Start at 2nd St. and Silver Ave. At the time of this writing (2014) plans for the northwest corner are underway for the construction of the Imperial Building, a mixed-use development with a 12,000-square-foot grocery store, which has downtown residents giddy with anticipation.

       Walk south one block to find Zachary Castle. In 1976 Gertrude Zachary opened a jewelry manufacturing operation on 2nd St. and soon came to be regarded as one of Albuquerque’s most dynamic, if somewhat eccentric, business leaders. In 2006 construction began on her dream house, a Paris-inspired estate abutting an overpass just off Skid Row. The estimated cost: $2–$4 million. Zachary shared her estate with a Shih Tzu named Zipper until her death in 2013. The private compound includes a pool, a courtyard garden, and an 8,500-square-foot main house with four turrets, each rising 50 feet. A separate tower stands directly in front of a billboard that advertises her wares. Gertrude Zachary’s Castle Antiques, a quirky 12,000-foot showroom of American and European antiques, is directly south of the compound.

       Turn right on Lead Ave. and walk one block west. Reverend Nathaniel Gale, Albuquerque’s first Methodist pastor, arrived from Silver City in 1879 and began holding services in a newly built adobe church on this site in 1880. His congregation outgrew the church by 1904, prompting the construction of a bigger one, which stands on the southwest corner of Lead Ave. and 3rd St. Dedicated in January 1905 the Gothic edifice is constructed of cast stone and concrete blocks. Its 24 stained glass windows show a mastery of the technique of Louis Tiffany, founder of the American stained glass style. This church building is listed as Fellowship Hall on the National Register of Historic Places. A newer, much bigger brick church stands on the corner ahead, indicating the congregation has continued to grow.

       Turn left on 4th St., which overlaps historical alignments of Highway 85, Route 66, and El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (the Spanish Colonial “Royal Road” between Santa Fe and Chihuahua). Coal Ave. ahead designates the northern boundary of Barelas. A welcoming mosaic illustrates historic buildings in the neighborhood. Another block south, the Coronado School stands on the right. The Territorial-style structure was designed by Louis Hesselden in 1936 and completed in 1937 as a Public Works Administration project. It was an elementary school from 1937 to 1975. After 20 years of administrative use, it reopened as an elementary school in 2009.The Barelas–South Fourth Street Historic District begins at the next street ahead (Stover) and extends about eight blocks to Bridge Blvd. The corridor is characterized by vernacular interpretations of popular architectural styles. Along the way you’ll find remnants of its eras—farming, railroad, and Route 66. Its decades of economic decline are still fairly evident, as are its recent years of recovery.On the southeast corner at Hazeldine Ave. is the Our Lady of Kazan Monastery. Its makeshift onion dome and Eastern Orthodox iconographic murals make it easy to spot. The local monastic community of Our Lady of Kazan began as a skete in the late 1970s. Initially established by Father Symeon Carmona, the skete has since grown into a small parish of about 30 converts. They observe Slavonic traditions but remain an independent Eastern Orthodox entity. Services are conducted in English, Slavonic, Greek, French, and Spanish. They also offer counseling services and iconography classes.Similar iconography appears across the street on B. Ruppe Drugs, which opened here in 1964. Charles Bernard Ruppe opened his first drugstore in Old Town in 1883. The enterprise has evolved from a full-service pharmacy to a vendor of traditional Mexican remedios. The manager and master curandera (traditional healer) offers herbal consultations and gorgeous handmade rosaries.However, one thing about Barelas will never change: The food is always phenomenal. Start with Juanita’s Comida Mexicana. Slightly bigger than a taco stand, this family-run eatery serves up some fine home cooking. Catch a whiff of barbacoa and you’ll know what to order before stepping through the door. Next, head down to Red Ball Café. Predating the original Route 66 by four years, this neighborhood hamburger stand was born in 1922, died in 1979, and was resurrected in 1998. The Red Ball Burger is arguably the best burger in town, but limit yourself to a slider-sized Wimpy Burger. There’s lots more eating ahead.Just past the X-shaped intersection of 4th St. and Barelas St. are a couple of unassuming noncommercial gallery spaces that operate sporadically. If you’re lucky you’ll find something artistic, musical, literary, or just wonderfully weird going on at either the Small Engine or TANNEX galleries.Back to the food: The Barelas Coffee House menu touts Barelas as “Land of Mi Chante,” chante being New Mexican slang derived from “shanty” as an endearing term for home. Aside from