Meet me in Marfa
Prada Marfa is a 15 years old permanent art installation in the middle of nowhere, Texas. It’s been on my wish list for at least 10, but my travels haven’t brought me to West Texas in closer to 20 years. I have a thing for quirky and cool hotels. I’ve wanted to stay at Hotel San Jose on South Congress for quite sometime, and when I learned that their parent company opened a boutique RV park in Marfa with yurts and teepees, I knew I needed to find my way west ASAP.
Last summer’s Helping Hands tour was supposed to include a Marfa stop, but COVID quarantines prohibited me from making the trek. When I started this crazy adventure, I knew I wanted my first house sit to be somewhere out west. It’s weird to think COVID brought me to a Yurt and a Teepee in 30 days- but it’s a crazy world we live in, right?
Prada Marfa is technically in Valentine, an extra 30 miles west of the quirky little art town. I headed west at dark:30 so I could still be reachable for my new job. I’m so glad I did, the view was incredible. Wildflowers, mountains, desert, sunrise and blue skies, and a great audiobook… it was a great day before I even arrived. I pulled up to the installation at lunchtime and there were about a dozen cars with people all trying to take their artsy photos of the space. There was an elderly lady in a neon yellow bikini on a 55 degree day, a bachelor party in head to toe cammo, lots of mother/daughter duos (one great one in particular), and me! We all took turns taking photos and helped each other out. Sweet Kristina and Blanca were the highlight of my day. They were having a ball with their photo shoot and were kind enough to include me. Blanca was very specific on her creative direction, we all dissolved into a fit of giggles as she pushed and pulled me wherever she wanted. I went back for sunset and happened upon the producer of the exhibit showing it to a friend. I snapped her photo and she told us about the process of getting it off the ground and the evolution of the product. It was the perfect way to come see this cultural icon. I know it’s just a stupid fake store in the middle of nowhere- but the weirdness of it is enough to make anyone stop and check it out. If you check the location tag, you’ll see that everyone channels their inner runway model to mixed results. Gray Malin’s collection and this Slow Fuse print I got for Christmas are some of my favorites. The last photo in the gallery is me trying to get one around some faux-high fashion photography and it makes me laugh so hard.
I stopped for a quick lunch at The Water Stop which is next to a beyond adorable vintage store called The B Side. You cant beat the vibe on either, and the food was excellent! Then I drove around town exploring the cute shops and murals. Due to COVID, a lot of shops have permanently closed and many more are keeping really limited hours. Also something to note is that pretty much everything closes at 6 PM in Marfa. Seriously, plan to eat dinner by 6:30 or you’re picking up Dairy Queen.
Checking into El Cosmico, I felt the biggest rush of anticipation. I was sleeping in a teepee in the desert and nothing was going to dull that shine. Until I was crushing spiders with my flip flops, peeing by cell phone light in some very scary bathrooms with big gaps in the walls you could make eye contact with people through, and listening to the wild animals howl. The vibe of the property is awesome, the grounds are beautiful, I would definitely make a stop. Especially when they reopen the restaurant, bar and bring live music back. It feels like what Woodstock would have wanted to be and you should go… but maybe look at the teepees and book a vintage camper with it’s own bathroom- it’s only $20 more a night ;) They have dutch tubs if you feel like floating, hammocks if you feel like hanging, and some serious swag.
Marfa is adorable and weird, totally worth a field trip. I couldn’t be out of cell range long enough to hit Big Bend State Park, but the light preserve guarantees the best view of the stars in the state. Pay close attention to the gas signs because it gets a little limited out there. You’re also really close to the border, so don’t be alarmed by the border patrol vehicles. I actually had to do a border check going to Las Cruces. I only looked at house sits in New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado to kick things off just so I could hit Marfa. I don’t know if that’s nuts, but it worked, and I’m a happy girl.
