I’ve been wanting to go to Marfa for a few years now. I never thought that this idea, this desire of going to the middle of nowhere in West Texas would become a reality. But it did. And it took some balls. But I’m pretty set in that department. My imaginary balls are HUGE.

What I wasn’t ready for was the trip to Marfa. I was driving from Austin and Google Maps estimated that the trip lasts a little more than 6 hours (with 0 stops which is impossible). I’ve never driven so much. Puerto Rico is a very small island that probably fits inside a Houston neighborhood. It took me 8 hours to get to Marfa and I was going crazy. By the time I got out of the I-10 and into the road that would take me to Marfa, I was losing my shit and tearing up from desperation. AND I still had an hour left to go. “I just want to get there. I can’t back out. It’s too late for that. Must keep going.”

If there’s any song that would best describe my trip to Marfa it would be “The Order of Death” by Public Image Ltd.

this is what you want, this is what you get

Then I finally saw the sign.

I finally saw the small town. I felt a sense of relief that made me want to cry even more. And I did for a few seconds but I was still driving so I had to focus on getting to my home for the weekend: El Cosmico.

El Cosmico is Marfa’s most popular hotel with a campground concept. The equivalent of a big suite are these beautiful trailers that vary in size, styles and names. But people come for the teepees. I stayed my first night on a safari tent and the next one on a teepee. The safari tent was comfy but the teepee was bigger than I thought. It had its own fireplace. And cowhide rugs. I LOVED it. 

I knew that it was going to be cold but I was “ready”. I wasn’t ready. I remember one of the many people I met on Marfa, I’ll call him the “Landman from Pecos”, asking me if I was ready for the night. I was like “I better be. I can’t do anything about it.” I’m a child of the Caribbean “roughing it out” in 50-something degrees. It was torture but I survived. There are other places to stay in Marfa like El Paisano and Thunderbird but they don’t have outdoor showers or that never ending view of the plains and mountains that surround the small town. The feeling of showering with the sky as your roof was so cool (and cold). Now let’s talk about the food. First place I went to eat was Marfa Burrito. It was supposed to be closed but I stopped anyway. Best decision ever. I asked Ramona if she had anything left. She had chorizo, potatoes and frijoles. I was like “give me a burrito with all of that”. And she did. The biggest, most delicious burrito I’ve ever had. Ramona’s homemade tortilla puts all tortillas to shame in size and flavor. She’s one of the nicest people I met on the trip and I met A LOT of great people.

After that big-ass burrito I rolled on out to get a beer. I started at Padre’s, a honky tonk bar that had live music that night. Country music ain’t my thing and even though I had a dancing partner that included a cowboy hat and a twangy accent, I said “no thanks” and went on to Planet Marfa for the rest of the night. Planet Marfa is the cutest bar/beer garden I’ve ever seen. It has a huge teepee with a fireplace inside it. A short bus where you can chill with your beer. It became my favorite place in Marfa. After a forgotten number of beers, all paid by everyone except me of course, I crossed the street to a magical place called the Museum of Electric Wonders and Late Night Grilled Cheese Parlour. This is one of the coolest spots in Marfa. It’s deliciously weird and Beyonce has visited. I had the cheesiest most foodgasmic grilled cheese sandwich ever. OMG was that thing cheesy. It was the most pleasure I’ve had in days. The next day was just as good with a visit to Boyz 2 Men, a food truck that specializes in some humongous breakfast tacos. Don’t listen to them when they recommend numbers. Order 1 or 2. They recommend 4 which is an absurd quantity for anyone to eat. Conclusion: Everything in Marfa is delicious. One of the reasons why Marfa is popular is due to its art scene. A lot of artists relocate to pursue their careers without the distractions of the hustle and bustle of the city life.   I only managed to go to Chinati Foundation, Marfa Contemporary and Prada Marfa, which is about 37 miles away from Marfa. I wish I had more time to see the rest of the galleries. The Judd Foundation and Ballroom Marfa are some of those places that I really would have loved to visit.  In the thirty-something hours that I spent there, I learned that Marfa is a beautiful small town that serves as an unconventional desert getaway from whatever you’re running away from. A place where you can find yourself, a place to clear your mind or somewhere to go when you need to escape reality for a few days.

So tell me: have you ever been to Marfa? Would you go to Marfa? Tell me below!