This last weekend I took a little road trip up to my hometown; Boulder, Colo. I only had a few hours in which to actually be in the city, so I made a beeline toward what everyone who has ever visited Boulder knows is the nexus of its blissfully near-perfect model of new urbanism: the Pearl Street Mall. I made my way through the Saturday-afternoon crowds and soaked up the street performers (especially one really hot guy who reminds me of Jude Law and juggles torches on a unicycle), emptied my wallet (for said hot guy; although, I did only have $2 in there), browsed my beloved Boulder Bookstore, visited the bronze lady on the swing, admired the outdoor vendors, listened to some live African music, thoroughly enjoyed what must be the best burgers in the world at Tom's Tavern and took a dip in the kite store (known to non-locals as Into the Wind). All the while, as much as I hungered for the nostalgia, I still missed my Burque just a little.
As my time there expired, I headed back over to my car and made my way out of the heavily pedestrian district. And, while waiting for a light to change so I could turn right, it came to me: this is what Nob Hill is trying to be. Never mind the tantalizing street performers; I'm talking about the pedestrian mecca that is the Pearl Street Mall. Even while driving around its borders, I was hesitant to move for fear that I would trespass on some pedestrian passageway. This place was not about cars. It was about people. And music. And food. And local shops. And a certain kind of atmosphere.
Nob Hill has the right idea. It's on the cusp of greatness; and, with the right resources, it can turn itself into something just as great as the Pearl Street Mall, only tailored to represent the much more diverse and vibrant city that is Albuquerque. All it needs is a little attention. A little money. Some street improvements. And a little time.
