Posted By bbinns on March 16, 2009
On my last day in Marfa, the town is hopping. It’s spring break: people and babies are everywhere in evidence. There’s an exhibit at Marfa Ballroom, the sheriff is grilling out east of town at the stables, then there’s music behind the old bowling lanes, and a wedding has taken over the Hotel Paisano. Plus, […]
Posted By bbinns on March 14, 2009
Borunda’s Bar and Grill is Marfa’s oldest restaurant (opened 1887). Cochineal is Marfa’s newest (opened May ’08). Between these two restaurants and their respective restaurateurs lies a gulf as wide as the Texas sky. Much about the quixotic nature of Marfa may be understood by taking a look at them both. Originally called Tula’s, Borunda’s […]
Posted By bbinns on March 6, 2009
Marfa, 0 miles. Or, not so much right now, because I have truly settled in. After the first 8 days or so were spent studiously avoiding the work, the words suddenly began to flow. If they are, perhaps, not coming trippingly from my fingers, they are at least not falling flat. The weather has been […]
Posted By bbinns on February 26, 2009
Marfa, Texas. 0 miles. In addition to wrapping my chompers around some good grub, I like to wrap my head around the zeitgeist of a community I pass through. Roadfoodie.com reader Mel Green of Los Angeles, who owns a house in Lajitas (this is near Marfa, at least in Texas terms), advised me to watch […]
Posted By bbinns on February 23, 2009
Marfa, Texas. 0 miles. To Drink, in Texas: * Noun, singular: Drank, as in “Could ah git a drank, here, or whuut?” * Noun, plural: Dranks, as in “Me and Merle got a few dranks down to the corner.” * Verb, present: Drank, as in “Ah ain’t gonna drank that – it’s water!” * Verb, […]
Posted By bbinns on February 21, 2009
Marfa, Texas. 0 miles. As I settle in, I’m finding Marfa similar in many ways to my home village of Athens, NY. There’s the complicated relationship between long-time residents and artistic newcomers, (many of the latter are absentee homeowners who’ve innocently driven up property values); the wide-spread desire to encourage more economic activity for the […]
Posted By bbinns on February 19, 2009
2.17.09 Marfa The view out of my side door might not strike everyone as romantic. From my bungalow, I can see a host of wood, stucco, and stone buildings in various states of decay, a paved road that quickly peters out into a dirt road, and lots and lots of wrinkled and antique galvanized metal […]
Posted By bbinns on February 17, 2009
2.15.09. Las Cruces to Marfa, 240 miles. Two states: New Mexico and Texas. Dining alone is something I do quite often. I prefer to dine at the bar, because even if the bartender is too busy or not the friendly type, I feel engaged with another human. I’ve never felt the need to read a […]
