Jenny's View

Friends,

Last month, La Fonda on the Plaza’s Hollywood-themed staff holiday party celebrated the milestones of many of our valued employees. We recognized five-year anniversaries of Deatrice Calabaza, Veronica Sosa, Michael Schmitt, Wendy Calabaza, Jose Gervasio Gonzales, Felisardo Dominguez, Christopher Bentley, Javier Lemus, Wenona Nutima and Atocha Bojorquez.

Noteworthy were those team members who celebrated ten and twenty-year anniversaries with us. Jose T. Garcia, Isela Gallegos, Olga Juarez, Mirella Mercado and Mario Hernandez all collected 10-year awards. And with two decades of service, Victor Serna, Jose Cruz Perez, Saul Dominguez received ovations from their compadres.

If that weren’t amazing enough, one employee has been with La Fonda since 1979 – that’s forty years! John Nuanez, our chief engineer, has been faithfully keeping our systems in top condition since the year Pink Floyd released The Wall, Margaret Thatcher became the first woman Prime Minister of the UK and Sony released the Walkman. Time does fly! We also crowned Jose T. Garcia employee of the year, and Karen Severson manager of the year. Congratulations to our stellar crew – they are the reason that La Fonda on the Plaza is consistently rated a top Santa Fe hotel.

As we look to the future, you’ll want to make plans now to a attend conference we’re hosting. Dent is a conference that helps you find new perspectives on tired problems, connect with extraordinary people you would never ordinarily meet, and drive your thinking forward in a productive way. The experience, named for a quote attributed to Steve Jobs about “making a dent in the future,” is for anyone who wants to make a change in themselves or in the world.

Filled with what Pulitzer Prize winner David Horsey calls “an eclectic mix of generally brilliant human beings,” Dent pushes the boundaries of your thinking and helps you harness the tools needed to put your own dent in the universe. The conference is now in its eighth year and second year at La Fonda on the Plaza.  This year’s conference will be held March 22-25, 2020. I know from last year’s event that you’ll find inspiration, insights and ideas to help you make the changes you feel called to make. The theme this year is “reinvention,” and no matter whether you’re looking to reinvent yourself, your business, or the larger society, at Dent you’ll find the resources and inspiration to do it.

Dent is designed to bring creative people together to find support through a time of transition, or to power through a challenge that requires new perspectives or lateral thinking. Entrepreneur Magazine called it the #1 conference worth your time and money because the most creative and impactful leaps in every field today come from people who are able to draw on experiences and knowledge from many different domains.

The conference seems to have found the perfect home in Santa Fe because its intersection of art, business, experiences and people mirrors Santa Fe’s rich history as a crossroads of creativity, culture and history.

We’re really excited to be part of Dent 2020.  We hope you’ll join us!

Make a dent in your own 2020, friends. See you there!

Jenny

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Detours at La Fonda

A Santa Fe Merchant Since 1922

Jumpstart Your 2020 Reading List

Detours features books for any curious traveler.  Get lost in La Fonda's rich history or dive into the rugged adventures of Kit Carson.  At Detours you'll discover authors with the ability to provoke time travel. Detours carries works by amazing writers:  Hampton Sides, Stephen Fried, Tony Hillerman, Keith Becker, Chris Wilson, Lynda Teller Pete, Barbara Teller Ornelas, Arnold Berke -- the list goes on!  Stop by to explore our selection.

Spider Woman's Children Book Cover
A Close Up Of A Book

Close up of guitar

Live at La Fonda

C.S. Rockshow

Pete Springer (keyboard and vocals) and Don Curry (guitar and vocals) have been playing together since 2006, when Pete first heard Don’s strumming and singing at the old Ore House. Ron Crowder (drums and vocals) is the 2018 New Mexico Music Association's song of the year winner, and joined the group in 2012. All three sing lead, with tight rhythms and a broad song selection great for dancing.

“We’re happy to share in the joy of music and make you feel good and want to dance,” says Springer. He’s talking about C.S. Rockshow’s set lists that include the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Van Morrison, Tom Petty, Credence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, the Eagles, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Santana, Sting, Michael Jackson and more from the 1960s through 80s.

Check them out on Facebook then come down to La Fiesta Lounge, where the locals gather, on January 24th & 25th.


It’s a Good Time To…

Follow La Fonda’s Artists in Residence every weekend in January and February (painter Marla Allison Jan. 3-5, jewelry artist Randy Montoya Jan. 17-19 and painter Del Curfman Jan. 31-Feb. 2). Need a staycation? Stay with us on one of the Artist-in-Residence weekends and take advantage of the special rates at La Fonda. Or just stop in from 4 - 7pm, Thursday through Saturday and Sunday noon to 3pm, through February 29th. Our calendar of artists is here and be sure to check out our Artist in Residence special.

The Food Depot celebrates its 26th annual Souper Bowl at the Santa Fe Convention Center. This slurp-off of soups for charity (Feb. 1) will fill your tummy and help support the over 385,000 meals the Food Depot served to our neighbors in need last year.

If you thought the eating was over, think again! Foodies sharpen your knives and tuck in your napkins, Santa Fe Restaurant Week (Feb. 23-Mar. 1) is back with a roster of top eateries offering bargain-priced prix-fixe menus, including La Plazuela at La Fonda. Keep checking the website for additions, and make your reservations early!

La Plazuela Restaurant offers authentic Santa Fe cuisine
A Close Up Of A Painted Wall

                                                                                                                                              


A Pair Of Scissors

Tom Taylor

Belts
Buckles
Bags

TOM TAYLOR 2020 SHOPPING

Shop local and support the world renowned New Mexican silversmiths and leather artists of Tom Taylor. Tom Taylor has added stunning new pieces to their collection of one-of-a-kind belts, buckles, bags, jewelry, and accessories for the season.

Visit Tom Taylor online or stop into their La Fonda store for unique, memorable gifts that are handcrafted for a lifetime.

A Woman Talking On A Cell Phone

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

chocolate

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 

The Met Live in HD series at the Lensic begins the New Year with Wozzeck (Jan. 11). The plot depicts the everyday life of soldiers and the townspeople of a rural German-speaking town. Prominent themes of militarism, callousness, social exploitation and brutality are uncompromisingly presented.

The Peking Acrobats return to the Lensic (Jan. 17) for an evening of astounding tumbling, twisting and technical prowess. They push the limits of human ability, defying gravity with amazing displays of contortion, flexibility, and control.

Performance Santa Fe invites you to A Thousand Thoughts: A Live Documentary at the Lensic with the Kronos Quartet (Jan. 30). Oscar-nominated filmmakers Sam Green and Joe Bini have teamed up with Grammy-winning Kronos Quartet for a wildly creative multimedia performance piece that blends live music and narration with archival footage and filmed interviews with such prominent artists as Philip Glass, Tanya Tagaq, Steve Reich, Wu Man, and Terry Riley.

The annual Santa Fe Film Festival (Feb. 12-16) offers the best in cinematic arts, with over 100 films including narrative and documentary features, shorts of all types, as well as a spotlight on local filmmakers. Don’t miss the panels, workshops and parties during this annual five-day event.

Mark your calendars for Hummingbird by Santa Fe playwright Alix Hudson at Teatro Paraguas (Feb. 6-23). The play takes place in an unspecified first-world country. Nadia and Miriam are best friends and seniors in high school; Sam is Nadia’s big brother and works at a local factory. After Nadia and Sam’s parents are deported for being undocumented immigrants, however, Nadia falls into a coma-like state.


Out & About

Get your government on and mingle with our legislators at events sponsored by the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, with refreshments (Jan. 15 and Feb. 3) from Santa Fe’s finest restaurants while networking, connecting, and advocating for New Mexico business. It’s that time of year!

Don’t let the post-holiday blues get you down. Lift a glass at the New Mexico Brewers’ Guild annual Winter Brew (Jan. 17).  18 breweries from around New Mexico converge upon Santa Fe to pour cold-weather favorites such as stouts, porters, barley wines, winter warmers, and barrel-aged seasonal blends.

Last Friday Art Walk is an exciting world-class contemporary art experience, ten galleries plus SITE Santa Fe in the Railyard Arts District, all within walking distance (Jan. 31).


Music & Dance 

Serenata in SITE: Riffs & Digressions with soprano Gail Springer and pianist Yi-Heng Yang is the penultimate performance in the series of casual, informative and family friendly concerts (Jan. 10) at SITE Santa Fe. Barriers premiers works by Leslie Wildman and Conrad Cummings, plus work of Fred Rzewski and Eve Beglarian. The final performance (Feb. 7), Migration and Complex Stories, features original music and stories of displacement performed by Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and Sri Lankan pianist Dinuk Wijeratne. Captivating and beyond borders, this original music reflects on art in the time of crises.

Santa Fe Pro Musica kicks off the New Year with Pacifica String Quartet (Jan. 12) at the Lensic performing Shostakovich, Ran and Beethoven. Then take a Journey with the Pro Musica Orchestra and acclaimed pianist Jeremy Denk in works by Mendelssohn and Schumann. The concert opens with a work by Pulitzer Prize winner Melinda Wagner and is rounded off with Haydn’s last symphony, the grand Symphony 104, London (Jan. 25-26).

Join the Santa Fe Symphony for Americana! (Jan. 19) at the Lensic.  Enjoy this brilliant program featuring Americana favorites from Tower, Corigliano and Copland.

AMP Concerts welcomes 2020 with Dar Williams (Jan. 15) at the James A. Little Theater. Then Sean McConnell comes to Gig (Jan. 22) and Tow’rs to Rufina Taproom (Jan. 28). Close out the month with Newpoli at Paradiso (Jan. 31). February opens at Gig with C.W. Stoneking (Feb. 3). Get your tickets now for Garza (Feb. 10) and Robert Earl Keen (Feb. 23).

Over at Meow Wolf, catch SNBRN (Jan. 18), Theo Katzman (Jan. 27) and Wax Motif (Jan 31).


At the Museums

The birth, death and resurrection of Christ: from Michelangelo to Tiepolo is a traveling exhibition on display at the New Mexico Museum of Art (Jan. 25-Apr. 29). During the Renaissance, biblical episodes from the life of Christ were the artistic mainstay for a majority of artists. This exhibition focuses on the three major stages of Christ’s life: his incarnation in the form of the Nativity, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. Through 53 drawings and prints from the British Museum, you can explore the way that artists differently envisioned these key moments of Christ’s life and how they prepared their paintings and frescoes on these themes.

The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (Feb. 13-July 26) highlights artworks that present the future from a Native perspective in the show, Live Long and Prosper.  The work featured illustrates the use of cosmology and science as part of tribal oral history and ways of life. The science fiction and post-apocalyptic narratives depicted in these artworks are often reality for Indigenous communities worldwide. The imagery and narratives also emphasize the importance of Futurism in Native Cultures. Artists use sci-fi related themes to pass on tribal oral history to younger audiences and to revive their Native language.

Also at IAIA, Way of Sorrows, a new installation by Charlene Teters (Spokane), addresses current issues such as forced migrations and the US-Mexico border crises, while asking questions about responsibility and identifying new myths (Feb. 7-May 17).


Speakers

The School for Advanced Research welcomes archaeologist Ruth Van Dyke (Feb. 13) to discuss her research exploring social and political relationships across the greater Chaco landscape, past and present and her insights on how archaeologists can work together with Native American communities to influence the public understanding of contemporary economic/extractive projects, including those in northwest New Mexico.

Lannan Foundation’s Readings & Conversations brings Tyehimba Jess with Janice A. Lowe (Feb. 26). Jess is the author of two books of poetry, Leadbelly and Olio, the latter of which won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize. Lowe is a poet, composer, and vocalizing pianist. She is the author of Leaving CLE: Poems of Nomadic Dispersal and the chapbook SWAM.


La Fonda and Santa Fe in the News

A Fireplace In A Dark Room

USA TODAY
Most Magnificent Gingerbread Displays 

SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN
On New Year's Eve, the Plaza is the Place


SantaFe.com

Richard Eads Interview with La Fonda on the Plaza's Chairman of the Board, Jenny Kimball