One Does Not Go to Gallup, NM for the FOOD

As suggested by one of the reviewers from TripAdvisor, I downloaded a few apps that I had chosen for this cross country road trip: Google Maps (even though I have a GPS), Road Trippers, Priceline, Gas Buddy and TripAdvisor. Except for Road Tripper all of them have worked great, even with their strength and weakness ebbing and flowing.  

On our way from Taos, NM to Williams, AZ,  a 486 mile trip we decided we would stop in Gallup, NM as it looked like the halfway point. I surf the net for a place to stay and a place to eat while Jackie does the driving. Let me tell you surfing the net can be quite challenging.  Every town that may have a cell phone tower can be about 50 miles apart, at any time, which is very frustrating but I manage. 

We arrived late and hungry and true to it's name Gallup felt like a city where the population just kept on "Galluping" through and we weren't going to be any different.

We narrowed our restaurant for the night to two  choices and asked at the front desk of our hotel which to chose. We went to a place call Coal Street Pub on the Historic RT 66.  It was full of memorabilia on the walls and the floor. It looked like a cross between the Hard Rock Cafe and a Grunge hang out.  There was a little something for everybody: for me the Elton John record and old photographs; for Jackie the buck saw and six guns (she use to have one as a kid, thank god she does not anymore)

and for Alexander it was the mechanical typewriter.  He really got a kick out of those moving keys and seeing them make an imprint on paper.

During dinner, an Asian family was sitting across from us, add to  that our family and we made a very 'queer' sight in Gallup with it's mostly Mexican Americans and Indigenous Peoples; but here they were and there we were. They had two boys approximately the age of Alexander and both, it seems, had been well trained on the piano, attested to by their performance on the one that was available in the pub. Not to be outdone by anyone, Alexander was eager to show off his skill on the piano asking us if he could go up and play Mary had a little a lamb. "No way" we said but he was persistent " I know how to play Mary Had a Little Lamb". After many pleas we were worn down and much too tired to resist, however as a redirect I said  "why don't you play the conga drum, as you've had much practice in Puerto Rico".  Below is a snippet of that performance,  unfortunately I ran out of video before he finished. When he was done the patrons in the pub started clapping.  He still did not feel that he really measured up to those kids performance and could use some positive re-enforcement.   I hope you are able to watch this video but if not, and you are interested, I can email it to you individually. Perhaps you could give him a call and let him know how great he sounds.