Picture this. One of Central Avenue's landmark buildings transformed into an artisan restaurant where original tinroof ceilings and brick walls compliment a sleek urban ambiance that features glass mosaic tile and custom woodwork.
     Whiff this. A mildly smokey aroma floating off a 12-inch Napoli-style pizza made from hand-mixed dough, homemade mozzarella, local farmer's market produce, and imported Italian meats and cheeses.
     Sip this. Local microbrew on tap, imported beer in a bottle, Italian wines in 10 red or white varieties and premium espresso drinks.
     Taste this. Besides eight seasonal pizzas, a menu complete with salads, pasta dishes, antipasti and Italian desserts such as cannolli, budino and gelato.
     It's called Farina Pizzeria & Wine Bar, located at Edith and Central, and is brought to you by Terry and Pat Keene, owners of the Artichoke Café, Chef Richard Winters and wine director Stew Doris.
     Terry Keene calls it a "casual, less-pricey alternative to the Artichoke." The microbrews will come from the local Marble Brewery, priced around $4.50 for a pint, and Farina also plans to sell slices of pizza during the late afternoon and late evening hours.
     Be advised, Terry promises a "Grand Complimentary Introduction" to this exciting addition to the neighborhood sometime in the next few weeks. More details to come!

If you've driven to Santa Fe in the past few months, you've probably seen the tracks laid along the I-25 median north of La Bajada hill.  By December, the Rail Runner promises to be heating those iron rails at speeds up to 80 mph.
    Considering station stops along the way, and a speed restriction of 35 mph inside the Santa Fe city limits, Rail Runner's projected travel time from Alvarado Station to Downtown Santa Fe is one hour and 20 minutes.
    "We wanted to make sure our starting point was competitive with auto travel times during the peak periods, and based on our auto travel time analysis they are," says Chris Blewitt, tranportation coordinator for MRCOG, who overseas the Rail Runner. "I drive from downtown Albuquerque to downtown Santa Fe all the time during the peak periods and the running average is about 1 hour and 15 minutes, but finding parking in Downtown Santa Fe often costs me another 10 minutes or so."
    Blewitt says auto travel times between Albuquerque and Santa Fe "will continue to degrade over time so we feel pretty good about our starting point."
    As stations get added Blewitt says its likely a Rail Runner express service will be added be to keep the travel time competitive with vehicles.  
    Meanwhile,  commuting costs already make Rail Runner an excellent alternative to automobiles for Albuquerque-to-Santa Fe drivers. A day pass costs $9 per day for unlimited Rail Runner ridership, or a monthly pass is $100. By comparison, according to MRCOG's website, a five-day per week commute adds up to an average $360 per month fuel cost. When vehicle maintenance and insurance is factored in, monthly communting cost estimates increase to almost $500.
    What's more, according to MRCOG's website, the Albuquerque to Santa Fe I-25 corridor averages an automobile accident every other day, causing frequent delays. Not to mention, the Rail Runner promises to be unencumbered by inclement weather.

Chez D'or, the City's hippest and hottest hair salon and skin spa, recently moved to the EDo neighborhood.

401 Central NE
Central & Arno
(505) 243-6777

Open
Tuesday - Friday 10-6
Thursday 10-9
Saturday 10-5