Santa Fe Travel Diary

Word Pictures #3 from Santa Fe

by Mike Clay

Georgia O'Keeffe

Near the Plaza in the heart of downtown Santa Fe are four excellent museums, the Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Museum of International Folk Art and the Palace of the Governors. These are great museums and I could spend several days in them but not this trip. We lingered in the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) lived and painted in New Mexico from 1949 until her death in 1986. She was a pioneer as a figurative artist and as an early proponent of abstraction. It is the first art museum dedicated to the work of a woman artist. Her monumental depictions of flowers have won her international acclaim and are absolutely magnificent. Her art is worth a second and third look. We did.

As you might suspect this museum visit created a desire for food and a meal wasn’t far away. We liked the Steaksmith located on the Old Las Vegas Highway south of town on the I-25 frontage road. This is a 25 year old restaurant that knows how to grill a steak to perfection. They also have well prepared seafood, but since we have the best prepared seafood in the world, I passed on it. We did try the free-range chicken with a spicy sauce of roasted chipotle, chilis, balsamic vinegar and honey. It was spicy hot but good. The restaurant is spacious and relaxing. I like the extensive use of wood, and the exposed wooden beams, which are fairly standard for the nicer restaurants in New Mexico.