I don’t like to say the city I live in has “the best” of a thing because I think a lot of folks in other cities could easily counter.
But, there are times I make an exception. Like, today.
I believe when it comes to three things, Albuquerque can not be beat:
1. The food.
Hello? Hatch green chile? Is this thing on? I sort of feel sorry for people without access to New Mexico green chile. No, I take that back. I really feel sorry for them. They’ve never driven home with a ginormous bag of freshly roasted green chile scenting the entire car. They’ve never stood around a roaster in the grocery store parking lot just taking in the aroma. They’ve never had the annual debate over whether to buy one sack or two. (The correct answer is always, “At least one more than you think you need.”) And if they’ve never had fresh Hatch green chile, well, I hope life gets better for them.
2. The sunsets.
Yes, yes, I know…a lot of places have amazing sunsets. But there is something about a New Mexico sunset that just hits differently. Maybe that’s because it hits SO OFTEN. In some places, a gorgeous sunset occurs now and then. In the Land of Enchantment, it’s only now and then that we DON’T get a gorgeous sunset.
And last but by no means least…
3. The airport.
Okay, that probably sounds like a weird thing to be “best” at, but I know what I know.
The Albuquerque International Sunport is not the biggest airport you’ll find. It’s not a major hub, like Denver or Dallas. You won’t need a tram, a subway, or a sherpa just to get to your gate.
But none of that matters. Because the Albuquerque Sunport is, hands down, the most charming airport anywhere.
Yeah, I said what I said.
For starters, it is recognizable.
We travel a lot, photographing sessions out of town. And I’ve lost count of the times I’ve walked down that jetway into an airport and forgot for a moment what city I was in. That’s because to me, so many airports are just kind of…boring. Like they created a bunch from the same mold and then farmed them out to different cities. It’s not until you walk by the gift shop and see a sweatshirt with the name of the city that you remember where you are.
But, not the Sunport.
You step off that plane and into the terminal and darn skippy, you know exactly where you are. You see the architecture. It’s not trying to imitate New Mexico…it IS New Mexico. The artwork celebrates our Native American and Hispanic cultures.
Even if you’ve never been here before, within thirty seconds you’ve got a pretty good idea of the place you’ve just landed.
You smell the New Mexican food: the green chile, the red chile, the breakfast burritos, the local restaurants. You see the mountains beyond the windows. You see “Dream of Flight” by Lincoln Fox, a large bronze sculpture of a Native American man being lifted into the air by a soaring eagle and it’s like the whole airport just wrapped you up in a big hug.
But that’s just a building.
It’s the people of the ABQ Sunport that make it THE best airport on the planet.
The folks who greet visitors. The people who clean the bathrooms. The people who keep everything running. One visit to the Sunport and it’s clear that the leadership believes an airport shouldn’t simply move people from Point A to Point B…it should welcome people to New Mexico before they ever step outside.
Heck, even if they NEVER step outside.
As photographers, we’ve worked in a lot of places over the past 30 years. We’ve photographed families, executives, high school seniors, architects, healthcare providers, business owners and communities all over the country.
But there’s something special about knowing a tiny sliver of our work hangs in a place that represents the very best of Albuquerque.
So, yes, dear friends. I planted my flag.
The Albuquerque International Sunport is the The Best airport in the whole world.
And saying it isn’t?
Well, them be fightin’ words.
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