We did it! Your votes got me in Albuquerque the Magazine!

Remember way back when I kept hounding you for votes for Albuquerque the Magazine’s Best of the City Awards?

After voting closed, I didn’t hear anything regarding results. Not a single word for months. I was starting to think I didn’t make the cut.

Then, with only only days before the big awards party the magazine throws each December, I found out my little tours business would in fact have a spot among this year’s honors.

Thanks to you, Follow Eric Walking Tours earned a spot among the Top 5 awards for Best New Business Idea!

A big congratulations goes to Opera on the Menu on taking the top spot. I’m highly intrigued by this pair of local entrepreneurs who have started offering operatic dinner theater experiences through a combination of intimate live theater and farm-to-table dining.

As for my tours, they will resume in earnest when the regular market season starts up in April/May. Keep an eye on the blog here or make sure you’re following on Instagram and Facebook for the latest updates. I hope to see you on a tour soon.

Thank you for an incredible year. I’m closing out 2023 with a full heart and optimism for the new year.

Hasta pronto!

Eric

Happy Holidays from Follow Eric!

Wherever you are, whatever you’re celebrating, I hope you’re enjoying this holiday season.

However you’re commemorating this season of gratitude, I want to take this time to share my heartfelt thanks for each and every one of you. Whether you’ve been around since 2009 during my off-the-wall Blogathon antics in Oklahoma or you’ve tuned in this year after learning about my free Albuquerque walking tours I kicked off over the summer, I’m grateful for every single one of you who take time out of your day to keep in touch.

Blogging has opened up my world to a whole cast of characters I may not have otherwise met: fellow bloggers, writers, travelers, nomads, peregrinos, tour guides, hostel owners, small business owners, entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, chefs, musicians, photographers, and artists of all kinds. Believe me when I say you all pop into my memories all the time as I sit down to a meal or browse through old photos and videos or share travel stories with friends. I hope you think of me from time to time as well.

To all of you, I wish happiness and health this holiday season.

Hasta pronto!

Eric

What’s next for Follow Eric Walking Tours?

You might be wondering what I have planned for future walking tours. Did you miss the boat on taking a free downtown Albuquerque walking tour or is there still a chance? When might tours return and will they still be free?

Not to fret, Follow Eric Walking Tours will return, and relatively soon.

First, this is all possible only because of the strong support and turnout that exceeded my expectations the past few months. When I started with my first tour in June, I hoped for a good turnout but knew it could just as easily flop. And while there were a few weekends without any guests, I consistently had at least a handful of folks show up for each and every tour.

A huge THANK YOU to each of you who came out for at least one tour this year—and an extra bit of thanks to those who took more than one tour. There were more than a few standouts who spread the word and recruited friends and became ardent ambassadors for keeping walking tours going in Downtown Albuquerque.

And for those of you who didn’t make it to a tour this year, many of you still showed your support through encouraging messages and I’m grateful for each of you.

So when will I see you on a tour? Your first chance is in just a couple of weeks.

The Rail Yards Holiday Market is coming up December 9th and 10th and brings with it another opportunity to explore the iconic steel and concrete structures once home to a team of locomotive repair workers. I’ll be offering at least one free Rail Yards tour on Saturday and on Sunday—maybe more if there’s enough demand.

Interested in a tour during the Holiday Market? Sign up to get more info here.

As for 2024 plans, I’m not quite ready to make those announcements yet but there will likely be some changes—improvements, I hope!—incorporating what I’ve learned from this past year. If you want to stay up to date, take a minute to sign up for future email updates.

And as always, you can follow along on Facebook and Instagram where I share the food I eat and the places I go.

Hasta pronto!

Eric