Albuquerque Then and Now

Book excerpt: Albuquerque Then and Now matches vintage photographs with contemporary shots, documenting the change from a popular motel stop on Route 66 to a modern hi-tech city specializing in health care. Albuquerque has survived through Spanish, Mexican, and American rule. A thriving tourist industry rode in on the railroad in 1880 and grew with "tin can tourists" passing through on Route 66. The vast majority of roadside motels and auto courts are gone now (Aztec), but some (El Vado) have been repurposed, and a handful (Luna Lodge) struggle on. A building boom in the 1930s and 1940s left the city with many original Art Deco structures, as well as the fantastic Pueblo Deco of the KiMo Theatre. There are also many examples of Mission Revival Style architecture and other historic adobe buildings. Today the city is known for its sophisticated medical care, first established during the tuberculosis epidemic; for its technological facilities, seeded by World War II; and for its cosmopolitan ambience. Plus it provided the locations for the global hit Netflix series, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.