AZ-NM: Roswell & Albuquerque

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

The last part of our trip was not so near the top of the 'magical spectrum' as red rocks, saguaro cacti, white sands, and dark caverns. But it did involve a run down museum. Specifically, the Alien Zone in Roswell, NM. Because it was on our way to the Albuquerque Airport, so why not?

I love rundown museums. The dustier and decrepit the better. Show me what state of the art meant in the 90s, when this exhibit was last touched! Anyways, we elected to do the Alien Zone because the reviews alluded heavily to its campiness. It did not disappoint, especially not at the $3 price point.

There isn't a whole lot else to actually do in Roswell, which is surprising considering the sheer number of hotels built along the main street. Some shops adopted an alien theme, but we were expecting even gaudier. Roswell's aliens are a bit understated.






The Nuclear Museum in Albuquerque, NM was considerably more put together. With interesting bits like the radiated Revigerator for invigerating your water. Nothing says vitality quite like nuclear water! It's interesting to compare the concept of this American Nuclear Museum to, say, the Hiroshima Peace Museum. I can't imagine Japan having a 'Nuclear Museum', much less any museum this focused on all the creations of nuclear weapons to date. In the Nuclear Museum's defense, it did indeed have a [small] section on the aftermath of the Americans dropping Little Boy and Fat Man, but nothing near as moving as the collection at the Peace Museum. I feel like the photos presented by the New Mexico museum were not enough to represent the terrible outcomes of being the first to use nuclear weapons...

After the museum, we checked into our hotel, got dinner, and then left on a airplane the next morning. I'm not a Breaking Bad enthusiast, but J tells me we ambled by a considerable collection of locations for the show. Albuquerque is also a bit of a college town, so there was food and entertainment to be found.

Because of this trip, we're both a lot better at spelling Albuquerque.








AZ/NM Vacation
Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing 2014
Sedona, Arizona, 1 day
Tucson, Arizona, 3 days
White Sands, New Mexico, 1 day
Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico, 1 day
Roswell, New Mexico, 1 day
Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1 day