Arroyo Seco, New Mexico

Arroyo Seco is an older Hispanic settlement about 10 miles northeast of Taos on the road to Taos Ski Valley. I saw a couple of nice art galleries here, and a couple of good restaurants (Taos Cow comes very highly recommended among the local folks). Typical of some older New Mexico settlements, there is a very small and compact downtown/business area while the residential area sprawls all over the place, with large tracts of open space between most of the homes.

I'm sure the town capitalizes on its' location between Taos and Taos Ski Valley: one of the buildings pictured here is the main structure of the Abominable Snow Mansion, Hostel, Bed & Breakfast, and Campground. Of course, the main thoroughfare in downtown Arroyo Seco is quite narrow with limited public parking - a holdover from the days when whole families (with all their possessions) traveled across the continent in vehicles smaller than a modern sub-compact car...