LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Albuquerque may be one of the friendliest places to visit. After all, not many airports have announcements welcoming you to their city. I am somewhat of a “newbie” to the Q. Almost two years ago, I relocated to Albuquerque from the original Las Vegas in northern New Mexico as a newlywed, and said to myself, “Welcome to Albuquerque.” At that point in time, I wondered if I could leave the town and home I loved and embrace the biggest city in my home state. Albuquerque is home to thousands of businesses that make our lives easier. Nobody wants to cook dinner every day and when it is my turn to cook, well, we go and add to Albuquerque’s economy. Although I grew up in New Mexico, our visits to Albuquerque didn’t go much off the beaten path. Our trips were to go shopping, catch an Isotopes game, attend a concert, pay a visit to family and friends, or catch a flight. Within the last two years, I have experienced Albuquerque differently. I now have my go-to restaurants that I crave, like that mouth-watering red chile with a warm buttered tortilla from Durans. Oh my, heaven in a bowl! Throughout the last few months, I have stopped by some of our readers’ favorites. I know now that yes, our readers are spot on. I wonder if I can expense all those “work trips?” Probably not, but I do know that Albuquerque is simply “home.” Journal staff from the marketing and advertising departments put hundreds of hours of work into this special section to put this into your hands. Use this as a guide to explore Albuquerque, as the information comes directly from locals. In this year’s Readers’ Choice awards, more than 92,000 votes were cast — roughly 30,000 more votes than last year. we have added additional categories as well, to cover the wide range of services in ABQ. I hope you create a list of places to visit based on our readers’ recommendations. I am sure you will love them, just as our readers do. I know I have a list now, longer than that todo list my wife has for me. I hope that you enjoy this year’s Readers’ Choice special section. The winners listed in this year’s edition are the heart of Albuquerque, creating the pulse of the city. I am inspired to go out and explore more of Albuquerque. I hope that you are too. Finally, look for our Readers’ Choice Listing Contest to be announced for an opportunity to win items from the award winners!