Santa Feans did not find much to admire about one New York writer's snarky travelogue about her recent, and short, visit to our city.

The commentary by the New York Post's "gossip queen" Cindy Adams describes the local "handiwork" as "terrific" but high-priced ("You can either buy a sculpture in New Mexico or a house in New York."), the women as "chunky," the preferred style as "fringed suede" for "gents" and "denim with appliqué" for "ladies" and the "citizens" so lacking in stimulation that getting their cars dented gives them "something to talk about."

The column ("Northeast to South rest") has been passed around on Facebook since it was published last week.

Although Adams, in her attempts at humor, joked about the city's isolation, its love of the organic and its idea of fun ("12-hour hikes and nice little day trips such as climbing a 10,000 foot mountain peak"), these are the kinds of things that draw many people to Santa Fe.

Irene Herrera, a native New Yorker, moved here only two years ago and vows to never go back.

"I just love the wide-open spaces," Herrera said. "In Santa Fe we value our land. You look up at the sky and see the stars at night. I've never seen more people riding bikes and walking. I don't see any more chunky women (in Santa Fe) than I do anywhere else."

Many people pointed out errors in the column that might go beyond literary license. For example, Adams describes the trip from the Albuquerque airport as a "55-mile drive through sagebrush, casinos, Indian reservations, hashaterias called El Burrito, billboards advertising tacos and signs that say 'Las Vegas: 80 miles.' " But there are no billboards advertising tacos on that 65-mile drive from Albuquerque, not to mention an establishment called El Burrito.

"This is mean-spirited," said Jennifer Wetovsky, shaking her head in disbelief.

Others, including fans of the award-winning Bobcat Bite, chided Adams for her statement that the nearest place to find a "homespun" meal like a hamburger would be Newark (presumably New Jersey).

The Bite gets so many tourists that during the summer they sit elbow-to-elbow at the counter just to be able to eat one of their cast-iron-cooked chuck-sirloin burgers.

Manager Bonnie Eckre said, "Santa Fe is very lucky to have as many wonderful restaurants as it does. It offers such a diversity and everybody puts a lot of effort into their food. My kids, for one, live in Utah and they can't wait to come to Santa Fe because of all the great eating places."

A few women working out at Fort Marcy Complex on Friday afternoon noted that Adams misspelled Tamalewood as "Tamaliwood" and underestimated the population. The latest Census Bureau figures show the city has well above 70,000 residents, not the 60,000 in Adams' story.

But the declaration that, "The women are chunky," was the lowest blow for some.

"She contradicts herself," Wetovsky said pointing to the part of the story where Adams says that Santa Fe is "wonderful. It's glorious. It's healthy. They're into organic everything ..."

A svelte Cindy Coulter, an actress and local Zumba instructor, said that Adams, who packed designer threads for her trip but wore the same pair of jeans and sweat shirt for days, comes from a different world.

"Our culture is being judged by a false set of morals," Coulter said. "Obviously the big difference is we focus on what really matters in terms of people's livelihoods. We're not focused on plastic concepts. We're not focused on what car we drive or whether we're wearing designer jeans. We're focused on health and energy and finding our joy each day."

"We have such a dynamic and complex culture," added Terra Pressler, noting that the author should not have tried to reduce her experience to something so simple.

Contact Ana Maria Trujillo at 986-3084 or atrujillo@sfnewmexican.com.

Note: This article published originally on Nov. 5, 2010. It is being republished for those who missed it during the weekend.