Albuquerque, NM – Southwestern Sling, Albuquerque, New Mexico

I guess one of the perks of cross-country train travel is that you have the rare opportunity to enjoy the change of scenery when you travel from one region to another. This experience is pretty much non-existent for air travel while you need to invest more time to cover the same ground if you go on a road trip. During my backpacking trip across the United States in summer 2010, our desire to reach the Grand Canyon necessitates us to pass through the state of New Mexico and we decided to pin Albuquerque as a designated stop.

If you want a glimpse of the old Wild West of arid landscapes, tumbleweeds and abandoned churches in the middle-of-nowhere, this is the train ride to get on. The breathtaking scenery also provides context on America’s natural and cultural diversity that is totally different from where I studied (Pennsylvania) but has a common ground in being part of the “United” states. Apart from the desolate desert scenery, here are three things to do while you’re in Albuquerque. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).