Lyle Lovett at the Santa Fe Opera!

Lyle Lovett fans are in for a big treat: just a 10-minute drive from the Hacienda Nicholas Bed & Breakfast Inn is the Santa Fe Opera, where Lyle will be performing on Sunday, May 26, 2013.  Joining Lyle Lovett will be fellow Texan Robert Earl Keen, for a night of acoustic guitar, song and story-telling.  The two have known one another for 30 years, having met as students at Texas A&M.

Lyle Lovett, one of America's most beloved singer-songwriters, has recorded thirteen albums and won four Grammy Awards.  He is known for his quirky sense of humor, which is evident in his lyrics as well as his concert quips between songs.  Lovett's music blends elements of country, folk, swing, jazz, blues, gospel and Western for a memorable compilation of tunes.

Ticket prices range from $27-$89, and may be purchased online at santafeopera.org or by calling 505.986.5900.  The Santa Fe Opera is fairly large, so I would definitely pay the extra money for a chance to see this engaging performer up close and personal.

Trey McIntyre Returns to Santa Fe

Should you be planning a stay at the Hacienda Nicholas Bed & Breakfast Inn in early May, be sure to consider attending the Trey McIntyre Project.  Their 2011 Santa Fe performance was so popular they were invited back for two performances at the historic Lensic Performing Arts Center: May 2 and May 3 at 7:30pm.  Trey McIntyre Project, a contemporary dance company based in Boise, Idaho, began as a summer touring company in 2005.  After receiving accolades at some the country's most prestigious summer dance festivals, including The Vail International Dance Festival, the company launched as a full-time company in 2008.  Known for their ground-breaking and innovative choreography, they are currently one of the day's most highly sought-after contemporary dance companies, having performed throughout the world in such well known venues as Carnegie Hall, Jacob's Pillow and Zellerbach Hall.

Tickets are a real bargain, at $20-$45, and may be purchased by calling the Lensic Box Office at 505.988.1234 or going online to TicketsSantaFe.org.

Lensic Performing Arts Center
211 West San Francisco Street
Santa Fe, NM

Tax Time Stressbuster

Occupancy at the Hacienda Nicholas Bed & Breakfast Inn tends to drop the week before taxes are due, and we can only imagine that is due to the financial and emotional stress brought about by the mere mention of tax day, April 15.  In an attempt to combat this stress, or perhaps as a fabulous reward once taxes are completed, we are offering a discount on The Ultimate Stressbuster, a 90 minute treatment created by our spa, Absolute Nirvana.

Guests who take advantage of the 10% discount, offered now through April 30, 2013, will experience total bliss and relaxation.  The Stressbuster is specially designed to target the effects of stress - headache, tight and aching muscles and overall anxiety - using steam, hot towels, Chinese herbal oils and special attention to the neck and shoulders.

After your Stressbuster spa treatment, head on over to Maria's Restaurant and choose from a menu of over 100 different margaritas as you munch on New Mexican comfort foods like enchiladas, burritos and tacos, smothered in chile and cheese.  This is a guaranteed antidote to all of life's stresses!

Easter Dinner in Santa Fe

Guests begin every morning at Hacienda Nicholas Bed & Breakfast Inn with a full breakfast, often including southwestern favorites such as Stuffed Poblanos, Blue Corn Pinon Waffles, or a Green Chile Frittata, always made with plenty of fresh, local and natural ingredients.   We do not, however, serve additional meals, so here are some recommendations for those in search of a big Easter Dinner.

The Compound is one of my favorite Santa Fe restaurants.  Aside from serving consistently tasty meals, I love that it is located in an historic adobe compound on Canyon Road.  This year they are serving an a la carte Easter Brunch from 11:30am-3pm.  Begin with a Made to Order Spring Pea Soup, Crepes Suzette or perhaps Cracker Crusted Crab Cakes.  Main Course selections include Chicken Schnitzel (incredibly tasty, if not so healthy), Jumbo Crab and Lobster Salad, Forever Braised Short Rib Benedict and more.  Finish off your meal with Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Mousse or a Lemon Tart.  Call the Compound at 505.982.4353 or book on their own website to make reservations.

My other top choice for an Easter Sunday feast would be Luminaria, situated in the Inn at Loretto.  They have an extensive brunch menu with starters such as Smoked Salmon, Grilled Anchiote Shrimp and a Warm Spinach Salad, followed by entree choices including Eggs Benedict, Buckwheat Pancakes, Glazed Ham and Tuna au Poivre.  These brunch items are served with Family Style Platters of Breakfast Breads and Pasteries.  Save room for the mouthwatering assortment of pies and cakes on their dessert menu.  The three course meal is $43 for adults and $21 for children ages 4-12.  Children 3 and under eat for free.  Reservations would be highly recommended here as well, and may be made online on OpenTable.com by calling 505.984.7915.

Happy Easter!

Don't Miss Aspen Santa Fe Ballet's March Performances

Guests of The Hacienda Nicholas Bed & Breakfast are always looking for things to do in Santa Fe, and those fortunate enough to be in town on March 29 and 30, 2013 will want to purchase advance tickets for the renowned Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.  This small troupe of dancers perform not only in Santa Fe and Aspen, but have toured both nationally and internationally, going as far afield as Guatemala, Brazil,  France, Germany, Italy and Israel. They are currently performing for the first time in Russia, where their innovative blend of classical ballet technique with modern dance is being very well received.

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet will be performing three pieces by contemporary American choreographers on March 29 and 30 at the Lensic Performing Arts Center.  These include Jiri Kylian's Return to a Strange Land; Alejandro Cerrudo's Last; and Trey McIntyre's Like a Samba.  These three pieces showcase the broad range of this talented and innovative company, from breathtakingly seductive to powerful and bold moves.

Tickets may be purchased online at TicketsSantaFe.org or by phoning 505.988.1234.  Ticket prices range from $25-$72.

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
March 29, 30, 2013 - 7:30pm
Lensic Performing Arts Center
211 West San Francisco Street
Santa Fe, NM

Annie Leibowitz at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

Every day guests depart from the Hacienda Nicholas Bed & Breakfast Inn on their way to explore the art and inspiration behind the work of Georgia O'Keeffe.  From very limited tours of O'Keeffe's home in Abique to visiting the O'Keeffe Museum, just four blocks from the inn, to hiking around O'Keeffe country, Santa Fe is a great place to learn more about this beloved American artist.

In conjunction with the museum's ongoing "Georgia O'Keeffe and The Farway: Nature and Imagine," is a new exhibit: "Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage".  Organized by the Smithsonian American Art Museum and running through May 5, 2013, these 64 photos are unusual for Leibovitz in that they are not staged studio portraits.  Rather, they capture a profound sense of place, whether a landscape (Niagara Falls, Walden Pond, Yosemite Valley) or the home of a well-known person (O'Keeffe, Elvis Presley, Ralph Waldo Emerson).  Indeed, Leibovitz took two trips to New Mexico, photographing both O'Keeffe's home in Abiquiu as well as the landscape of Ghost Ranch.

Director of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Rob Kret, chose to feature Leibovitz's Pilgrimage because it "truly commemorates and compliments the ongoing 'Georgia O'Keeffe and the Faraway: Nature and Image' exhibition with paintings and photographs of O'Keeffe's most beloved and inspiring locations in the Southwest."  Kret makes the case that both women were successful in capturing the profound depth power and emotion that connects us to certain surroundings, allowing us to feel a deep sense of place.

Seeing the work of these two gifted artists in simultaneous exhibits is a real treat, and will afford the viewer a deeper appreciation of both perspectives.

Santa Fe's Remarkable Art Feast

Guests of The Hacienda Nicholas Bed & Breakfast Inn flock to Santa Fe for a myriad of reasons, with art and cuisine being particularly alluring. During the upcoming ARTfeast, running from February 22-24, 2013, you will be immersed in a weekend of fabulous food, beautiful art by renowned Santa Fe artists, house tours, golfing and high fashion - adding to the fun is the knowledge that all the proceeds from this weekend extravaganza are donated to fund a great cause.

It may hard to believe that Santa Fe, a city with such a solid foundation in the arts, experiences a profound lack of funding for arts in its schools, yet such is the case.  ARTfeast began in 1998 as an attempt to address this shortfall when a few galleries began asking for donations during their Friday night openings.  Since then the program has grown tremendously and has raised over one million dollars to help fund art classes in Santa Fe's public schools.

The highlight of the weekend is the Edible Art tour, a collaboration of forty top Canyon Road galleries with over forty of Santa Fe's best restaurants and caterers, each showcasing their most noteworthy talents.  This presentation of fine food and art will take place on Friday, February 22, from 5-8pm.  Tickets are $35 each if purchased in advance, and $40 if purchased on the day of the event.

Other events include Friday's Art of Fashion: Runway Show & Luncheon ($100/ticket), the Free Art of Home Tour offered on Saturday and Sunday, and Sunday's Artist's Champagne Brunch and Auction taking place at Hotel Santa Fe for $75/person.

ARTfeast Santa Fe
February 22-24, 2013