Our Return to Marfa

Last weekend, we went to Marfa to visit Rachel and her new husband Chase.



This is our second visit (you can read about the first back in the July 2006 archives), and we were even more charmed by the place this time than last.

Thanks to a friendly commenter on the first set of Marfa entries, way back when, we flew a nonstop into El Paso and drove from there. That route was infinitely preferable than the Midland/Odessa via Dallas route that we took the first time. Chicagoans thinking of visiting Marfa, take note. The drive is not any shorter, but you'll have mountains to look at the whole way.

A side question here: Who the heck gets the parking places less than half a mile away from the airport transit station in O'Hare's economy parking lot E? We have driven into that lot early, late, and in-between, and we always end up parked way the hell on the outskirts. Just wondering what the secret is...

Anyway, back to Marfa.

We stayed at the Hotel Paisano again.



This time our room was a bit larger than before, but it didn't have the lovely balcony. It was also on the other side of the building, with a view of a tin roof and the dome of the Presidio County Courthouse. The statue of (I'm guessing) Justice that graces the top of the dome watched over our room day and night. Apparently, Justice used to be holding the customary scales, but ages ago some cowboy shot them out of her hands. That's the legend I read on-line, at least.



Here's a photo of the main drag, looking north. It offers perspective on the placement of said statue:



And here is a photo of the main drag, looking in the other direction:



Chase manages the brand new coffeehouse about two blocks south of here. The coffeehouse used to be part of Marfa Book Company, a top-notch bookstore in the heart of this tiny west Texas town. Chase used to work at the coffee bar in the bookstore, until the owners decided to concentrate on books only (well, and on the cool, clean gallery space near the rear of the building). But, what to do with the relatively new and definitely costly espresso makers purchased to equip said coffee bar only a few years ago? Why, partition the building to make a separate coffeehouse and wine bar, and hire Chase to manage it. Voila! Several problems solved. The coffeehouse (which doesn't yet have a formal name) opened the day before we arrived, and it appears to be an instant hit. I think you will agree that it looks quite sophisticated and cosmopolitan:



That is Chase behind the bar, serving Jeff some coffee. And I'm not saying this because of family loyalty: the coffee here is good. Excellent, in fact. If you find yourself in Marfa, be sure to get some. The coffeehouse is between the bookstore and the Marfa Public Radio office.

The space is very inviting, offering options to sit and converse, to read quietly, or to get some work done--an option Rachel availed herself of:



Marfa continues to enchant and amaze us--in the next installment, I'll discuss how several locals described the place to me as "magical," and why I am inclined to believe them. Stay tuned for that, for a discussion of Rachel and Chase's newly bought property, for an account of a couple of amazing thunderstorms (you were wondering, no doubt, about how cloudy Marfa appears in these pictures), and for pictures of the barn dance.

First, though, here is a picture of some local flora--some sotol:



Word has it that sotol is the source of a mildly hallucinogenic liquor...not that I can vouch for that. At least, not yet. Maybe next visit!