AlyssaSince 2013, Jacqueline and I have gazed upon magical photos of teepees standing tall in West Texas. A few days before Thanksgiving, we curiously viewed the reservations page of El Cosmico , saw an opening on the 24th, and packed our bags. Our first true road trip into the west.
After a grueling six hour drive filled with chill wave music and A Day to Remember tracks, we finally drove past Prada Marfa, the now famous art installation installed in the middle of nowhere in 2005. As one would expect, many travelers ventured out of their vehicles to snap a photo in front of the Italian Luxury Fashion House – Texas Edition.
Now came the true moment we had been anticipating – the drive into El Cosmico, a 21 -acre nomadic hotel and campground in Marfa, Texas. As we passed under the Third Eye, I felt an immediate connection to the nature all around me. El Cosmico is not your typical campground. While you can bring your own tent, Jacqueline and I opted for a 22 foot in diameter teepee. Other accommodations include bohemian chic trailers, colorful yurts and safari tents complete with queen sized beds.
I’ve watched many movies about free spirit groups setting up camp in the desert and all the emotions I imagined they felt is true. The Earth came up to meet you and all the eyes you met were smiling. All right, all right, so I’m definitely taking a hippie approach on El Cosmico, but that’s how it felt!
El Cosmico is a community for those who seek a hiatus from society, where walking to communal bathrooms shielded with greenery is the norm. Instead of TVs lining the walls of the community area (where the coffee was located), a fire glistened in the corner. The gift shop featured vintage posters, sage sticks and slightly inappropriate coloring books. My “future home” Pinterest page had a makeover after my stay.
After sipping on the best eggnog latte I’ve ever had in my life at Do Your Thing Coffee, Jacqueline and I made our way to the Chinati Foundation, contemporary art museum based upon the ideas of its founder, Donald Judd. Donald Judd’s name was everywhere! Seriously – WWDJD? My favorite collection at the Chinati foundation was entitled “15 untitled works in concrete”. I easily spent an hour asking Jacqueline to stand against cold concrete walls.
What’s a road trip without food? One dining spot on our list was Food Shark, a deserted school bus transformed into a dining cart. Our favorite meal, however, came from Marpho, a Vietnamese restaurant about a one minute drive from Food Shark. That was the beautiful thing about the desolate yet trendy town, all ETAs were one minute.
Wanderlusters, we urge you to make a trip to Marfa and stay at El Cosmico. You’ll leave with a newfound sense of being and understanding. Did we mention wi-fi is only located in one area?