Cruising through Albuquerque, I stumbled on a giant Roadrunner statue that looked like it sprinted…read moreright off a Looney Tunes episode and plopped itself in front of a roofing shop. This thing is massive -- like, "Beep beep!" sized for a giant who's really into spray foam insulation. It's got those cartoonishly big eyes and that cheeky grin, standing proud like it's daring Wile E. Coyote to show up for a rematch. The best part? You don't even have to trespass to snap a pic -- just wave at the roofers and pretend you're part of some zany desert race. It's not exactly a theme park ride, but this oversized feathered speedster brings a little chuckle to your road trip and reminds you that sometimes, roadside art just wants to have fun. Beep beep, indeed!

So this was my final stop for the day during my scavenger hunt for my Oddities in Albuquerque…read moreseries. I actually thought it was further down past the casino but I was completely off. This guys right off Isleta Blvd in the driveway of a greenhouse! I guess first hearing about this road runner I pictured it to be much smaller like human sized, and was completely surprised when I saw how much taller it was. He's pretty tall I'd say over 10 feet easy! This roadrunner has some character and you can tell he or she's been around for awhile now but hasn't shown any signs of age other than through the paint. It's a unique site to see in the south valley especially since there already is so much character down Isleta Blvd as it is. There's a Blue Castle shaped mechanic shop just a block away from there along with a large strip mall called Mexico Accessories. So this guy keeps that area lively! I love it! If your in the south valley on Rio Bravo go north on Isleta and you'll see all the things I just mentioned along with this beautiful large roadrunner!

Driving through Albuquerque, I glanced up and did a double take--was that... a Chevy on a stick?…read moreYep. A full-sized, blue-tiled 1954 Chevrolet hoisted high on a turquoise pedestal like some kind of sacred offering to the gods of roadside Americana. I couldn't not stop. It felt like stumbling across a monument from a world where hot rods are holy and kitsch is king. Locals apparently just roll with it, casually calling it "Chevy on a Stick" like that's a normal thing to have in your neighborhood. There's no big sign, no plaque explaining why a car is levitating above the median--just this glorious piece of public art floating above the traffic like a weird dream. I took a few pics, laughed to myself, and got back on the road feeling like I'd been let in on one of Albuquerque's best little secrets.

I recently came up with this idea I wanted to visit the cities oddities and roadshow attractions…read moreand capture a photo for a small series of photos in Albuquerque. I'm a freelance photographer on my spare time and I am always interested in finding something that catches my eye. I started my voyage at the Spaceship house a couple weeks ago and since then I've been searching for another oddity to capture. When I looked online I found a page dedicated to the different oddity landmarks in Albuquerque and this one was one of the sites I wanted to see in person. I sure am glad I got to see it. Of course the side of town I was a bit nervous since it's near Zuni and unfortunately Zuni has carried a bad reputation for the last few years but I didn't want to let it discourage me. The area for the most part is relatively safe and the monument you'll find at the corner of San Mateo and Gibson next to a restaurant with orange color paint just past the McDonald's. I personally love the colors of the tiles they used for it. It has a nice shine with the sunlight hitting it!

I've passed by this guy so many times to and from concerts, school, and working on films I never…read moreactually took the time to stop and see this him or her (not sure) up close. My what a beauty it is see how massive it truely is. It was much taller than mme that's for sure. This was my second to last stop for my oddities in Albuquerque series and this guy has been on my list from the start. I am so glad I actually parked my vehicle, walked up, and shared a moment to take in its New Mexican beauty. A truly unique site you don't find just anywhere. I love that it's here at home. Don't worry this snake won't eat you... yet anyways. I'm not much a fan of snakes in general but this one is officially my favorite one!

We were just wandering through Albuquerque, no particular plan, when we turned the corner onto Coal…read moreAvenue and stumbled across it--Mario, Princess Peach, and Donkey Kong, all pixelated and proud, stretched across the side of a building like they had punched their way straight out of 1985. At first, I thought maybe my childhood was hallucinating. But no, there was Mario mid-jump, fists in the air. Peach standing tall like the 8-bit queen she is. And Donkey Kong looming off to the side, barrels and all. The colors popped against the weathered brick, and even though you could tell the wall had seen better days, that just made it cooler--like the mural had leveled up after a few boss fights with graffiti and sun damage. Turns out it used to be a Pac-Man wall, but somebody tagged it, and the original artist came back to give it a Nintendo makeover. Respect. The vibe is pure throwback joy. Cars zipped past without noticing, but we stood there for a while, grinning like we'd just found a secret warp pipe in real life. We snapped a few pics, and some random guy yelled, "It's-a me, Mario!" from across the street. I don't know if he was drunk or just having a good time--but honestly, same. In a city full of hidden gems, this mural felt like a one-up mushroom: small, unexpected, and absolutely worth finding.

Soooo no more is Donkey Kong but Mushroom. Looks pretty new. Sucks tagging F's it all up. Like,…read morecome on, respect the art ! It's a cute surprise for the family. We pulled over & it was cool. I am soooo in love with New Mexico. We are full time RV peeps & have traveled 8 states now & New Mexico has my heart.

What a cool find. We stopped off at the visitor center, which did not actually have petroglyphs at…read moreit. We were instructed on which way to go to find the shortest trails as we were in a bit of a hurry. We did take a pretty rocky hike and got to see lots of cool petroglyph and a beautiful view. I recommend taking the visit. We didn't get a lot of great advice from the visitor center. We were instructed to find instructions online to the canyon we needed to go to. Easy to get to. Take water!

This spot is the visitor information center, featuring a short introductory video and a small gift…read moreshop. Here, you can get maps, park details, and directions to the three main petroglyph viewing areas: Boca Negra, Rinconada, and Piedras Marcadas Canyons. The friendly staff member gave us a map, and we decided to drive a few miles to Boca Negra Canyon, which is the closest site to the visitor center. The Boca Negra trail was short, easy, and took us less than an hour to complete. It was a great introduction to the petroglyphs and a nice way to start exploring the natural and cultural history of New Mexico.

The views and people watching here were top tier. New Mexico really is the land of enchantment. We…read morehad fun driving & walking around here. You really have a good time, get your steps in & find some gems. My biggest takeaway was the traditional native touches everywhere & how friendly the natives are. ABQ has a special place in my heart. Also there's live music nightly here & it's DOPE. The performances from native blues & rock artists really blew me away.

I see two Block by Block cleaning crews cleaning the graffiti off the glass and buildings and light…read morepoles are being painted green. Doing what they can to revive the builds in the hopes the downtown comes bald alive one day. It's sad to see any downtown with boarded up windows to avoid folks breaking them down. No idea what the downtown area looked like before the pandemic or if the mass exit and vacancy occurred before Covid. Even the Jimmy John's is closed.

There is a huge selection of art, clothing, ornaments, jewelry and anything else you can think of…read more I was in search of a few marigolds for our alter and found them for $1 each. I would have expected more costumes and shirts for Dia de los Muertos. The owner was kind and friendly. Fun to wander around if you are not even looking to buy. There was a steady flow of people. Small business at its best.

Stopped in for a visit! What a crazy shop! The shop features so much Day of the day style stuff…read morefrom figures to art. It's all very cool and the shop is quite large. A cool place to visit!

Welcome to Albuquerque! This public work of art sits at the…read moreentrance to the Duke City along I-40. Keep an eye out for it, because it can be easy to miss with all the scenery. The work of art was created by artist Gordon Huether in 2003. He made the sculpture out of salvaged F-16 fuel tanks! The yucca is the state flower of New Mexico, and they really get about this big out here! The yucca is a shiny metal, from such highly buffed aluminum aircraft parts. At night, it's lit up with changing colored lights, so it looks otherworldly. It makes a cool statement of the part that the Air Force has played in Albuquerque's history. Kirtland Air Force Base and Sandia National Laboratories are just a few miles from this sculpture. The sculpture is part of the 1% Art initiative of the City of Albuquerque, where they pledged a single percentile of the city's budget to big public works of art like this one. The U.S. Department of Transportation, and the State of New Mexico also chipped in on this one. It's a great work of public art!

This place is on the I-40 route westbound coming into Albuquerque. At night it lights up different…read morecolors. This is a very unique piece of art along I-40 for travelers who are coming into Albuquerque. I don't know if this is solar powered but it's always cool to look at during the day or at night.

Standing a whopping 36feet tall in front of the courthouse, this thing doesn't just sit there…read morelooking impressive--it moves. Water fills one pan, gravity does its thing (or doesn't, in this case), and the entire beam tips in slow-mo like a brass-and-steel seesaw on caffeine The twist? It's backwards. The lower pan fills and rises. It's like justice decided to flip the bird to physics--and maybe society--because sometimes, even laws need to rebel Around the base, you'll find 30 quotes about justice in languages from around the world, embedded in granite blocks like a secret quest for word and wisdom But honestly, the real show happens when the water starts flowing--watch it teeter, totter, and glide with the grace of a flamingo on a tightrope. If you're ever in downtown Albuquerque, swing by the courthouse plaza, watch the water-powered ballet, and let the sculpture remind you: justice might wobble, but it's always entertaining.

You will find this astounding piece in the courtyard of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Court…read more It is the amazing work of Evelyn Rosenberg who was commissioned by the New Mexico Percent for Art to do the piece in 2004. It is made of copper, brass, and stainless steel and stands a whooping 36 feet tall. It is a water powered kinetic sculpture, but it was not in operation during my visit. The sculpture is billed as the world's largest scales of justice. You will find metered street parking and commercial lots and garages within a reasonable walking distance for visitors that are driving and would like to get out a get a closer look. This is not a piece that you can really get appreciation for from your windshield anyway, so I highly suggest parking. It defies logic though. The water enters the lowered pan, and when the water fills the pan the scales tip the opposite direction than the laws of physics dictate. If you look closely to the scale's base, you will see 30 quotes that are in different languages and scripts. All the quotes have a justice/law nexus. If you are unable to translate them, don't worry, the translations for them appear on granite blocks planted in the ground near the walkway leading to the scale's base. If you look even closer, you will also notice that under one of the scale's pan is a phoenix, which represents redemption and under the other pan is a dragon that stands for darkness. It if the perfect sculpture for a courthouse. I really, really like it. It is more of a plaza area with the sculpture, walkways, and quotes. I highly recommend checking this place out. It is located downtown and just outside of old Albuquerque. Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 10 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

Keep Albuquerque Quirky! This is a weird arts district for ABQ. This is where the free thinkers,…read morethe forward looking populace expresses their local flavor, their nuances of culture that makes ABQ unique. There's all kinds of great murals, public works of art, and awesome shops to check out up in here. It's right down the way on Route 66 from University of New Mexico, so it's a younger, hip crowd that goes here for local grub, shopping, and events. You're sure to find all kinds of old Route 66 memorabilia, or stuff made by local artisans. It's all small local businesses, there are no chains around here as far as I know. You're sure to find some cool foreign grub, a nice tattoo parlor, or a kitschy gift shop that focuses on Abq pride. Parking can be challenging- keep an eye out for private lots or the back streets off of Central Ave.

Nob Hill has always been one of my favorite neighborhoods in Albuquerque. It has a plethora of…read moreunique shops and fantastic restaurants - including a variety of sushi places. It tends to be a little more looked over by the tourists and is host to a lot of students which makes for a fun combination of cutting edge and culture. My favorite place to grab a bite to eat would have to be Sushi and Sake - you can't beat the all you can eat sushi - and the Olo Yogurt Studio has incredible locally made frozen yogurt! Boba Tea is a local hit for a reason and should not be overlooked. The AuxDog Theater has great shows and independent Guild Cinema is always a treat, showing hard to find films with really great popcorn! If you want that cool city vibe of walking the street and strolling into shops and checking out menus for the restaurants, Nob Hill is that place.