With the cluster that is 2020, I think most of us are looking for ways to find self care without endangering our loved ones or starting a social media war with our friends & family over COVID best practices. On my end, I have been quarantined down in Austin for a few months and decided to *safely* plot a weekend trip out to West Texas for a needed mental break and creative escape.

I would like to note that I did my best to document everything I did, but dropped the ball on some of the super fun things, because I was genuinely enjoying myself. I’ll do my best to cover all the bases, but hey, I think that’s a lesson in having a good time, right?

The Digs: Casa Blanca

After searching through many teeny artist lofts and sketchy shacks, I landed on this charming old house. I can’t say enough good things about this gem. 100 years old and cute as f*ck, Casa Blanca is filled with old art books, a charming front porch, and close to the Marfa main square. Thumbs way up for this house! One thing to note: the house did not have AC, so I would recommend going in the Fall or planning on not sleeping.

I’m all about eye candy, so I loved the assortment of art, books, funky cups, and the fact that it all looked to be assorted in such a quirky way on purpose. I aspire to be someone who can have an accidentally cute cabinet of cluttered teacups someday.

Exploring Marfa, pandemic style.

If you’ve been to Marfa before, you know that it operates on a schedule of its own. It’s very small and many of the stores operate on certain days. I did some research beforehand about what would be open, but even then, figured that it may have scarce offerings.

On the first night, I popped over to Hotel Paisano in the main town square and ate at Jett’s Grill. It’s hard to miss with its iconic, retro sign. My favorite part about the meal was running into a friend from elementary school. It was actually WILD. I kinda love that about West Texas. You drive six hours and run into someone you know when you least expect it.

For breakfast, Marfa Burrito became a quick staple, with classic “super tacos” for an easy $7. At the shop, the walls are adorned with photos of Anthony Bourdain, Matthew McConaughey and other iconic guests in a festive frame wall that suits the space perfectly.

***Highly recommend if you’re hungover***

If you need a good drink or a terrible beer, Lost Horse Saloon is the best spot. It also might be the only spot.

Shopping

I will say there were some super cute stores open in Marfa. I visited The Marfa Store, which had a lot of artsy tees, art books, jewelry, and fun gifts. I genuinely regret not buying any sh*t from there. Marfa Store guy, if you ever read this, I regret not buying things from your store!

Esperanza Vintage is a cute (and tiny) hut of a store on the main drag of Marfa and I found a festive, embroidered top there. I was asked to take a photo in it, so below is some awkward evidence of that shopping venture!

Wrong Marfa is a hip store near Hotel Paisano that has rad art prints, jewelry, cards, and art books that no one can afford. I wanted an art book about mid-century homes, but I needed a sugar daddy to afford it. All of that being said, I felt really cool being there and the shop owner had on glasses that reminded me of Iris Apfel.

I’d say my favorite store was RABA MARFA. It is so finely curated that I wanted to pass out. Real talk though, I could drop some $$$$ in there. They have a solid vintage selection (tees are a bit pricey) and nice lineup of borderline odd perfumes that would make one smell like a badass/rare bitch.

Art!

I wasn’t sure if the Chinati Foundation would be a thing during COVID, but the walking tour was open with masks, which was a happy surprise! If you haven’t done this yet or have it on your list, def do it when in Marfa. It’s one of my favorite things for sure.

***Bring water***

Alpine, Big Bend, Terlingua & Marathon

When you run out of things to do in Marfa, head on out to Alpine, Big Bend, Terlingua, Marathon, and the rest of the small towns for some incredible scenery. I spent a day exploring Big Bend area and Lajitas, which was rad. Highlight of that day was sneaking into an RV park pool. I think going into this trip, I was trying to find as many pool options as possible because I knew it was going to be so hot and I was afraid I might die.

I loved this whole driving trip because many parts of Texas can feel very monotonous, flat, and dull. West Texas feels like an alien planet at times. It’s so cool to see elevation, different plants, and other ways of living that are so unique.

Terlingua is a weird little town with art galleries, funky houses, and structures built into a side of a mountain. I stopped in Terlingua Ghost Town at an art gallery/rock shop and it was such a different physical landscape than anything I’d ever seen before.

On the last night in town, I headed to the Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas. I had read about the hotel and was glad to be able to check it out. It was hands down the best food I had and an overall gorgeous setup. Best part, they let me go check out the pool while we waited for dinner, which I loved. If you get the chance to go, 100% do it!