Gallup spotlighted

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GALLUP, N.M. (AP) – It may not have pricey waterfront restaurants, couture clothing stores or a lively New York-like nightlife, but the Indian Capital is trendy and authentic nonetheless, according to New Mexico Magazine.

Gallup is one of several travel destinations featured in the November issue of the magazine.

“Somebody from the community actually told me about it," Mayor Jackie McKinney said of the six-page article, complete with a photo spread and informational tidbits about the city. “I think it's a very well-written article that puts a positive spotlight on our city."

Sergio Salvador, a photojournalist for the magazine, traveled to Gallup earlier this year. In the article, Salvador, who grew up in Albuquerque, chronicles his experiences at the historic El Rancho Hotel, the Navajo Nation and Pueblo of Zuni, Tanner's Indian Arts, Earl's Restaurant, Sammy C's Rock N' Sports Pub & Grille, Coal Street Pub, the Richardson Trading Co. and Cash Pawn – and a host of other Gallup locales. Salvador traveled northwestern New Mexico as a kid, having moved from his native San Diego to the Land of Enchantment after his mother accepted a job at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

“In the 30-plus years since then, I've repeatedly made the same mistake – traveling to and from the West Coast and using Gallup as a mere gas stop, taking little notice of the town," Salvador writes. “That all changed recently when I took time to really get to know the place, as a photojournalist and New Mexican."

Being featured in periodicals such as New Mexico Magazine has proven to be a good thing for many businesses and especially for the El Rancho Hotel and Earl's Restaurant, which almost always are featured in articles about tourist attractions and Gallup. And the reason is simple: Both establishments have unique qualities that cater to the tourist trade, particularly the El Rancho, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988.

Anna Dallago, who manages El?Rancho for her 83-year-old father, Armand Ortega, who is pictured in the article, realizes the value of New Mexico Magazine. The El Rancho regularly advertises with the Santa Fe-based publication. But even if she didn't advertise, Dallago noted, the hotel would be spotlighted because it's one of the oldest hotels in New Mexico and was created to provide a refuge for movie stars who were staying in the area for weeks or months during the 1930s, '40s, and '50s making movies – classics which featured the likes of John Wayne, Spencer Tracy, Henry Fonda and Katherine Hepburn.

That appeal – staying in a hotel room that a famous movie star once stayed in – has proven to be a tourist magnet for the El Rancho. Another major selling point for the hotel, Dallago noted, is its Western-themed lobby, complete with Native American artifacts and featured in the article via a double-page spread. One-third of Gallup's population is made up of inhabitants from the Navajo, Zuni and Hopi tribes.

“Somehow he, the photographer, was able to get the whole lobby in the picture," Dallago said.

At a time when motels and hotels everywhere are struggling, Dallago admits that this kind of exposure is good for business. “Everything helps," she joked.

Just down the road a little to the east is another major attraction that gets a lot of play in tourist literature about Gallup – Earl's Restaurant, owned by the Richards family. The attraction there is the relationship the company has maintained over the years with local Native American artisans, said Ralph Richards, 57, a Nebraska transplant and one of the restaurant's owners.

Go into Earl's at any time, day or night, and it's all but guaranteed that patrons will have numerous silversmiths and other craftspeople stop by their tables showing off their wares. They also go to other restaurants in town, but Earl's has become known for its unofficial “partnership" with the Native American craftspeople, Richards explained, as well as its stern monitoring in making sure customers aren't ripped off with cheap imitations. This type of “partnership" not only makes good copy for tourism writers, but it guarantees that when a tourist stops by, there's a good chance that he or she will become a regular customer, Richards said.

Salvador, who resides in Albuquerque, concludes, “Take it from a recent convert: Next time you find yourself on I-40, don't just pull into East Gallup for gas and beef jerky."

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Information from: Gallup Independent, http://www.gallupindependent.com