Las Vegas, New Mexico is the archaeological edge of the American Southwest which makes sense. It sits below the front range of the Sangre de Christo which are the southerly most tip of the Rocky Mountains in the lower 48. To the east are the seemingly endless Great Plains and the Llano Estacado; to the west are the beautiful and towering mountains. The town is famous for its Wild West flavor and its many shows and movies that have filmed there.

Near the plaza is Sheriff Longmire’s Absaroka County Sheriff’s Office. Downtown is the mural for the fictional Calumet from Red Dawn. Other great movies like Wyatt Earp and No Country for Old Men were filmed in town. Another Cormac McCarthy adaptation, All the Pretty Horses was also filmed there. The Plaza Hotel is an old and very beautiful building my wife and I stayed at and we loved it. You could open the windows and hear the live music that was playing that Friday evening. The restaurant also serves delicious food and drinks. I had an amazing trout for dinner and then for breakfast, we ate one of the most delicious baguettes outside of France either of us had ever had. If you’re ever in the area, you should make it a point to stop by and see the charming and gorgeous town.