A Good Tour: Railyard District
From the Plaza, head west on San Francisco Street, take a left onto Galisteo Street, then a right onto Alameda Street, and continue two blocks to Guadalupe Street, where you’ll see the Santuario de Guadalupe just across the Santa Fe River. After you visit the Santuario, take your time browsing through the shops and eating lunch in one of the restaurants lining Guadalupe Street or around the corner, to the right on Montezuma Street, at the Sanbusco Market Center, a massive, converted warehouse that’s home to a few fine boutiques. Back on Guadalupe, head south to the historic Gross Kelly Warehouse, one of the earliest Santa Fe–style buildings. Note Santa Fe's two train depots—one is now the site of popular, but touristy, Tomasita's Restaurant; the other, set farther back, is the Santa Fe Depot, where New Mexico Rail Runner departs. Continue a short distance south on Guadalupe until you reach SITE Santa Fe gallery and performance space, set inside a former bottling warehouse. Across the street, spend some time wandering the aisles, or picking up picnic supplies, at the friendly, bustling Santa Fe Farmers' Market. It's amazing both the amount of produce and goods coming from this high desert region and the huge crowds that pack the grounds on market days. Just beyond the Farmers' Market is the Railyard Park (at Paseo de Peralta and Guadalupe Street) where you can stroll, or lounge and enjoy your edible goodies amidst green grass, lovely trees, and great stonework. Catercorner from SITE Santa Fe, El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe is one of the state's more unusual museums, a combination performance space, classroom, gallery, and event venue that promotes Hispanic culture and education in the City Different. In the gallery at Santa Fe Clay, next door to El Museo, you'll find world-class ceramic sculpture and working studios.
Timing
A visit to the Santuario de Guadalupe can take 15 minutes to an hour, depending on whether or not there's an art show in progress. If you like shopping and visiting art galleries, and decide to eat in this area, you might spend hours in this diverse and exciting neighborhood. At a minimum, allow yourself two hours to stroll from the Plaza through the neighborhood as far south as Railyard Park.
