Santa Fe and the Movie Stars
Laurel & Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Jack Palance, Charlize Theron
When I arrived at the Galisteo Inn, in a secluded spot south of Santa Fe in New Mexico, I just missed Steven Spielberg's film crew, and movie star Tom Berenger. They'd been in the area filming Spielberg's TV series Into the West, and a Lakota Native American village had been built down the road. But the stars and crew had moved on to do some filming in a jail somewhere, taking my chance for movie stardom with them.
Still, if I stayed at the Galisteo Inn for long enough, more movie stars and film crews would be sure to come through. It's been the base for many Hollywood hits, as has the nearby town of Santa Fe and the glorious New Mexico scenery generally. Tom Berenger may have moved on, but Woody Harrelson, Sissy Spacek and Charlize Theron were still in town, making a movie about a Minnesota mining disaster. That's the thing about New Mexico. It's got scenery somewhere that looks like almost anywhere in the United States.
The Galisteo Inn was originally a hacienda, over 300 years old. Today its rooms have been tastefully converted, and we were staying in the large, comfortable Santa Fe room, apparently the favorite of Shirley MacLaine when she stays – she's a friend of the owner. It has a huge high bed, corner fireplace, cowhide rug and log beam ceiling.
All the rooms have wonderful western artifacts, like exquisite Native American headdresses and breast-plates. Some have photos of the stars in the movies made around here, including Silverado and The Young Guns. But my favorite thing was in the lobby: an old wooden confessional from an ancient church that has been turned into the guest phone booth.
We did meet one movie star, though. Jedd Cirigliano works as a waiter at the Galisteo, and had several different parts in Into the West. His horse-riding skills were highly valued, and on his first day he was working with Tom Berenger. Keith Carradine starred in another of his episodes (they filmed three of the six around Santa Fe).
It was far from glamorous, he told me. One day he spent six hours standing in a cold marsh, and wasn't even on camera. Maybe I'll just forget about Hollywood movie stardom, and get Raphael, the barman, to make me a margarita.
To read about Dining at the Galisteo Inn's La Mancha restaurant, click here.
To see the Galisteo Inn homepage click here.
Galisteo Inn, New Mexico: Main entrance
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Galisteo Inn, New Mexico: dining room
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Galisteo Inn, New Mexico: the Santa Fe Room
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Galisteo Inn, New Mexico: guest bedroom decor
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Galisteo Inn, New Mexico: the bar
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