Winter in Santa Fe, New Mexico: Skiing, Sake, Shops & More

Here's a look at what's new in the City Different:

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE

• Ski Santa Fe opened its slopes for skiing and snowboarding on Thanksgiving Day, thanks to generous early season snow. Everything from groomed cruisers to steeper slopes are in great shape and more snow hit the area in early December. All lifts and 90 percent of the area's 77 trails are open with the last 10 percent of the area's terrain expected to open soon.

• For those more interested in a backcountry experience, the many hiking trails outside of the city are quickly being covered with snow and turning into snow shoeing and Nordic ski trails thanks to some of the best early winter snow in years.

• New holiday deals and savings–winter is Value Season in Santa Fe–can be found on the Specials page of the bureau's website. www.santafe.org/Visiting_Santa_Fe/Specials/index.html

LODGING

• The Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi will begin a reimagining project on all 58 of its rooms in early January. The intimate hotel's guestrooms will receive all new custom-designed furniture including beds, new carpets or wood floors, new bathrooms and a new natural color scheme. Work will be done on one floor at a time. The corridors in the guest wings will also receive new carpeting and lighting. Completion is expected by mid-March.

SHOPPING

• LewAllen Gallery, one of Santa Fe's biggest and best known contemporary galleries, has closed its longtime downtown location on Palace Avenue and consolidated its business to its Railyard location, 1613 Paseo de Peralta. The Railyard is the city's new, lively hub for contemporary art.

• Malouf's on the Plaza has opened in the former Packard's location on the downtown Plaza. To the joy of many Santa Fe residents and visitors, the store looks much like the old Packard's and many of the employees are still there. The new store is a treasure trove of jewelry, Navajo weaving, clothing, home furnishings, and gifts.

• The Trading Post, a new shop at the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe offers guests a variety of special mementos as keepsakes for their time in Santa Fe. The shop stocks a selection of local food items, jewelry and art from local galleries and artists, and logo-wear. The shop honors the spirit of Betty Egan, the former owner of Rancho Encantado who had a gift for making visitors feel connected to Santa Fe's inspiring culture and natural beauty.

CUISINE

• Joseph's Table closed in Taos years ago, but its reputation lives on. Now Chef Joseph Wrede has opened his new restaurant, Joseph's of Santa Fe, a “Culinary Pub” located at 428 Agua Fria Street, in the Railyard district. The restaurant is in an old adobe house and the menu focuses on creative interpretations of local ingredients.

• L'Olivier, meaning the olive tree, opens December 20 at 229 Galisteo Street. Chef Xavier Grenet trained in Switzerland and France and has worked at some of the world's best restaurants and cooked at the James Beard House. This is his first venture into restaurant ownership. L'Olivier will feature the chef's unique perspective on French/Southwestern food.

• Izanami has opened at Santa Fe's unique, Japanese-style spa and retreat, Ten Thousand Waves. In keeping with its setting, the restaurant is a true Japanese-style gastro-pub with no sushi or greasy tempura. Small dishes feature high-quality, locally sourced meats, vegetables, and poultry and counter service surrounds a flaming charcoal grill. There is also a huge selection of Japanese teas, locally roasted coffees, Japanese craft beers, and artisanal microbrew cold sakes.

• It's worth a drive south of Santa Fe to Chez Dre in the Agora Center in Eldorado to sample the sweets and treats created by Andrea Clover, the well-known former pastry chef at the Inn and Spa at Loretto and others. Clover studied at Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School and has won many competitions including on the Food Network's Sugar Dome. The café offers unusual breakfast and lunch dishes, such as Moroccan baked eggs and a duck confit sandwich, as well as Clover's divine baked goods.

• Restaurant Martin recently began work on a new dining facility on the grounds of the restaurant located in downtown Santa Fe. The new building will expand seating capacity by 60 to 80 people and feature roll up garage doors that will lead onto the restaurant's expansive patio. Additionally, Chef Martin Rios was appointed a Taste Ambassador for Tabasco and will be creating recipes using the flavorful sauces.

EVENTS

• DIY Santa Fe: A Creative Tourism Journey has announced an exciting schedule of art workshops and hotel discounts for the month of March, 2014. DIY is an annual event that gives visitors the chance to express their inner artist by working with some of Santa Fe's great artists and artisans. The workshops cover dozens of possibilities and there's something for every age group and interest. Participants can book as many workshops as they want, and then book discounted lodging. This year there are also contests and giveaways. It's a fun way for adventurous visitors to connect more deeply with the Santa Fe community. www.santafecreativetourism.org.

• The Lensic Performing Arts Center and Frogville Radio present the first Sounds of Santa Fe concert on Friday, February 28 at 7:30 featuring four of Santa Fe's best musical groups.

• Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams: The Hawaii Pictures opens at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum on February 7, 2014. The artists, who knew each other, both visited Hawaii and were inspired by its lush landscape.

• In its only U.S. stop, the exhibit Renaissance to Goya: Prints and Drawings from Spain, will be featured at the New Mexico Museum of Art, December 14, 2014 through March 9, 2014. This groundbreaking show is rewriting the book on Spanish art. The 132 drawings and prints, many of which have not previously been on display, offer a once-in-a-lifetime chance to look deep into four centuries of Spain's visual culture and history. The exhibit of works by Iberian artists, chief among them Francisco Goya, was assembled by the British Museum in London breaking the misconception that Spanish artists of the era did not draw or produce prints.

• The Santa Fe Gallery Association (SFGA) announced that Art Matters | Collections, the second installment of its successful Art Matters series, will be held January 31–February 9, 2014 in Santa Fe galleries, museums and other locations to be announced separately. The Art Matters series, including Art Matters | Santa Fe, Art Matters | Collections and Art Matters | Sustenance, hosted by the SFGA, emphasizes critical presentations and discussions of a wide range of art in the member galleries and museums by showcasing the breadth and depth of exhibitions and collections and connoisseurship of the gallery owners, museum directors and curators. For more information, visit www.artmatterssantafe.org.

Please visit www.santafe.org for additional information.