Gracias for the suggestions so far. I lived in Albuquerque from 94-99 and know the town well in general, but I don't know jack about motel options. I'll be staying with friends in town for the most part, but a lady friend and I would like a room in which to have some privacy during part of the visit. I'm thinking of Socorro since it's only an hour away and is liable to have motels that are both cheaper and cleaner than those in ABQ. We'll be hitting Santa Fe for day-trip stuff, certainly, but I've no wish to pay Santa Fe prices for lodging.
The motels on Central...when I lived in the 'Cracky, I lived just off of Central Ave on two occasions- a very nice spot between Broadway and I-25 and a not-so-nice spot between Carlisle and Washington. The latter was close to the De Anza motel, forever immortalized in an epsiode of "Cops" when some drunk driver plowed into three (!) light poles right in front of the De Anza. I was always amused by the three shiny-new poles right in a row on that block.
So I'm well aware of the many motels in town, but I've never stayed in any of them. Was wondering if any had anyone personal experience to report.
Tucumcari has a wealth of cheap and decent motels, but sadly, it's pretty far from Albuquerque...between 2-3 hours. And the scenery around I-40 takes a sharp turn for the uninteresting once you get east of Santa Rosa.
