Agree with Tonchi and splitting my sides laughing at the image of a Swiss customs inspector faced with an explosive bag of green chili's! Your friend must send them overnight delivery, F.F. One of the things I love about fall in the southwest is all the places roasting green chili's in these big metal hoppers over an open flame. The smell of roasting green chili's is incredible! You are FORCED to hit the nearest Mexican restaurant or buy a batch of fresh roasted chili's of your own and go home and make chili relleno's. My info on Alb. is hopelessly out of date, but I did drive thru there last spring in the middle of a giganto wind storm which had kicked up so much dust from all the new construction going on that they had to close I-25 for a while. I didn't recognize the town anymore for more reasons than one.
Back in the day, I'd have advised you to live in Old Town. Anymore, I don't know. I hear Corrales has become VERY upscale.
Never flown into Alb., but I used to drive down often from Durango, Colorado. WARNING: Do not drive at night across the Navajo Rez on a weekend unless you would like to leave this life courtesy of a Navajo who has had a few too many. Watch out for vinergaroons in your shoes and be prepared for all the folks who think you have moved to a foreign country. A subscription to New Mexico Magazine might help you figure out what to expect.
Oh, and the road always go to hell when you cross over from Colorado to New Mexico, and remember the slogan "Land of the flea, home of the plague," and learn some Espanola jokes and you should fit right in!
