A Day Trip Excursion by Rail

 
My wife and I decided to take an excursion down to Albuquerque for the afternoon on the Rail Runner a while back. We parked in downtown Santa Fe at the Rail Yard in the new underground parking lot. It cost a buck to park all day.

We took the short walk to the train depot and jumped on board at 11:20 a.m. Upstairs in the train there are groupings of four seats that face each other with a narrow table in between.

A ticket taker shows up after a while and you pay with cash or by credit card. The round trip to Albuquerque cost 8 bucks for adults, 6 for seniors and kids under 10 free. The trip is very scenic. In Santa Fe, the tracks parallels a nice bicycle/walking trail. You get a very different perspective of Santa Fe than you normally would when you drive through town.The trip to Albuquerque passes through several Pueblos that are off the beaten path.

 

The Rail Runner pulls into the station.
Photo by Greg Kendall/ladailypost.com

At one point, the train comes pretty close to the Rio Grande River near the San Felipe Pueblo. The trip takes just a bit over an hour and a half. Arriving at the Downtown Albuquerque station, we decided to have lunch at the Tucanos Brazilian Grill, which is located directly across the street from the train station.

I had been to a Tucanos Grill in Salt Lake City and it was just ok. The one in Albuquerque is fantastic! They have super variety in a salad bar (they call it a salad festival) and then while you’re enjoying that, there are waiters who come around with skewers of delicious meats that they serve to you at your table.

The meats are fantastic. There were different cuts of beef and chicken. They also come around with pineapple and vegetable skewers. My fellow travelers and I were highly pleased with our meals. The quality and service was excellent. The place was noisy and obviously very popular. We will definitely return to Tucanos Brazilian Grill (110 Central Ave. Southwest).

The Rail Runner is comfortable, convenient and a fun way to take a trip to Albuquerque for a Saturday or Sunday outing.

 

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