Due to reasons beyond my control, I wound up in Albuquerque (ABQ), New Mexico, for a weekend. Usually when you think of fun and crazy weekend destinations, Albuquerque is not the city that comes to mind. But after my weekend there, Albuquerque showed me it could hang with the big boys.

I depend a lot on the locals to guide me when I visit a new destination. To me, the local residents provide a different perspective that you do not get from a Guide Book. Especially when you ask local residents that are in the same age group as you. Luckily, the gentlemen behind the rental car counter steered me in the right direction.

There is a strip of bars along Central Avenue in Downtown Albuquerque that make up the night scene on the weekends. Police block off the section of Central Avenue where the bars are located so late night party goers do not have to put up with moving vehicles. Speaking of the police, they are out in force to arrest all drunk drivers. Apparently, New Mexico has one of the highest amounts of DUI (driving under the influence) arrests in the United States. Police set up checkpoints in and around the Downtown area to ensure no one is driving over the legal drinking limit. In New Mexico, you drive everywhere, so residents play it safe on the weekend nights. It was highly recommended to me by the locals to grab a cab after you have had your share of drinks. I could not emphasize more that here at BeerBin.com LLC, we do not encourage or condone drinking and driving. So after having one beer at “The Library,” (there is a bar called “The Library” and it just happens to be one of the more popular bars on Central Avenue), I decided to call it a night and I jumped in my rented Mustang convertible and cruised out of the party scene. Well, not before I enjoyed a fine chili dog from a Hot Dog vendor on Central Avenue.

I returned the following day during the afternoon and continued my research. Of course, the Saturday afternoon scene is not as crazy as the Friday night scene but it did allow me to further my research without fear of being stopped by a police officer. During the course of the day, I found out that there are more bars near the University of New Mexico in Uptown on Central Avenue. The bars near the University are not your typical college dive bar, but more of a young urban professional drinking establishment. I especially liked the only Irish bar I came across in Albuquerque: “Two Fools Tavern.”

Overall, the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico surprised me with their ability to provide a drinking environment that I can only compare to Bourbon Street in New Orleans…but not as crazy. Downtown Central Avenue is the little brother of Bourbon Street, and maybe one day with time, it will be just as cool and popular.