history and culture - overall, the city is just culturally more like "any big city USA".
3) The cost of living: You talk about jobs and it is true that Denver has a bigger job market due to its bigger size. However, also remember things like housing, gas, and overall cost of living are respectably higher in Denver, so while you may be getting paid more, you'll likely be pumping it right back into cost of living. I wouldn't move to either if I didn't have a job in advance, so if you'd get a job in Albuquerque, the smaller job market shouldn't really affect you too much. Plus, it is a booming / growing city and area...with that growth, the job market and economy grows continually too.
4) The size of the city: To me, Albuquerque is a perfect sized city - metro of 820,000 or so. Big enough to have most of everything that you need...small enough to not have the traffic, crowds, etc., that Denver has due to its size. You still get that "small town friendliness" in ABQ.
5) Central geography: All of these cities are less than 450 miles / 7 hour drive (and many far, far less) from Albuquerque:
-Denver
-Phoenix
-Tucson, AZ
-Santa Fe, NM
-Taos, NM
-Las Cruces, NM
-El Paso
-Colorado Springs, CO
So...you said that your 3rd choice was Phoenix? Well, in the heart of January, you're a 6 hour drive from a weekend in Phoenix. You love Denver still? You are a 6 hour jaunt away. You want some palm trees and great Mexican food? El Paso is a 4-hour drive...(wanna jump the border for a day? Mexico is a 4-hour drive).
Denver is great, but Albuquerque is one of the great places you could live in the US.
EnjoyEP.....glad to see you posting again on the New Mexico threads as you've always had/have the best positive postings of Albuquerque and New Mexico in general.
Hope all is well back in Wisconsin....later...harry o......
EnjoyEP.....glad to see you posting again on the New Mexico threads as you've always had/have the best positive postings of Albuquerque and New Mexico in general.
Hope all is well back in Wisconsin....later...harry o......
Thanks Harry O. I have been back in Wisconsin for less than a month...and I already big-time miss Albuquerque / El Paso. Seriously. We moved here for family and our social network now with 2 little kids, but I am already thinking that we may have overstressed things there...perhaps we can be back in ABQ or EP in 2 years or so once the kids get school aged!!! I am thinking that we'll make a foray from Denver to ABQ to EP for a long Thanksgiving week.
Now that I am a bit more settled, I will start posting here in the NM forums again.
And EnjoyEP: I'm right there with you on the time to Denver. 6 hours has served as my family's benchmark time. We've done it in as little as 5.5 hours and as much as 7 (when taking more than one stop and/or hitting the Colorado Springs to Denver stretch during rush hour).
Chap
Yeah, Chap - you are just like me - I have done 5.5 hours before. Did 1 3-minute gas stop in Trinidad and booked it the rest of the way (had a work conference the next day and wanted to get to my free hotel room as early as possible that night!)
I have to confess too...that barren, open, stretch from Las Vegas, NM to Raton/Trinidad...and then again up to Pueblo, has bred some 83 mph cruise controling.
(But like you, with my kids, I have also done 7-hours and once in a blizzard...quite a bit longer!)...
Enjoy EP! Can't tell you how nice it is to see you posting here again. I have missed your wonderful posts on ABQ/El Paso and other NM topics.
I think you made a mistake. Come back soon!!!!!
< /off topic >
Thanks for the kind words, Towanda. Yeah, we made a mistake...great to realize that after 3 weeks after the turmult that is a cross-country move with 2 little kids! Oh well. It'll be great to be around family for a bit...but I am thinking in 2 years when they are ready to be school going, we may just have to do that in ABQ (or EP)! I am already dreading winter up here...missing October coming up in ABQ (the best month of the year in ABQ in my opinion) / Christmastime (the 2nd best time of the year in ABQ)...and missing being able to spend glorious ABQ evenings outside without getting swarmed by mosquitoes!!
I will have to live vicariously here through you all in the months coming up to keep me tuned into ABQ.
You're good, enjoyEP. You've pegged me correctly with this observation. I shall have to rethink things now.
That was a big thing for me too. I hail from Milwaukee which has the same gardening zone as Denver does, and when I got to ABQ, it was remarkable and fun for me to see growth/blossoms by end-of-Feb or March, and often times roses stay on their bushes until mid-November!
I am a male in my early 30s...typically stereotypes would breed me not being a gardening fan...however, I really enjoyed the various fruit trees / semi-tropical type items I could push and grow in ABQ that you just cannot get away with in a 5 zone. Denver has been known to get freezes quite commonly in mid-May and mid-September, like Milwaukee, not a reliably long gardening zone.
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and as much as 7 (when taking more than one stop and/or hitting the Colorado Springs to Denver stretch during rush hour). 
