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CHEAP DATE.(Special Sections)

The Santa Fe New Mexican (Santa Fe, NM) October 2, 2004 Byline: YASMIN KHAN We know you’re looking for a cheap and easy date. Some of you might take one or the other – beggars can’t be choosers. To start you off on the cheap side, here’s a list of budget date ideas for Santa Fe. These ideas combined with your sparkling personality hopefully won’t reveal your tight pockets to your easy date. If you’re like me and hate dating, these ideas can come in handy when you are trying to find something to do by yourself. Again.

Free-$10 – OK, maybe you shouldn’t be dating if this is your budget, but if you find yourself corralled into a night (or day) out you can try:

Free museum days – Museum of International Folk Art, on Sundays; Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, on Fridays from 5-8 p.m. Center for Contemporary Arts, free every day.

Gallery browsing – Walk up and down Canyon Road and give your comment on every gallery. If you go on a weekend, you can get really trashed with all the free booze they hand out in some venues. I think it helps people like the art better. go to website cheap date ideas

Hot Springs – I love the hot springs, but in recent years they have been a bit of a crap shoot. Sometimes it can be a romantic, stress-relieving day full of hiking and wonderful views. Other times you end up soaking next to some slimy guy who’s still partying from last night. By himself. With no pants on.

Tiny’s – No cover and a fun bar to hang out at and listen to music. Dark, with a little dance floor. This is where the $10 comes in, you should buy at least one drink for your date. Or go out with a recovering alcoholic and you can score free sodas by telling the bartend that you’re both designated drivers.

Food – Even I can’t think of anywhere to get food this cheap unless you make something at home and have a picnic at the river. Make it cute with a little tablecloth and some candles and some cheap red wine and a little piece of brie. Wear a beret.

$15-$30 – When you start spending ANY cash on a date, you need to be careful that “the other,” doesn’t see it as a free-for-all drink fest, and suddenly you run out of cash. Hopefully you won’t be on a date with that kind of person, but that’s why it’s a date and not your wedding. Talk more, drink less, eat slower. Sound interesting so they stop and listen instead of gorging on their food…

Movie Tickets at CCA – $8 general and $6 for students. That student ID you have really comes in handy. Mine doesn’t have a date on it, so I am the proverbial professional student.

The Opera – I got some $10 standing-room-only tickets for Simon Boccanegra, a dark Italian opera. We got there a few minutes late, so they let us sit in the mezzanine. I found out later that the seats we hopped into were around $100 a piece. The opera is really “smart,” and everyone wants to go at least once in their life. Plan on eating first, the Tesuque Market is a cute place to have some beer and good food and is right down the road.

India Palace – For lunch it’s around $9, and it shows how exotic and adventurous you are. Don’t whine about hot food.

Del Charro – Cheap food late at night. Try the poblano or the salmon wrap, each around $5. The fireplace is romantic (especially if you pile into one of those leather chairs together).

El Tosoro – This is the best place to eat in Santa Fe and everything is under $10. In Sanbusco center, it is clean, healthy, fresh El Salvardorian food. Get the platanos fritos (fried plantains). The tuna tacos rock too.

The Teahouse – Really nice and mellow inside and out, with a ton of tea to chose from, and the food is good too. I went there with a friend and had too much tea and then was twitching so bad I couldn’t get the fork to my mouth so I had to eat my salad with my hands. Don’t do that.

Ten Thousand Waves – Locals day at The Waves (weekdays only) is cheaper than the weekends. Great place to stop after a hard day on the slopes, (which by the way, is way out of the price range of this category and not even in the next). t’s romantic and a step up from the hot springs. The water here is better than the water in the natural springs, especially if its been marinating that party guy with the Budweiser and no pants.

$30-$50 – I don’t really think $50 is a cheap date, but we are in Santa Fe, where $50 is often used to wipe your nose. I couldn’t think of too many un-cheap places to go because I am so damn cheap myself. I also hate dating so I never stumble upon anything really pricey and creative that someone else would take me to. No, I’m not bitter. go to website cheap date ideas

The Lensic – The Lensic has some really cool performances like Taj Mahal, and flamenco guitar, and then it fills up with Christmas crap. It is worth checking out though, because if you’re a student, tickets are half price.

Ojo Caliente – This is by far one of my favorite places to be in New Mexico. If you could drink wine, eat habanero potato chips and have sex while you are soaking in the mineral springs (which make your skin baby soft), it would top the list. The prices are going up, but since it is one of the only places people who live around there can work, I don’t mind paying extra when I have it. It now costs $17 for all day, and you can stay until 10 p.m.

The restaurant there is really good, the salads are great, but now you have to put something on over your bathing suit. Even though I liked dripping around in there, I see their point. You can also camp out there and hike. I love covering myeslf in the mud and drying in the sun.

The only thing is all the people who go there and act stupid and loud. “Oh take a picture! Little Jennie will never believe I covered myself in mud like a little kid!” or “Oh my god, you just put mud all over your body! I can’t believe I’m doing this. Tee hee… Go get the camera.” I have to resist throwing mud at their blonde bouffant after they’ve gotten dressed and are ready to go. Now take a picture.