SANTA FE, NM

When you're stressed, there is no better place to unknot. Laid out in the protective foothills of Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Santa Fe's crooked streets follow the contours of the uneven earth, offering a scene in the shades of terracotta, ginger, and cappuccino. With its idiosyncratic cosmopolitan style, this town boasts an inordinate number of lodging, galleries, gift shops, bookstores, and restaurants. It is also the hub of the scientific luminaries. Take a stroll up the whistling Canyon Road leading to the piñon foothills, an immersion into Santa Fe's eclectic art world. Cottonwoods provide shade and a cloying sweet fragrance emanates from purple wisteria blossoms, as the ancient narrow De Vargas Street leads westward to the Santuario de Guadalupe. Take a balloon flight in the mercy of the wind, and indulge the view of Rio Grande. Heat your feet strong in flamenco dancing, then join the pottery class to calm down your passion. Lift your five senses at the hotel Inn of the Five Graces. Open your chakras with the color therapy, and rejuvenate your body at the spa Ten Thousand Waves. Dine at izanami, where the paella, scallops and shrimp marinated in tequila bring to mind balmy ocean breezes. Santa Fe not only attracts gourmets, artists, natural healers, psychics, and physics. The hustle-bustle of its modern life is tempered, and blue jeans, cowboy belts, or boots are de rigueur. Welcome to the city of enchantment!