FREE association with “Albuquerque” used to yield “Bugs Bunny” and “that airport you go through to get to Santa Fe.” But New Mexico’s biggest city has come into its own in recent years. Thanks to tax breaks and great scenery, the TV and film industry is booming: Joss Whedon’s mega-budget “Avengers” wrapped here this summer, and next year, “Breaking Bad” starts shooting its fifth season with Albuquerque as a backdrop. For visitors, the sprawl can seem daunting, but it is tempered by new bike paths. On the main drag, Central Avenue, neon signs from Route 66’s heyday glow over revitalized, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. And along the banks of the Rio Grande, lush farmland provides a quiet oasis, not to mention heirloom beans, corn and more to feed the city’s vibrant organic movement.

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1. MOTHER ROAD

At night, for better or worse, Albuquerque’s revived downtown can be a bleary seven-block bar crawl. By day, though, you can appreciate the ornate buildings financed by the railroad boom, like the exuberant Pueblo Deco style of the KiMo Theater (423 Central Avenue Northwest; 505-768-3522; cabq.gov/kimo), which opened as a movie palace in 1927 and is now the city’s public arts center. Enter through the business office to admire cow skull wall sconces and pueblo drum chandeliers. Another daytime attraction: classic shops like Maisel’s (510 Central Avenue Southwest; 505-242-6526; skip-maisels.com), an emporium of American Indian crafts that’s just the place to pick up a turquoise-and-silver bolo tie. Look for the ’30s murals above the display windows, by artists from surrounding pueblos. Across the street, is the old-timey Man’s Hat Shop (511 Central Avenue Northwest; 505-247-9605; manshatshop.com) stacked to the ceiling with ten-gallons, fedoras and more.