The Third (and one-half) Coast

Due to car issues, Kim and I set off early yesterday to Marfa, Texas to get my car looked at. I dropped it off at a good mechanics and we went exploring. I have concluded that Marfa is a little baby Austin. I do not mean an Austin for babies, but rather that Marfa is a fairly liberal, artsy, and fun city with lots of culture. We started by going to Marfa Book Co. which is a small art gallery/ wine bar/ coffee house/ bookstore that is quite nice. Kim got a few little things and the nice guy at the counter told her how "RENT" was a modern version of "La Boheme" and that was odd if not fun. here's a picture of said bookstore from the outside:

Kim and I then went to the Paisano Hotel which was very swank and had a visitor information center where we found a map of town and some fun things we should do. After lounging in their soft leather chairs and looking out at their beautiful Spanish courtyard with a fountain, we decided to walk (no car yet) across the old train depot yard to another little coffee shop called The Brown Recluse. This place is so close to Austin independent coffee shops it was scary. They roast their own beans, sell used books and rare records, and even have funny cut-outs with staff-drawn talk bubbles ("alms for the pour" was on their tip jar). I will be writing up a "rate it" for Brown Recluse for the Austin Traveler Magazine when I get back to Austin. I guess the secret to a good coffee shop is to have an arachnid-themed name and roast your own beans (see Spider House in Austin). Here are a few good pictures taken at the coffee shop so you can have an idea of what it's like:

After hanging around the coffee shop for a while, we went to Squeeze Marfa, a little sandwhich/ juice/ chocolate place hidden across from the courthouse (Matt will be putting this place in a "Rate It" on the Austin Traveler Magazine site soon). with lots of shade, very nice staff, and sandwhiches that were the best I've had in a while! They had lots of veggie options and no one was left out. If you're ever in Marfa (you should go) then this is where you must have a healthy and tasty lunch. We got a few pictures when the rest of the Magnificent Seven joined us from Ft. Davis. This is the courtyard where we ate because the weather was just so nice and breezy:

The group split again a little before 2pm and Matt, Robin, Kim and I went to the main gallery about a mile or so from downtown while Julie, Katie, and Tiff went exploring around Marfa. The galleries were about 50% great and 50% crap, so it was better than most modern art exhibits. The were some great Dan Flavin works and many others. The galleries need their own post so perhaps this evening I will write about the galleries before Julie and I go on our night dive in the spring. Suffice to say we got dozens of great pictures from the galleries and Matt, Robin, and I need to make a band because the shots we took are so money as cover art. We will call ourselves "The Checkered Demon Leisure Institute" so you should buy our album (if we ever make any music):

Head out on the highway, leave the world behind..