The Good: This place appears to provide a kind of "scenic overlook" of greater Albuquerque, in the way you might pull off the side of a highway and see a mountain range. This is a lovely area of town, in that houses rim the wide Rio Grande valley, and it looks like this park was built to showcase this beauty. I say "looks like" because I didn't have an opportunity to actually experience the park. Let me explain.
The Bad: When we pulled into the lot I noted four other cars, all with drivers and dogs, just sitting around. I also noted a lone dog sort of roaming the grounds. He didn't look dangerous, but you never know. I took a chance, brought my kid out to go see the playground, the dog came over, hung out with us. An elderly local rolled down her window. "Don't worry about him, he don't bite, but nobody knows where he come from." But the dog soon took interest in the other locals and the other dogs, causing a massive calamity; one woman screamed in a blood-curdling pitch I've only heard in horror flicks. Anyway, turns out the dog had been hanging out at that park for many days, Animal Control had been called several times, yet nothing had actually been done about it. This was a tired, true reality of the more neglected neighborhoods in the 505, and all of the ruckus scared my daughter beyond belief, sending us right back to the car. What a shame. Later, my daughter actually said to me, "Daddy, I don't wanna go to the park." Nice.
The Verdict: Good for you, Albuquerque. Albuquerque, good for you. read more