 |
Conference Information for Students |
Nightlife
Two main areas are recommended for grad students:
Downtown. The convention center is in the downtown neighborhood.
- There's lots of bars to choose from; we recommend Anodyne Pool Hall & Cocktails at 409 Central Ave NW (huge beer selection and lots of pool tables).
Nob Hill. Highly recommended. Closer to the University of New Mexico, Nob Hill is about 3 miles from the Convention Center. There will be a little bit of an older crowd (e.g., not as undergrad oriented) and it may not be as loud and crowded as downtown.
In Nob Hill, we recommend:
Old Town also might be of interest, but it is pricier than Nob Hill and Downtown. About 1 mile from convention center, it is an area with shops and restaurants.
Food
Downtown area: Lots of variety in price and quality with tons of restaurants within a few blocks of the convention center. We recommend:
Nob Hill: May be less crowded than downtown area. We recommend:
Fun Activities
- Sandia Mountains, Sandia Peak Ariel Tramway and Ski Area. This is a little outside of town, so you will probably need a car or cab to get here. A tram takes you to the top of the mountain
($17.50 per person). The world's longest aerial tramway provides beautiful views of the Cibola National Forest as it takes you up to almost 11,000 feet. You can view the area from above on the observation deck at the top of the mountain; there is also a restaurant on the top of
the mountain. There are also ski hills and hiking trails (accessible depending on the weather).
- Stroll through Old Town. There are shops, restaurants, galleries and museums in this area.
- Take a walking tour from Downtown to Old Town.
- Albuquerque Biological Park in Old Town. ($7-$12). This houses an Aquarium, Zoo, Botanic Gardens and Beach.
General Info
- Albuquerque is very spread out, the best bet is to use the Rapid Ride bus line (see link under Nob Hill info), but it may be tough to get around to all the different areas of town without a car.
- Albuquerque can potentially be quite cold during February (high temps may not get above 40 degrees during the day and below 10 degrees at night) and there may be snow and wind. Windy days are much colder. The weather does have the potential to be more moderate (50 degrees during the day and 20 degrees at night), so it is best to bring clothing for a variety of weather conditions.
- Albuquerque recently banned smoking indoors.
- Albuquerque is broken into 4 quadrants (SE, NW, NE, NW), the convention center is very close to the middle of these quadrants.
- Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau
- The Alibi is a local paper featuring info about music, food, events, etc.
- SPSP conference website
| 
