I traveled on business to ABQ 4+ times a year for 5 years or so. Can't believe >750k people live in that city. Consistently one of the worst crime-ridden cities in America. Brutally hot in the summer and very, very dry. If you like brown desert landscapes, have at it - I don't. One person I worked with in ABQ asked me early on if my car had been broken into and I said, 'No'. She said, 'Then you really haven't been in ABQ very long.' Surprisingly, I didn't find many good Mexican restaurants even after multiple referrals from locals. I eventually ended up eating at chain restaurants most of the time rather than locally owned ones.
Went up to Sante Fe a couple of times - thought it was wildly overrated. Many ABQ folks told me how beautiful and quaint, etc. it was. It's pretty, way up in the mountains. But, I've been in 15 similar towns in Colorado that are just as beautiful, just as quaint, just as amazing scenery. I guess for New Mexico it's unusual and stunning. It's very average compared to Steamboat, Breck, Vail, Aspen, et al.
At one point, my company floated the possibility of relocating me to ABQ to open a branch office, pay raise, etc. I quickly nixxed that thought. I had no intention of living there and the Denver area has a ton of problems (which is why I moved away last year) but it's miles ahead of Albuquerque, imo.