Covid-19 has helped New Mexico do a number on the local businesses that line the downtown portions of Central Avenue. Nob Hill Albuquerque, preserving some of the original motel inns and neon signs that have lined this road since it was known as Route 66, the most bustling highway in America, has said goodbye to some chefs, jewelry makers, and artists that have made the area their second home for over 30, 40, even 50 years.
In 2016, a bus line known as A.R.T. (Albuquerque Rapid Transit) was signed off by the city council to be built along Central, despite many local protests. This project was an expensive re-design of the entire street which made it extremely difficult to reach the businesses of downtown by car for an extended period of time. The project saw delays, as the electric bus the city had wanted turned out to be over budget. Those two years of lowered traffic compounded with a global pandemic in an impoverished part of town, resulted in a death sentence for many nob hill traditions.
All of that being said, the circumstances have resulted in the addition of some new members to the Nob Hill area, that have reignited the spark of downtown for the younger generation. For example, Pink Rhino: the upscale thrift store designed with bright pop-art style colors, asymmetrical wall art and ballroom-worthy chandeliers. My personal favorite however, is the game center gone coffee shop, Empire Board Game Library.
When this charming business first opened, the walls of the building were stark white. Many buildings in Nob Hill give business to local street artists by allowing them to paint original murals on their blank stucco. So eventually Empire was gifted with a garden of pink and blue daisies and red roses, as the culture of the area would seem to demand. I was there only a week after it had opened, thanks to my friends introducing it to me a few years ago.
It was after a long week in late November, with finals on the horizon. I remember being extremely stressed. I had fallen behind in some work because of trying to balance college applications with my regular class work. Applying for music college starts months earlier than even early decision applications, because of a multi-tiered audition process. It begins with the recording of a video audition as a preliminary, moving up to tests in music theory and aural skills and finally a regimen of traveling to different schools for live auditions in front of a panel. I was overwhelmed with pressure.
To try and help me out, my friends wanted to show me a new place on Central they found. We piled into my 8-seater Toyota, parked on the hill around the south corner, and walked through the front door to hear the silver bell chime against the black doorframe. The founder of Empire toured us through the layout of the building.
Inside, all four walls have floor to ceiling bookshelves. Except instead of books, they’re adorned with boxes of board games. And instead of by the Dewey Decimal System, or alphabetical order, they’re organized by age range, category, level of difficulty, number of players and length of gameplay. On the back wall is a coffee bar. In the display case to the left of the cash register, homemade pastries like large peanut butter chocolate bars, cheesecake, cookies, donuts and coffee cake are a few of the many mouth-watering sweets I can never resist.
Once we were all seated, I ordered a maple bar and a fire and ice espresso shot: “espresso layered on top of vanilla and cream that burns like dragon fire and cools like winter frost!”
My favorite category of board game is strategy and a favorite of mine we played that night is called Splendor. In the game you’re a miner trying to gather the most rare gems before your opponents. Rubies, Sapphires, Emeralds, Diamonds and Onyx are organized in a hierarchy, as you gradually build up wealth. There’s a multitude of ways to approach the game; the long way, trying to accumulate enough wealth to buy the rarest gems at one time, or monopolizing on the less rare to try and scare others into believing you’re ahead of them early in the game, leading them to abandon their strategy and try to catch up. There is a way to strike a balance between these but it isn’t always simple to pull off. The art behind the game is stunning and though it takes a lot of thought, it’s relaxing to play. Before we knew it, we’d played three rounds and two hours had passed.
I didn’t even have to be good at the game. The joy came from getting closer to my friends as I tried to predict their next moves; feeling my stress simmer down as the top layer of my espresso upped my competitive fire, and the vanilla cream bottom layer frosted over and calmed my stress. The smell of the aged wood bookshelves and the sounds of soft music, air pressure on the board game lids releasing, cards being shuffled, fanned and dealt, my best friend’s laughs, the laughs of strangers at surrounding round tables and the texture of the pristine gameplay board, all married together to create an environment that truly felt like home. I had just entered this building for the first time, yet I felt like I’d known the building for years.
After checking out that day I felt mentally refreshed. I went home and immediately got to work on a college essay I’d been putting off. The friends I went to Empire with are the friends from high school I’ve remained closest with in college. Whenever I introduce Splendor or any of our other favorites to new people, I think of them.
In one visit, you can explore the ever changing game stock, purchase games for yourself, stimulate your senses with a fire and ice shot, or relax your palette with a London Fog or Matcha Latte. Whether it’s a date, a late night out with friends, or a Sunday brunch, Empire has always struck a perfect balance between laughable moments, competitive fun, a relaxing environment, good food, skilled baristas, and affordable prices.
I recommend bringing a water bottle if you visit. They only sell bottled water but they do have a water fountain. Whether you need to beat the New Mexico heat by finding an indoor activity after a walk around the plaza, hike in the Jemez, or bike tour around the park, want to find something different for your or your family member’s birthday party, or get up to the “trendy” new businesses of Nob Hill, I’ve never had a bad experience at the Empire Board Game Library.
I’m someone who never wants my knowledge of how people make their way through the world to stagnate. So I’ll keep studying psychology, philosophy, writing, and music, as my outlets to understand them better, and hopefully travel to get my chance to meet them. Then maybe, we might get to change just a little bit of each other’s lives.
