People often ask me how I come up with things to write on a week-to-week basis. Two thousand words is nothing to scoff at, and thinking back to college, it was earnestly a struggle to pull off twice a semester. When it comes to writing for work though, especially in relation to something that is a passion of mine, the words come naturally. You begin to find that when you’re allowed to break the structure of general format papers with expectations of ideas and analysis, you find pages easier to pump out. Add to it that Weekly Alibi allows me a lot of freedom in what I write as long as it’s food related and local, and all of the sudden, you get the recipe for success in the form of earnestly fun writing.Last week, we looked at all the food section had done in the past year, and we touched upon the future a bit, but I wanted to circle back to that idea a little more. Last year, I was finding my footing. Creating a space for us all to exist wherein we had a general idea of the food section and what to expect when reading it. This year, I want to carry that on to the next level.First off, expect more pieces like “Donut Run.” We tend to pass over reviewing places with narrow menus because it’s a struggle to get enough content out of them, but creating something unique with it allows us more room to do interesting coverage. Secondly, it’s time for Albuquerque’s rebirth. It’s no surprise to anyone that the last 3 to 4 years has been difficult on the city, and projects like ART took a toll on a lot of businesses. But, as any gardener will tell you, sometimes you have to remove the old to make space for the new. What we’re seeing now is a total revitalization of Nob Hill, with new shops popping up everywhere, those empty spaces finally getting the attention they deserve and beginning to expand and build out now. This brings me to my main goal this year.I want to focus on the city and how we’re going to grow. Look, I’ll be the first to say I was against ART since day one, and in many ways, I still have issues with it on certain levels. But, I also have gone and used it now, and it’s earnestly great! Yes, it’s new and has a perception problem to move past, but at the end of the day, it’s super fun and really useful. No longer will I fear my car getting ticketed in Nob Hill ever again! This year, we’re going to talk about Albuquerque growing to be its best self. This comes with a caveat.You see, we can sit here all day and talk about all the new wonderful things changing and expanding in the city, but when we get down to brass tacks, none of that means a thing if we don’t engage it. As we speak, we’re watching Nob Hill go through one of the largest growing pains it has ever experienced, with longtime favorites vanishing and a multitude of new places popping up nearly every day. Change is scary. Change is hard to deal with because familiarity is such a comfort to us. Yet when all is said and done, change is also necessary. We must embrace the future of our city and all the shifts it takes in order to continue our growth. So I issue you a New Year’s resolution, should you choose to accept it: Let’s help support these changes, whether it be in Nob Hill, Downtown, the Heights or even the International District. There are people out there right now working to actively make Albuquerque a phenomenal and exciting place to live, but we are the sparks to their catalyst. Nothing happens if we don’t participate in the movement.In 2020, let’s ride ART and keep our cars out of the bus lane. Let’s take a chance on a wild business concept, even if it feels foreign or strange. Let’s get out there and support the businesses that make our city the most strange and fun place to live in the world. We’re not just green chile and “Breaking Bad,” we’re ingenuity, creativity, passion, boldness and tradition. And 2020 is the year of Albuquerque.
Food For Thought: Hashtag 2020 Goals
On Embracing This City’s Growth Spurt
4 min read
