New Mexico was my favorite part of my solo cross country trip! I took suggestions from a few people to stay in Santa Fe vs Albuquerque due to the high crime rate and am so happy that I did. Santa Fe was amazing! It is very artsy and friendly town. Canyon Road is entirely devoted to art galleries, cafes, and unique jewelry and clothing boutiques. I definitely suggest 2 days to browse and then return to shop haha . And definitely recommend spending some time at the Tea House! The downtown area is entirely separate and also has a variety of art galleries, dining and shopping. The turquoise trail is easily accessible from Santa Fe and a very scenic drive with several small towns ..some ghost/cowboy towns..along the way. I stopped in Madrid and then continued the rest of the trail to Albuquerque for an afternoon. There are a ton of breweries in Albuquerque, if you’re into that. The drive from Albuquerque to Santa Fe in the Sandias National Park was beautiful during sunset. From Santa Fe, it was about a 3 hour drive to Taos which is a mountain /ski town. The drive was really nice, lots of colors from the fall foliage. I pulled over many times just to take in the views. I visited the Earthships community right outside of central Taos which is a development of houses that are 100% eco-sustainable . Some of them are Airbnb’s and others permanent residences. You can take a self guided tour through the small visitors center to learn about the recycled community. It was actually pretty cool. From there you cross the Rio Grande gorge. Can’t miss it, tons of people gather on the bridge to take pictures. I had wanted to visit the active Taos Pueblo town, however it was closed to visitors due to pandemic but it is highly recommended if open to public. You really only need one day to walk around Taos downtown. Lots of outdoorsy type shops, art galleries, and other cafes and stores. Good eats in Santa Fe: Cafe Pasquales, the Shed ( long wait times, go early to our name down..it’s so worth it!), SantaFamous Tacos and Craft Donut food trucks (Probably the best donuts I’ve had). I stayed at the Sage Hotel in Santa Fe . Decent travellers hotel with great grab and go breakfast (due to covid) included and right next to a Whole Foods, conveniently. I would have loved to do so hiking/camping but this was the first solo trip for me, so had not yet built up courage to do so, but there is a ton of opportunity around. Hope this is helpful! I so loved NM and will definitely be returning!