Canyon Road is a storied place.
Here’s a few of the stories, collected by Santa Fe Magazine.
Bathed in the Light
There was once a hitching post out in front of El Farol, allegedly removed in 1980. Every deep local over 60 remembers exactly where it was, and their children are still angry they missed the century-old parking spot.
Today, strolling up the road at magic hour, it still carries the best light in Santa Fe. Some say the best anywhere.
We went searching for some of that magic, and found it — through the people, through the watering holes, through the galleries, through the artists.
We started by visiting the iconic 1960s painter Eli Levin, at his art haven in Dixon.
He told tales of bohemia in the canyon, describing scenes from night-life in the 1960s and 70s, where cowboys and artists and bar brawls and whiskey intersected with East Coast Cambridge girls dating gamblers.
These barstool characters of Canyon Road all made their way up the road for the same reasons — good food, booze, and maybe a one-night stand.
But once they got here, once they were bathed in the light, many were hooked, magnetized, awakened, transfixed by something… other.
Because this has always been where art and people and life collide. Eras and fashions may change, but this old road endures.
— Owen Lipstein and Maggie Fine
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Eli Levin stumbles onto Canyon Road.
When Eli Levin showed up on Canyon Road on a motorcycle in 1964, he walked into Claude’s Bar and walked out with a job and a place to live. He’s been in Santa Fe ever since.
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Douglas Magnus Sees It.
Douglas Magnus landed on Canyon Road with camera in hand, and was witness to a golden age of artistic bohemia, which he captured in both color and black and white.
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Stuart Dixon plugs a hole.
When Stu looked at Canyon Road, he saw something missing — a small, casual cafe midway up the road where locals and visitors alike could pop in for a coffee and sit in the shade, soaking it all up. So he opened one.
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Martin Blanco Serves the Tea.
Taking over from the legendary Rich Freedman was never going to be easy, but Martin Blanco works every day to make the Teahouse an authentic community gathering place.