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⏵ Skip the drive-through. The economy parking lot east of the terminal (next to the cell phone lot) costs just $8, and the walk is shorter than the one through the parking garage.
⏵ Appreciate art. The city’s commitment to New Mexico artists shows up before you set foot in the Sunport, with metal fabrications, giant Pueblo-style pots, and a Glenna Goodacre bronze sculpture sparking the exterior. Inside, wander the side halls to discover a Charles Carrillo retablo and a dazzling glass-and-metal chandelier by Madrid, New Mexico–based artist Jezebel. Illumination Tree, north of the model-plane exhibit in the Great Hall, resembles a collection of translucent lily pads suspended in space. Find a guide to the artwork at nmmag.us/sunport-arts.
Even more art awaits at the off-site rental car facility, which was designed to resemble the Sunport, right up to the Native imagery on its ceiling beams. The walls bear pieces by Paula Castillo, Harry Fonseca, Douglas Kent Hall, and Patrick Nagatani, among others. Take note of the universally popular shoes worn by the male coyote in Fonseca’s Last Tango in Santa Fe V.
⏵ Brush up on aviation history. As part of the Cavalcade of Wings’ model- plane exhibit in the Great Hall, the Sunport plans to add information about Albuquerque’s skyborne past. You can also find information at abqsunport.com/history.
⏵ Ask for help. Sunport Ambassadors offer airport information and provide travel tips for your New Mexico adventure. They have a circular desk near the baggage claim but also wander the Great Hall. If you’re lucky, one of them will have a therapy dog, like Darryl Armstrong’s Indigo, one of several Great Danes he and his wife, Angela, have rescued and trained for duty. “Most of the people we encounter are happy, especially those coming off a plane,” Armstrong says as a newly arrived tour group engulfs a placid Indigo in hugs. And if you’re not feeling copacetic? “He’s here to de-stress you and put a smile on your face.”
⏵ Pick up a gift. Non-passengers will soon be able to shop from kiosks in the Great Hall, but people with boarding passes can indulge in a coming bounty of stores. Future flights will surely smell better after customers stock up on lavender-infused products from Los Poblanos Farm Shop, and the MNMF Shop will feature art, jewelry, and home goods from the state-owned museums in Santa Fe.
“It will be smaller stores inside our main store,” says Teresa Curl, vice president of retail for the Museum of New Mexico Foundation. “We’ll have Native pottery and jewelry from the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture. The Museum of International Folk Art shop will be really strong—Oaxacan animals and local folk artists. There will be Gustave Baumann prints from the Museum of Art, and lots of books from the New Mexico History Museum.”
Shoppers will also find information on exhibits at the museums and eight state historic sites. “We want people to walk in and say, ‘Now I want to go to the museums,’ ” Curl says.
⏵ Grab a bite. You’ll still be able to find your Dunkin’ Donuts and Panda Express, but adventuresome eaters will relish the array of local eateries and breweries. Among them: A smaller version of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center’s Indian Pueblo Kitchen. “A lot of our customers already say, ‘Oh, we came straight from the airport,’ ” says Denise Hesser, the center’s director of restaurant operations.
While a franchisee will re-create the restaurant’s meals at the airport, baked goods are straight from chef Rita Toledo, who runs the bakery. “I think the Pueblo pies will be the most popular item,” she says, promising versions with cherries, apples, pumpkin, blueberries, peaches, and prunes. “They’re usually a feast-day treat.”
She’ll also make mini loaves of oven bread that incoming passengers can take home, and outgoing ones can enjoy in-flight. “A lot of people have never eaten that. I hope it inspires them to visit a pueblo.”
⏵ Slow down. The baggage carousel always takes a while to spin into action. Head toward that level’s west end and enter the Meditation Room. With circular seating and soothing artwork, it welcomes slow breathing and quiet minds. Chances are you’ll have it to yourself, so feel free to bust out a few yoga moves.
⏵ Take a tour. Doug Lutz leads 90-minute tours of the new and improved Sunport for the public, as well as schoolchildren (who get to sit inside a decommissioned Boeing 727 and play pretend pilot). Tours include information about the art, and you can tack on a visit to the old terminal. Just don’t ask to see the tunnel. Contact Lutz via email at dlutz@cabq.gov.