Albuquerque a2k roundup, May 14-19, 2008

Sounds like a good idea to me, too. Seems like the shewolf clan has more definite plans than the rest of us, and I don't want to miss them! I'm not leaving until Monday, so either day is fine by me.

I mis-heard when folks might be departing ALB. Sunday early afternoon sounds great for some park, in my little mind.

Wow!

People really want to meet littl'e ole' moi?

hehehe.. I love you too

Any-who..

The reason why I say that we wont be 100% into the gatherings and get alongs is because (snort) we have a 4 year old who can not handle sitting at the table gabbing over wine.. No matter how much I may want her to.

So we have to be physically doing things if we are to enjoy ourselves as well.

We will be arriving on the 14th LATE .. it is a 11-13 hour drive..possibly longer.. So we wont be there until around 6. Possibly later.

On the 15th we will be pretty much relaxing, and trying to do some walking since my bad knee will be annoying me by that point AND we will need to get groceries and basic necessities for our stay.
Possibly joining people for a dinner meeting, or just calling people to hang out with us at the hotel over some cold beer... or if there is a small park near by?? I might abduct someone to play with us

the 16th.. in the morning ( while everyone is working and other kids are in school) we are going to the Aquarium / Zoo on 2nd street.. ( I think that is the address? ) I can DRIVE there no problem. I know exactly where it is.. I just dont remember street names anymore.
After we tour that place, we are going to the large park across the street for a picnic lunch. Then getting on the phone in hopes to peg some people down from here to meet during the evening time.

Saturday the 17th we are going to the base of the mountains early-ish ( before 10) and hiking around just for the fun of it and will visit a few random spots that either ian wants to see. .or that I can think of.
Museum.. Cultural center etc.
Begining that afternoon/evening again.. with some phone calls to see who we can meet where

Sunday.. sounds like lunch in the park.
RIGHT ON.
What park?
Trust me.. I have tried to look things up and help post, but I do not remember locations any more as my internal navigator is set to Mopaq, I 35 and Slaughter. All Austin streets..
I have truly forgotten the technical stuff of Albq.. and am REALLY going to rely heavily on my memory.. which was almost 12 years of driving in that city..I should do well visually..
But, I am getting side tracked.. When i try to locate things to do, what I remember as the street name IS NOT the place I am thinking, and the places I AM thinking are no where near the streets I want.. >snort

Sunday. park. Yes. But a centrally located park I am assuming..
One with easy parking and BATHROOMS..
My daughter loves to pee in the dirt standing up for everyone to see.
PLEASE dont give her an excuse to do this
Besides.. I like to sit when I use the bathroom as well ... no more squatting behind bushes for me either. HA!
I would suggest Petroglyph park.. but I do not think there is a place to sit, nor is there a loo ..

Everyone is ABSOLUTELY welcome to follow our schedule. I know Albq well enough to maneuver around.
I KNOW the places we are wanting to go will not only be OPEN, but relatively empty since it will be a typical workday / school day for the rest of the city.

PM me for my phone number if you would like to join us.

I did not mean to sound as though I was tying to NOT include anyone when I said that we were scheduling a family vacation 'around' the gathering.... It is just that long dinners full of great gab are not going to accommodate little Bean , so I have to plan accordingly.

Ah, tactile information!

Tell us more about the park across from the zoo - I haven't been to the zoo and may join you at that, but maybe it is a place for another day too.

If I remember right, the bathrooms at the Rio Grande Nature Center are in the, uh, nature center building, but that is x number of feet from the parking lot and picnic area. Will see if I can snag a map to figure it out.

Oh, I remember very well how it is to travel with a 4-year-old! You are right...there is a limit to how much sitting and talking they can stand. A park gathering will be just the thing!

I'll be flying in on Friday morning, the 16th...out on Monday, the 19th.

I found a nature center map. The building with the bathrooms, gift shop, and neat view of the water, is shown with the striped thingy. It's by a major architect (Predock), not that that matters re decision.

As mentioned before, there is some kind of picnic shelter by the parking lot, which I can almost but not quite visualize.

http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/prd/documents/riograndenaturecenter_001.pdf




This is a wonderful place, but the zoo park could be better, dunno.

Not meaning to be pushy, but can we arrive at the name of a park for Sunday, May 17th? A park with a restroom. Can we set a time to meet there (the park, not the restroom)?

To edit, I gather the picnic place is the Group Shelter on the map.

No way you could come earlier??

Pretty please with sugar on top?

The only parks I know of are close to Rio Rancho and way to far out of the basic driving distance most would be comfortable with.

The side of town Dys and Diane are on, is not a place I am familiar with and it seems as though that has become the central HUB of an area.

Park benches are another issue,.. they HURT the bum.

I plan on bringing some pillows for my butt..suggest yall bring some too . Especially if we end up being there for a while.

I would love to suggest the Zoo/Park for sunday meet, but my issue with that is it will be crowded with OTHER people doing what we are doing.

I know once I get into town, I will be fine, and I will remember all those nucks and crannies that contain nice parks..

There's no scale to that map. And scale is important for people who have any trouble walking. My sense of scale is not bad, but I'll have to think about it.

Roger and Diane may have a sense of how many feet to that building, too.

Although - there could be a set of restrooms by the shelter area, of which all of us presently posting are ignorant. That would make sense to me as a designer (I've designed rec areas), but I don't know.

Maybe a phone call. Domani.

In the meantime, if school groups routinely gather there during the week, I bet my bippy there are restrooms in the shelter area.


Searches for bippy....

Is this what you are talking about, Shewolf? (You are forgetting, and I'm not knowing.) Or is it more ordinary city park like?

http://www.cabq.gov/biopark/tingley/

Map time.

YES!
dang it YES
that is the park..

well.. that explains WHY I could not find it. I was hunting under general parks.. and not looking at ones close to the rio grande..

TA-DA

Sundays park has been found thanks to Osso

Sunday.. any idea what time people?

10?
11?

But wait, Tingley (of which I am entirely dumb and even dumber) or the nature center one?

tingly


the nature center........ well.......

wait..

they are really close together huh..

Maybe we can call Sundays meeting at the 'nature center' and everyone can pack, drive, or walk over to the park once we are done with the inside.

10 or 11 was a wake up time, right?... :wink:

RH

I'm not thinking they're so close.

The Nature Center is up by Candelaria (Flying Star, book store, yadda yadda). Tingley seems much south. But, not having been to the zoo or Tingley, I'm blank on this. Have been to the aquarium and botanic garden, as they call it, both quite a bit south. The botanic garden annoyed me, re near total lack of labels. I liked the aquarium. And so what? just saying.

Tingley Map -

http://www.cabq.gov/biopark/tingley/

Sounds good..

How sweet of you!

I have to teach through the 15th, and my son has his middle school graduation that night. (He's giving a speech.) I'm leaving first thing the next morning, so that's as soon as I can come. But thanks for wanting me to be there longer!

Ma Man!