Maggie's Diner is prominently featured in the movie. We thought we would have lunch there but, alas, it is not a real diner as it was in the movie. Instead they have memorabilia from the movie but it was still fun.
Right next store, you can get "the cheapest silver west of the Pecos".
This is when we realized that Madrid was a busy tourist place before the movie was made here in about 2007. It is actually located on the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway that runs from I-40 just east of Albuquerque up to I-25 in Santa Fe.
Madrid has a rich history dating from the mid-1800's discovery of coal to a mining town to today's artist's community. Both hard and soft coal was mined here with shafts as deep as 2500'. It was a booming town when it supplied coal to the Santa Fe railroad and the U.S. Government as well as locals. When the use of coal declined, Madrid became a ghost town. In the early 1970's, artists and craftspeople arrived and started converting old company stores and houses into quality shops and galleries. It is a fun place to visit.
There are about 3 blocks of shops in Madrid alone.
We had lunch at The Hollar on the outdoor patio.
There is also a coffee shop serving locally roasted coffee and featuring a Bed and Breakfast on the second floor.
These interesting sculptures were located on a large patio in front of several stores.
Right next store to The Old Boarding House Mercantile is where the Chile Festival in the movie was held.
Mary Jane and I had to pose as cyclists in the spirit of the movie. These look more like the bikes the Del Fuegos gang rode. We never did see the Del Fuegos bar but it might have been south of town and we didn't go that way. Maybe next time......
We drove that trail and had so much fun in Madrid. We ended up buying the movie when we got home so we could watch it again.
ReplyDeleteYou and Mary Jane look great riding bikes.
ReplyDeleteYou and Mary Jane look great riding bikes.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun!
ReplyDelete