Marfa: West Texas ghost town doubles as desert oasis
There's a fair chance you've never heard of the town of Marfa, Texas, population 2,121, approximately 600 miles west of Houston. But in certain circles, this small town is a big deal. In the 1970s, the artist Donald Judd, best known for his minimalist sculptures, purchased a former military fort in this then-unremarkable tumbleweed town and began transforming the grounds into what is today an art space for permanent and temporary exhibits and a home to a series of artists in residence. Around this compound, now known as the Chinati Foundation, has grown a veritable artistic and otherwise bohemian oasis in the West Texas desert. The Hotel Paisano, built in the 1930s, is Marfa's oldest claim to fame as part of the setting of the movie The Giant, starring Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. Despite its seeming anachronism, it still impresses with its Spanish villa-styled architecture and lush interior - the bar is as hopping as it was during the famous movie's filming and turns out a mean margarita, too. The only other bar recommended by locals was the lounge in Thunderbird Motel. Luckily, we ventured past its imposingly sketchy exterior, an unbroken concrete wall and unlit neon "lounge" sign, to find a surprisingly cool room, its high walls painted dark blue and covered in larger-than-life-sized portraits of Marfa locals. The "Snake Bite" sounded like an intriguing drink, but the bartender at the time was apparently only filling in for a friend and said that he frankly had no idea what was in it. This hang-up was amusing rather than annoying, and seemed to personify this quirky town's laid-back and welcoming spirit.