Photo by Edward Cardona

The Albuquerque Trolley, the city tour offered by ABQ Trolley Company, is a winner of an attraction and a must-do for visitors. Even locals will find it fascinating. It’s a slice of the city, and all its diverse elements, sights, and experiences.

The ride starts in Old Town. As we ride along with Jesse Herron, our guide, and Michael M. Silva, Jr., our driver Jesse begins pointing out landmarks and some of their history. Old Town is one of the most fascinating and colorful parts of the city, with its adobe buildings and windows and doors painted shades of bright blue. “There’s a practical reason for the color,” explains Jesse, “it keeps people safe from evil spirits.” I think -- besides, it looks really nice.

Photo by Edward Cardona

We turn and go down Albuquerque’s Museum Row, adjacent to Old Town. Art, science, history, astronomy and  dinosaurs. If I were a visitor, this would be marked down as a place to return, as would the entire Old Town.

Touches of humor leaven the facts, which come one after another. It’s a brisk narrative with never a dull moment. In fact, it’s surprising how much fascinating information and history there is in the city.

Soon we’re going through some of Albuquerque’s neighborhoods. Although the city has lots of adobe buildings, parts of Albuquerque were settled by railroad workers and management and they built houses in the styles that reminded them of home. Queen Anne, craftsmen cottages, Victorian homes line the streets.

We drive past the corner of Route 66 and Route 66. The earliest version went north-south, while the more famous version went east-west. So, in the center of downtown Albuquerque it’s possible to stand where the two meet – complete with sign. Read about Albuquerque's rich Route 66 history

We pass a biker bar with the unlikely name of Library Bar and Grill. The explanation for popularity goes back to the movie Wild Hogs in which the Wild Hogs plan their trip in a Cincinnati bar that was actually the Library in downtown Albuquerque. Jesse is extremely knowledgeable about the movie industry in Albuquerque and often points out some of the movie highlights of the city, adding an extra and unusual dimension to the already comprehensive tour. Read more about the filming of Wild Hogs in Albuquerque

The bikers love the trolley and wave enthusiastically. We return the affectionate waves.

Downtown has many historical buildings. When the railroad came, the “new” part of the city was built, complete with tall-for-the-time buildings. One of the clear highlights is the Kimo Theater. Built in Pueblo Deco, it combines elements of both architectural styles to create an unique fusion.

Jesse points out the Hotel Andaluz, the Alvarado Transportation Center built on the site of the famous Alvarado Hotel and other important pieces of Albuquerque history. We're cruising down the Mother Road, Route 66, now called Central Avenue.

Don’t blink – we’re in Nob Hill, one of the city’s jumping neighborhoods for restaurants, shopping, and strolling.

And now we’re on Monte Vista and Michael is slowing the trolley down just a bit so we can see two of the houses built by nationally known architect Bart Prince. An Albuquerque resident, his two homes here are more like sculptures than residences, and uniquely Albuquerque.

After a drive-by tour of the University campus and an overview of the history of the Pueblo Revival architecture, Jesse is back describing some of the places used in movies and television series.

Photo by Edward Cardona

The ride continues. Isotopes Park has its own story. I figured it had something to do with Sandia Labs. Wrong. Jesse explains the origin of the name. Cool. I won’t give it away – take the tour and Jesse will tell you the story.

We drive past Albuquerque’s Railyards. As a one-time railroad town, acres of land was set aside to work on the locomotives making up the Atchinson Topeka and the Santa Fe (which Jesse points out should probably have been called the Atchinson Topeka and the Albuquerque).

Consistent with his extensive knowledge of the movie industry, Jesse rattles off the names of some of the famous films shot there.

Castle Zachery, murals throughout the city (including a little known beauty at Fire Station #1), the remnants of El Camino Real - the Royal Road, the largest cotton wood forest in the world, Old Route 66, the story behind Tingley Park, the Country Club neighborhood often used to substitute for Los Angeles with its decidedly nonAdobe houses and lush lawns and trees (I’m tempted to tsk tsk at the profligate use of water – this is a desert).

Slightly more than 66 minutes later, we’re back almost breathless in Old Town. It was a whirlwind introduction to the city, combining history, trivia, architecture, the movie industry, facts, rumors, neighborhood by neighborhood.

Jesse and Michael call it the “best first thing to do” and they’re right.

Custom tours and special group tours can be arranged. Read more about them at www.abqtrolley.com/ and read more about the opening of ABQ Trolley Co

Note: The city sometimes runs a trolley for special events and times of year. Don’t mistake that form of public transportation for the ABQ Trolley Tour.