Taos is an amalgam of southwest history and present. It is a tourist town that draws people with money and new-age hippies to the mountains. It has a history of Native peoples from the nearby Taos Pueblo and of Mexican families that settled the area in the 1540. It was also the final home of Kit Carson.
If I lived in Taos, one of the places where I would spend a lot of time is Wired Cafe. This internet cafe is also home to a spiritual bookstore, counseling center and one of the few places that offers printing capabilities for visitors. Most importantly is has a beautiful garden in which you can sit and enjoy really good coffee.
At Wired The Amazing Ms. D and I met a local knitting circle. Being knitters ourselves we asked about yarn stores and were sent to the two in town stores. One was Moxie, a fair trade yarn and souvenir shop. There we met Terra, and loads of wonderful yarn.
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| Moxie |
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| Your author and Terra |
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| Me at Moxie with a shirt that seemed made for me. |
The other was Mooncat Fibers, where we met Kathy.
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| The Amazing Ms. D and Kathy |
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| Mooncat Fiber |
These are both really good choices for the knitter or crocheter who visits Taos.
For lunch I would highly recommend Taos Pizza Outback. They make an excellent pizza with a sesame seed crust. The pizza dough and ingredients are fresh and delicious.
It was Taos Festival Days while we were there, and this meant that the town plaza was filled with vendors and performers:
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| The crowd at Taos Festival |
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| The Plaza stage surrounded by the crests of the founding families |
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| This tent was not what I expected to find in Taos |
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| Mexican-American dance troop |
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| Just the cutest thing |
All in all Taos has a great collection of classic and modern
Going to Taos, for me is a lot like going to Banff. How long you want to stay depends on how much you want to do. I would say 2-3 days minimum to get a feel for the town AND go to the Taos Pueblo, which I didn’t write about because we didn’t have time to go this trip. The Pueblo is a must see. The rest depends on how many hikes and river rafting trips and other outdoor stuff you want to do. As for the tee-shirt, well, it wasn’t design for men orginaly so……
Historydigger, That is very interesting. We were in Taos this time because I was dropping my wife off at a writers retreat/workshop at the SMU campus in the national forest outside of town.
Great pictures!I wish I knew how to knit. You make it look fun and friendly.
I have been to Taos four times for a writer’s retreat at the Mable Dodge Luhan House, which is in walking distance to the Wired Cafe and other restaurants and shopping. It’s also a quick drive to fantastic hiking. (Watch for rattlesnakes though.)
And if you’re up for a 13,000 ft hike or mountain biking, drive to the Taos Ski Valley. Kachina Peak has one of the best views in the world.
Enjoyed the article, Jonathan! Like the vibe of the city.
About how many days visit would recommend as a good intro for this town?
Last question. Is there any significance to the t-shirt having 3 balls on it?