Jenny's View

Friends, 

An exceptional property offers a high level of service and quality of facility to match. That’s the way a hotel gets to be included in the Forbes Travel Guide, the only independent, global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas.

And La Fonda on the Plaza aims to be recognized by Forbes for our stellar service.  Though we pride ourselves on providing an out-of-this-world guest experience, (as being voted #2 hotel of choice in the Southwest by Condé Nast readers’, Best Lodging in Santa Fe in the Reporter’s annual reader poll, and AAA rating us a 4 Diamond hotel shows), we know we can always do better.

Each department has been training with an expert in the Forbes rating system so we can reach an even higher level in how we do just about everything – from greeting you at the valet to answering the telephone to handling service calls or special requests. We know the extra training will be worth it. Stay tuned for more updates as we receive them.

In the meantime, we’ve got great news for those of you who love to celebrate with us during the holidays. For both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, we’re expanding our dining options! Our goal is never to turn anyone away for these special meals – because we know the holidays are important to you and yours. And we’re honored that you want La Fonda to be part of them.

This year at Thanksgiving, La Plazuela will feature a prix fixe $49 menu where guests can choose from several appetizers, entrees and desserts in each course, from 11 am to 10 pm. A traditional Thanksgiving main course will be offered, naturally, as well as prime rib, salmon and traditional New Mexico favorites like tamales, rellenos and fajitas.

But fear not that we’ve gotten rid of the Thanksgiving buffet, friends! The popular buffet is moving to the Lumpkins Ballroom so that we can serve even more hungry visitors. From 11 am to 3 pm, you’ll be able to enjoy all your Thanksgiving favorites like roast turkey and baked ham, cornbread dressing and mashed potatoes, and a huge dessert buffet with pies, cakes and fresh baked cookies in a more casual setting ideal for families.

Until next time, pass the pumpkin pie,

Jenny

P.S. Downtown Santa Fe’s First Friday is today, November 1, so stop by to visit Detours, La Fonda’s gift shop.  Any purchase at Detours unlocks the passcode for La Fiesta’s secret cocktail menu. This date, Detours will be open until 7 pm for you to shop, as will other galleries, boutiques and attractions all within a short walk from La Fonda. So enjoy a stroll, keep it local and end the night at La Fiesta, where the locals gather. But don’t forget the password!

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Detours at La Fonda

A Santa Fe Merchant Since 1922

DARANCE MAKWESA CHIMERICA, HOPI CARVER

Join us at Detours for a live wood carving demonstration by renowned artist, Darance Makwesa Chimerica.  Darance will be onsite Thanksgiving Day, November 28th from 10:30 am - 2:30 pm and Friday, November 29th from 10 am - 6 pm.

Darance resides on the Hopi Reservation in the village of Hotevilla.  He has been carving for over 24 years and utilizes a variety of natural materials, including cottonwood root, natural mineral paints, plants and feathers.  His kachina dolls replicate the kachina spirit beings that represent life in many different forms -- from animals and plants to reptiles and birds.  He appreciates the opportunity to represent his cultural Hopi heritage through his carvings.

Stop by Detours for one-of-a-kind holiday gifts that are truly unique!

kachinas
DETOURS Art Gifts

Detours is the perfect destination for holiday shopping!


Visit us online: https://www.lafondasantafe.com/shops/detours-at-la-fonda


Close up of guitar

Live at La Fonda

Without A Doubt

Without A Doubt is Manny Anaya’s second chance to make music with a group. He played saxophone around the country with an old school rock ensemble from the 1970s until about 4 years ago.

“I thought I’d never play again, and gave up music,” he says. “But when my boss asked me if I’d ever put another group together, ‘without a doubt’ came out of my mouth. So I did.”

Without A Doubt, a nine-piece gathering of talented musicians, plays everything from country to Latin to old school funk to rock. They’ll be debuting in La Fiesta Lounge with Ruth Martinez on vocals and just about every instrument you can think of behind them: guitar, drums, trombone, two trumpets, keyboards and more. Anaya, who has played La Fiesta with the group Midnight Sun, says Without A Doubt’s sound is energetic and sure to have audiences up and dancing.

Come down to La Fiesta Lounge, where the locals gather, to hear Without A Doubt. La Fiesta’s featured cocktail this month pairs perfectly with Without A Doubt’s danceable music. Try the Big Country, a spicy drink of clove-infused scotch, Fleur de Mer rosé, ginger syrup and paprika to chase away the November chill.


It’s a Good Time To…

The Artist in Residence program returns to La Fonda again this year!  Of course, we’ve embraced artists since the 1960s here at the hotel, and we’re thrilled to participate in this city-wide initiative.  This year’s amazing artists will be in our lobby every Friday, Saturday and Sunday November 1 through February 29. Book La Fonda’s Artist in Residence special, then stop by and visit and shop with them. For a list of all artists, dates and participating locations, go to Santa Fe.org and enter to win a weekend in Santa Fe.

La Fonda is equally excited to host the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association’s annual conference (Nov. 11-13). The conference focuses on professional development, networking, promotion of industry exhibitors and sponsors, and the opportunity to explore our exciting and historic city and surrounding areas. Featured guests include travel writer Linda Milks of Toasting Food, Wine & Travel + IFWTWA’s first Vice President & Conference Committee Chair, Joanne Hudson - PR Manager of Tourism Santa Fe. And La Fonda’s Chairman of the Board, Jenny Kimball is a special guest, too!

The winter holiday season officially starts when the annual Holiday Tree Lighting happens just outside our doors on the Historic Downtown Santa Fe Plaza (Nov. 30). Enjoy hot chocolate and caroling as our front yard is officially lit up in splendor with lights and holiday décor.

Light up your holiday season with GLOW (Nov. 30-Dec. 31). This annual event features thousands of twinkle lights and beautiful large-scale light installations all aglow throughout the Botanical Garden. Enjoy live music, festive beverages, and meet Santa with the kiddos (12 and under get in free!). Book our GLOW package to experience this festive winter wonderland firsthand.

Get in the mood for holiday shopping with Native artists right here at La Fonda on the Plaza! The annual Winter Indian Market (Dec. 14-15) features 150 artists selling jewelry, pottery, paintings, weavings and much more! Stay at La Fonda and you’ll be in the heart of the action. Our Winter Market package includes tickets to the weekend events, breakfast for two in La Plazuela, and of course no hidden resort fees. But don't wait long, this weekend always sells out!

A Living Room Filled With Furniture And Vase Of Flowers On A Table
A Fireplace In A Dark Room

                                                                                                                                              


A Pair Of Scissors

Tom Taylor

Belts
Buckles
Bags

THE TOM TAYLOR ANNUAL CUSTOMER APPRECIATION SALE IS HERE!

Tuesday, November 5th

Save 20% off everything online and in the store for one day only:  Tuesday, November 5th.  Tom Taylor has stocked up with spectacular new pieces from their most popular artists, as well as adding new craftsmen to their roster of world renowned designers. Holiday shopping is just around the corner, don’t miss this opportunity to save on the latest additions to Tom Taylor's collection of handcrafted belts, buckles, bags, jewelry, and accessories. 

 

Visit Tom Taylor's shop at La Fonda.   And, be sure to subscribe to their newsletter for a personalized invitation to their special Annual Sales Event.

A Person Standing Posing For The Camera

Sense


Sense Clothing® designed in the USA is headquartered in downtown Santa Fe, NM in the historic La Fonda Hotel on the Plaza. Sense launched their first collection in Spring 2005, consisting of ultra-soft fabrics and modern colors. Sense is all about the "multi-functional" wardrobe which makes our collection the perfect travel line, uniting the elements of Spa and Travel for today's active women.

Guests at La Fonda receive 25% off any Sense item.

111 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87501 in La Fonda

Call: 505-988-5534

A Chocolate Birthday Cake With Lit Candles

Señor Murphy

Santa Fe Chocolate Maker

Señor Murphy's uses only the very best and freshest ingredients in their sweets.  Stop by their shop at La Fonda for delicious hand-made treats!


Film & Performance 

At the Lensic, The Met Live in HD series beams in Manon (Nov. 4), with exhilarating soprano Lisette Oropesa as the irresistible title character, the tragic beauty who yearns for the finer things in life in Laurent Pelly’s revealing production. Then see Madama Butterfly (Nov. 9). Leading sopranos Hui He and Ana María Martínez share the heartbreaking title role of the doomed geisha, with tenors Piero Pretti and Andrea Carè as the American naval officer who abandons her. Later in the month, director Phelim McDermott tackles another one of Philip Glass’s masterpieces, Akhnaten (Nov. 23 & Dec 7). Star countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo is the title pharaoh, the revolutionary ruler who transformed ancient Egypt, with the striking mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges in her Met debut as his wife, Nefertiti.

The Santa Fe Jewish Center, Chabad presents a riveting talk by Anne Frank’s childhood friend and stepsister, Holocaust survivor Eva Schloss (Nov. 17). The 90-year-old has recounted her experiences in more than one thousand speaking engagements and three books and had a play written about her life. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear from one of the individuals who survived the horror of that dark period in history.

On a lighter note, the Lensic presents Tig Notaro (Nov. 17), a groundbreaking stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer, and director originally from Mississippi. Hailed for her effortless storytelling and fearless stage presence, her subject matter ranges from the delightfully absurd to the monumentally serious. Rolling Stone recently named Tig “one of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time.”

The Jean Cocteau is the place for the 2019 Fly Fishing Film Tour (Nov. 22) brought to you by the Truchas Chapter of Trout Unlimited. This year’s collection of short films includes a cross-continent fishing trip, a journey to the Australian coast, a trip down the Snake River in Idaho, a Hank Patterson adventure to South Dakota and much more. Includes a raffle and chit-chat.

New Mexico School for the Arts stages Sense and Sensibility, adapted by Kate Hamill and based on the book by Jane Austen (Oct. 31-Nov. 2). This playful new adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel follows the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Dashwood sisters after their father’s sudden death leaves them financially destitute and socially vulnerable. Then NMSA is staging Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco (Nov. 7-9). A rhinoceros suddenly appears in a small town, tramping through its peaceful streets. Soon there are two, then three, until the “movement” is universal: a transformation of average citizens into beasts, as they learn to move with the times. Rhinoceros is a commentary on the absurdity of the human condition made tolerable only by self-delusion.

Santa Fe Playhouse’s annual Benchwarmers event features short plays written, directed and acted by local Santa Feans has only one set piece: a park bench (Nov. 7-24). Playwrights get creative and daring as they come up with more and more creative ideas about how to make the bench their own. Don’t miss the 18th installment of the ever-popular Benchwarmers.

The Swan Theater presents Motherhood, Barbells, and T-Shots (Nov. 1-10) a one-woman play created by Mona Malec and Rodd Harrison that dives deep into the experience of a mother of a transgender teen. The play tells the raw, honest story of what Mona went through as a mother during her son’s coming out and transition.


Out & About

The traditional Eldorado Arts and Crafts Association Fall Art Show is a great way to start your holiday shopping (Nov. 1-2) by buying handcrafted art from local artists.

Keep the Halloween spirit flowing with a Bollywood Thriller Dance Workshop with DJ Prashant at Meow Wolf (Nov. 1). Learn what is, obviously, the greatest dance routine of all time – Michael Jackson’s Thriller, with a flair of Bollywood, and then perform it, flashmob style in the exhibition!

Santa Fe Book Arts Group and the Palace Press present their annual Art Flea Market (Nov. 9). Shop for supplies, handmade books and journals, handmade and specialty papers, antique and how-to books, ephemera and gifts. We’ll bet you know a book lover who would appreciate a little something or two.

The Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival (Nov. 15-17) is the country’s largest and oldest recycled art market, turning trash into treasure for 21 years. The event includes approximately 90 artists in the Art Market and over 30 artists in the adult juried art exhibit. Numerous local classrooms will participate in a student juried art exhibit and display amazing outfits in the Trash Fashion Show.

The Santa Fe Fall Fiber Fiesta brings together the largest local show of traditional and contemporary handmade fiber artwork (Nov. 23-24). Over 40 local fiber artists are featured in this once-a-year opportunity to shop for hand woven clothing and accessories as well as gifts, hand knitted, crocheted, hand spun, felted or quilted. New Mexico’s tradition in Fiber Arts is extensive, bridging cultures, techniques and materials.

Santa Fe’s Thanksgiving weekend tradition, Wise Fool’s Circus Luminous returns (Nov. 29-Dec. 1) with a corps of acrobats, aerialists, dancers, and musicians. A socially conscious circus extravaganza filled with daring feats of balance and athleticism, poignant humor, and visual delights!

And Santa Fe celebrates 10 Who Made a Difference, at an annual event honoring volunteers in our community. La Fonda is thrilled to host the celebration again this year (Dec. 4), recognizing the honorees for what they do and highlighting the impact their efforts have made.

Last year, La Fonda’s Artist-In-Residence program brought master batik artist, Gasali Adeyemo to our lobby.  Join him as speaks to the cycle of indigo from harvesting, processing, dyeing; and reveals through this presentation why indigo is “the color of love” (Nov. 14) sponsored by the Botanical Garden. And November 29 is Community Day at the Botanical Garden, where New Mexico residents and students get free admission.


Music & Dance 

Santa Fe Pro Musica opens November with Mozart and Haydn (Nov. 2 & 3) as the dynamic pianist Anne-Marie McDermott leads the orchestra in two different piano concertos by Mozart, K. 449 and K. 482. The concert opens with Haydn’s joyous Symphony No. 90. Join them at the Lensic for free pre-concert talk by Thomas O’Connor and the season’s guest artists one hour before each Lensic concert.

Then experience Billy Childs Quartet, brought in by Performance Santa Fe (Nov. 8). Celebrated as one of the most diversely prolific and inventive pianists, composers, and arrangers at work today, this polymath has collaborated with an honor roll of artists, including: Wynton Marsalis, Wayne Shorter, Sting, Chick Corea, Kronos Quartet, Yo-Yo Ma, and Renée Fleming. Childs comes to Santa Fe ably supported by his quartet for an evening of “ultra-sophisticated, gracefully crafted jazz” (The Guardian).

Performance Santa Fe is back with Einav Yarden, a rising pianist, making her New Mexico debut (Nov. 21) at the Lensic. Born in Israel and based in Berlin, her accolades include performances at the Verbier and Ravinia festivals. Then enjoy a Celtic Family Christmas featuring fiddlers Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy (Dec. 2).

The Lensic presents Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company and the world-renowned Ahn Trio (Nov. 16). An empowering evening of live performance, A Quest for Freedom is a music and dance collaboration: the athletic physicality of 7 exquisite dancers, mesmerizing choreography of Nai-Ni Chen combined with the virtuosity of the Ahn Trio. All integrate seamlessly throughout the program.

AMP Concerts never rests on its laurels, and so has a dynamite November planned. San Fermin (Nov. 10) has earned worldwide praise for its ingenious pairing of pop-minded melodies with lushly avant-garde arrangements. Get your tix now for Ozomatli (Nov. 13), which will surely sell out. Portland Cello Project performs Radiohead’s OK Computer and more (Nov. 16). Vetiver (Nov. 18) wraps the month.

New Mexico Performing Arts Society’s annual winter solstice concert features the New Mexico Bach Society Chorale in Part III of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Artistic Director Franz Vote leads the ensemble (Nov. 30).

Meow Wolf’s got Yung Bae (Nov. 2), TR/ST (Nov. 4), Allah-Las (Nov. 5), Tauk (Nov. 6), Mark Farina (Nov. 9), Chelsea Wolfe (Nov. 12), Destructo (Nov. 15), Bleep Bloop (Nov. 16), Pinback (Nov. 19), Keller Williams (Nov. 22), Big Freedia (Nov. 23), and heads into December with The Floozies (Dec. 6).


At the Museums

The Wheelwright Museum opens Laughter and Resilience: Humor in Native American Art (Nov. 10, 2019-Oct. 4, 2020). The exhibit includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, and other items from the 1880s to the present, in which Native artists have parodied non-Native individuals, appropriated non-Native historical figures to poke fun at both Native and non-Native culture, and put a humorous spin on current challenges faced by Native peoples and communities.

Working on the Railroad pays tribute to the people who moved the rail industry throughout New Mexico (thru Oct., 2021). Using nearly 40 images from the Palace of the Governors Photo Archives and the Library of Congress, this exhibition offers an in-depth look at the men and women who did everything from laying track to dispatching the engines. Wrenches, lanterns, tie dating nails and other objects from the New Mexico History Museum collection will be displayed to give additional life to the photos.


Speakers

On The Path Of The Marigolds: Living Traditions Of Mexico's Day Of The Dead is the title of a new book by Cesáreo Moreno and photographer Ann Murdy, with an essay by Denise Chavez. Meet the author and photographer at a conversation and signing at Collected Works (Nov. 1).

Researching My Heritage: Diné (Navajo) Survivance and the Old Leupp Boarding School is the topic of Davina Two Bears talk at School for Advanced Research (Nov. 6). The Old Leupp Boarding School (OLBS), a Federal Indian boarding school located on the southwest corner of the Navajo Reservation, is where hundreds of Diné children went from 1909-1942. But its history is absent from the literature of Navajo studies. Motivated by her maternal grandparents’ stories of attending the boarding school in the past, Davina Two Bears incorporates non-destructive decolonizing research methods to document and examine the history of the school and the oral history of Diné survivance within the context of this Federal Indian boarding school.

Hear from Zuni potter Timothy Edaakie, 2019 Rollin and Mary Ella King Native artist fellow at the School for Advanced Research (Nov. 14). With a goal of reviving traditional pottery methods, forms, and designs that are not currently being used in the pueblo, Edaakie will share reflections on the transition between Matsaki and A:shiwi styles.

Santa Fe Institute’s Community Lecture series continues with Melanie Mitchell speaking about computer science and artificial intelligence (Nov. 12). Mitchell is Professor of Computer Science at Portland State University, and External Professor and Member of the Science Board at the Santa Fe Institute. Her book, Complexity: A Guided Tour, was named by Amazon.com as one of the ten best science books.

Lannan Foundation’s Readings & Conversations brings Eve L. Ewing with Wayne Au (Nov. 13). Ewing is a sociologist of education whose research is focused on racism, social inequality, and urban policy, and the impact of these forces on American public schools. Au is an educator, activist, and scholar who focuses on issues of race, class, and power in schooling. He is a professor in the School of Educational Studies at the University of Washington-Bothell, where he currently serves as dean of diversity and equity.


La Fonda and Santa Fe in the News

Sunset views in Santa Fe

LA TIMES
On a Weekend Trip to Santa Fe, Rounds of Margaritas and Musical Hotels 

ALBUQUERQUE BUSINESS FIRST
Santa Fe Hotel Named to Most Haunted List

CONDE NAST TRAVELER
37 Haunted Hotels Around The World You Should Definitely Stay At

SANTAFE.COM | RICHARD EEDS SHOW
Richard Eeds discusses the Fred Harvey Weekend with author, Stephen Fried 

SANTAFE.COM | BUSINESS MATTERS 
La Fonda's Chairman of the Board, Jenny Kimball and Ivan Barnett of Patina Gallery discuss Santa Fe Downtown First Fridays