Gallup (New Mexico, USA)_Gate City on Native Reservation

Gallup, New Mexico. Gate City on Native Reservation area. As walked along Route 66, admiring the store signs and buildings, I was moved emotinally by the sight of dust and smoke being whipped up by strong winds.

It could be a city or town along Interstate 40 in New Mexico, USA, but since it has a population of over 20,000 people, a city would be fine. Route 66 runs parallel to Route 40 through the center of the city.

New Mexico and eastern Arizona are home to many Native American territories. Navajo, Zuni, and Apache might be well known. This place serves as a gate city for the surrounding native reservations. Therefore, it is a place with a unique atmosphere in the sense that it is a town where to feel the native culture.

The first visit was in 1994. I arrived at Gallup after driving east on Route 246, which starts at Tuba City in Arizona, through the Navajo Reservation. Although most of the Navajo area is in the wilderness, I saw locals hitchhiking in the towns that appeared along the road, and I arrived at Gallup experiencing an atmosphere that I had never seen before. I walked along Route 66, admiring the shops, and entered a historic cafe that caught my eye. I was captivated by the town’s rustic atmosphere.

After that, I stopped by in 1998, and the next time to come, I was planning to stay at the El Rancho Hotel, which is along Route 66, but nearly 30 years have passed.

Here, I would like to write about the places I liked when I visited in 2024. I think this town is a valuable place because in reservations areas there are limited spots where you can experience its daily life. Please vist this place, Gallup.

Hotel El Rancho

This hotel is along Route 66, which runs east-west through the center of the city. This hotel is always described when introducing Route 66. The retro building is eye-catching with its luxurious entrance. Above the entrance is a sign that says “Hotel El Rancho,” and at night it lit up with neon lights.

This hotel opened in 1937. It started out as a hotel used for movie locations, and was used during the rise of Hollywood in the 1940s and 1950s. This hotel was apparently required because the weather in Gallup area is good and there is little rain, making it a suitable location for movies.

The hotel is a three-story building. When entered from the front, find a luxurious lobby with an atrium extending all the way to the second floor. The reception is on the right. In the center of the lobby, there are stairs on both sides that go up to the second floor. Photos of old Hollywood actors line the walls of the balcony area of ​​the second-floor atrium. It was a wonderful space that gives me a sense of history. There are retro chairs lined up against the wall. Sit on a chair and sip coffee. It was a luxurious time.

The room I stayed in was on the third floor, facing the street, and was spacious. It was a twin room, and about 40 square meter. There is a fan running on the ceiling and chic furniture. It is a relaxing space (but don’t expect the bathroom).

There is a restaurant and bar on the right side of the entrance on the first floor. I recommend you to enjoy Mexican cuisine in a retro-style space. There is a souvenir shop on the right side of the entrance, with a wide selection of items. There are stores in the center along Route 66, but there are no specialty souvenir shops, so this is probably the best place to shop.

There are two buildings on the hotel grounds. One is the main building, and next to it is a building (annex) that looks like a normal motel. When I stayed, hotel reception person said, “Reservations are in the annex next door, but you can upgrade to the main building,” and she gave me a room on the third floor of the main building. When making a reservation, it was not possible to specify the main building or the annex, but the annex next to the main building looked like a normal motel, so you should definitely stay in the main building (you should request the main building when making your reservation).

Flea Market

A flea market is held on 9th Street, every Saturday, just west of the center of city. Operated by indigenous people. When get off Interstate 40 and head north on 9th Street, I found it on the right. There are many cars along the road.

The market consists of two vertical rows of aisles on a vast plot of dry earth, with stalls lined up next to them. I went around once, but the length of each line was about 500 meters. One lap is about 1km. There are many shops selling accessories, DVDs, T-shirts, fabrics, objects, and drinks.

Basically, it is a market for locals, so there are not many tourists. There are only a limited number of places in downtown Gallup where people can gather, so I would like you to feel the power of indegious people in this place.

Accessory shops along Route 66

Along Route 66, where 1st and 3rd streets intersect, there are Trader Post and Accessory shops. It is famous for the jewelry made by indigenous people. Have you ever seen accessories made with blue or green turquoise?

There are about 10 shops in this area. I entered about 5 stores. The clerk does not seem pushy. Some stores have special purchasing areas for retainers. It seemed like some stores had price tags and others did not, but it was interesting to see that if I visited twice at different times and asked different staff about the price of the same accessories, it was lower.

When purchasing accessory, talk a little with the store staff.

“Japanese comes here?”
“There are many people coming.”
“Really?”
“Where are you from?”
“Tokyo.”
“Oh, Tokyo. There are many people coming from Osaka.”
“Is that so?”
“By the way, how many people have come from Japan to buy things so far?”
“Well, I haven’t counted, but there are 50 people or more.”

Personally, I know a store in Tokyo that sells jewelry, and I have heard that she come to buy at Gallup, but when talking about this kind of business, I hear about Osaka instead of Tokyo. It is just my guess, but I have an image that people from Osaga negotiating prices in broken English and Osaka dialect. From a business perspective, Osaka seems to be better known than Tokyo.

Mural

Wandering around downtown, Mural catches my eye. Approximately 20 locations. The hotel had a map of the murals in downtown so I wandered around. I recommend walking around because you can see the bright colors that are influenced by Mexico and Central America.

Jerry’s Cafe

There are quite a few shops in the downtown area. There are only a few places where you can eat. When I was wandering downtown during lunch, I saw a cafe with a lot of people gathered in front of it and went inside. It is Jerry’s Cafe, lined with old-fashioned box seats and packed with locals, had a nice nostalgic feel. There are 16 tables in total. Seven employees were busily moving around the store. By the way, when I was looking at photos from my visit in 1998, I found the photo of this cafe. According to the website, it opened in 1976.

About Route 66

Some of Route 66’s most iconic views include old-fashioned motels, motel signs, and neon lights at night. My first visit was in 1994, and when I visited 30 years later in 2024, the impression I got as I drove down the street was that most of the traditional old motels were gone or no longer in operation, with only buildings standing. In the middle of the night, I drove east and west hoping to see the neon lights emitted by buildings along Route 66, but I could not see any noticeable neon lights other than the El Rancho hotel.

There were three old-fashioned one-story motels across the street from the El Rancho hotel, a little to the east, but none of them were in operation. Motels in the US are heyday around the 1950s, but if they were built in that era, they would have already been over 50 years old, and would be difficult to operate due to their age.

Finally

The store-lined streets along Route 66 in downtown are sparsely populated. It does not bustling. As I walk along Route 66, looking at the store signs and appearance, I feel an indescribable nostalgic feeling. When stopped and looked down at Route 66, the sight of strong winds whipping up dust and smoke unfolds before my eyes, stirring my emotions.

Please vist and experience a different US than what you see in the media.

Visited in 1994, 1998, 2024

Basic Information

■ Name : Gallup
■ Address :  Gallup, New Mexico, USA
​■ Homepage : https://www.gallupnm.gov/

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