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Regular visitors to this region understand what writer D.H. Lawrence meant when he said, "Touch this country and you will never be the same again." Santa Fe, New Mexico -- For flatlanders escaping sizzling temperatures, summer in Santa Fe means enjoying the cool, refreshing mornings and pleasant evenings that come with the city's elevation of 7,199 feet. Welcome to the state capital with the highest elevation. Founded in 1610, this is also the oldest state capital in the United States. Summer is Santa Fe is an afternoon shower that blows in from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to bring a welcome respite from the summer sun as shoppers study the wares of street vendors in the Plaza, the heart of downtown Santa Fe. Native American artists line the sidewalk in front of the Palace of the Governors which dates back to 1610. Custom jewelry and art are displayed on blankets and vendors can describe every detail about their particular craft. Even the most ambitious visitors eventually learn to pace themselves because, if you include the St. Francis Dr./Railyard area and the loop of Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe is home to almost 1,000 unique boutiques and shops. Along with shopping and spicy cuisine, art is another theme woven into the colorful fabric that is Santa Fe and the countless examples of public art are only a hint of what this city has to offer. With more than 250 art galleries to explore, only New York City can boast of more galleries. Santa Fe has earned a reputation as one of the world's great art cities, although the local art scene dates back to humble beginnings in the 1920s when recently relocated painters Josef Bakos, Willard Nash, Will Shuster, Walter Mruk and Fremont Ellis began assembling simple adobe structures along Camino del Monte Sol. Jokingly calling themselves "five nuts in mud huts," all five were influential artists who launched a legacy that contemporary Santa Fe artists continue to expand. read more: http://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publish/article_125013.shtml