Editor's Note: Bumped to the front because EPHokie did a great job putting this guide together. If you're making the trip to El Paso and have questions, she might be able to answer them in the comments.
Safety
Safety first, kids. Don't go to Juarez. Just don't. I don't care what you've heard - NO. Also, visiting Lower Valley (far East side) isn't a great idea, nor is driving Paisano after dark.
El Paso is located in the high desert - the elevation here is 4000+ feet above sea level. For those of you who live at or near sea level, it's not going to be fun when combined with the low humidity. Drink a LOT of water. Really. Bring a refillable bottle of water and keep it topped off all day, every day. Also not fun at this elevation is the sun - if it's at all sunny, please wear sunscreen. You will burn much faster here. Finally, the lip balm of your choosing (I'm a Burt's girl, myself) will be greatly beneficial. (Also, if you're prone to nosebleeds or are sensitive to low humidity, consider asking your hotel for a humidifier to put in your room. It'll make life so much nicer.)
El Paso 101
El Paso is a city shaped by geography both natural and artificial. We're stuck smack dab in the middle of the mountains and framed between the borders with New Mexico and Mexico on the west/north and south, respectively. Add in all the land owned by Fort Bliss, and you've got one very weirdly shaped city. The mountains pinch down on Central, diving the city into East side and West side (I live on West side, and this whole guide will have a West side bias. Sorry not sorry, I hate East side.) Then, Fort Bliss separates Northeast from East side. As East side is the only side unrestricted by geography, most of the urban sprawl happens over there.
El Paso is the 19th largest city in the US, and the population is 80% Hispanic.
Weather
There is a 99% chance the temperature at kickoff will be somewhere between 30 and 70 F. There is a ton of variability in the weather here, even within a single day. Bring layers.
There are a lot of elevation changes throughout El Paso, which means the temperature throughout the city won't be the same. (Example: It's usually 5-10 degrees colder at my apartment than it is on campus.)
If there's a front rolling through, expect a LOT of wind. Like, Blacksburg-level winds. But add dust. If the winds get too high, you may get to experience the fun that is a dust storm! (Though those are usually saved for the spring. Usually.)
Transportation
You will need a car - this is not a walking city, the buses are terrible, and the cabs are a rip-off (Cab to the airport from my apartment: 30 minutes late and 50+ dollars). However, the drivers here are horrifically bad. The worst I've ever experienced in terms of sheer stupidity (and I've driven in NOVA, Jersey, and NYC). So if you're getting a rental, you might wanna think really hard about getting their insurance policy, especially if you dont have cat-like reflexes. Because you will need them.
As it will be New Year's, I've got to warn you - El Paso has a drunk driving problem. Please, please, please be careful if you're driving on New Year's Eve. And if you're driving and you'll be drinking, remember that AAA usually will do free rides/tows home/to your hotel on New Year's. Put the number in your phone!
Also, texting or talking on your cell phone while driving in El Paso is illegal. There are itty-bitty little signs about it when you drive into the city, so... most people don't know this. The cops will still pull you over and ticket you for it, though. Jerks.
Where to Stay
I know the football teams will be staying at the airport hotels, but I honestly wouldn't recommend it. East side is a nightmare - the roads are terrible, the drivers are terrible, and it's pretty much the definition of urban sprawl. (I will again admit to a West side bias, here. But really, I hate having to go over to East side.) Plus, it will take 25-30 minutes, or possibly more, to get to campus from the area. Not only is West side more convenient, it's also nicer and more compact. On the West side, most everything is easily accessible from Mesa Street, while driving on East side is way more confusing (on that note - bring something that's got GPS-based directions capability. It's confusing out here). There's a hotel thats basically right on campus, but it's a bit of a rip-off. Personally, I'd go with one of the cluster of hotels on Remcon Circle. They're all pretty decent, good prices, convenient to Mesa Street and I-10, and only 10-15 minutes from campus.
Food
Mexican/Tex-Mex
Personally, I like El Taco Tote (a chain that started in Juarez) for "fast food" (depending on if theres a rush or not, they can actually be kinda slow). I highly recommend the barbacoa. They have a salsa bar and loads of fresh toppings. This isn't your mom's Mexican - no cheese, yes radishes and pickled onions. They've got a ton of locations all across the city.
Barrigas is a great sit down place. Their margs are pretty good, and I always get the white chicken enchiladas, though I've heard the albondigas (meatballs) are pretty tasty.
Valentine's Bakery is the place to get authentic Mexican pastries (so authentic you might have trouble communicating if you don't speak any Spanish. Pointing usually works, though) and super cheap lunches. Again, go with the barbacoa, or try a torta (damn, now I want a torta). Go grab some lunch and pick up some pastries for breakfast the next day.
Chico's Tacos - I have never been, mostly because I think the only thing worth driving over to East side for is the airport. However, word from the locals is: it's drunk/frat boy food. Not actually good, just something to eat when you're feeling really lazy.
BBQ
I know there's some Key Players who are big on the BBQ (some, ha!). There's two places in El Paso I like for (admittedly Texas-style) BBQ.
State Line - Literally on the state line between Texas and New Mexico. Half of the building is in each state. The New Mexico side is actually a liquor store, since NM has less draconian liquor laws than Texas. IIRC, you're allowed to go buy yourself beers and whatnot from the store and drink them in the restaurant, but I get the margs there - you can get a "full shaker marg" - approximately 3 drinks for the price of 2 or so, IIRC. It's a sit down place, and wickedly popular, but I don't recall if they take reservations or not. However, El Paso folks eat early, so if you don't mind staying up, places clear out pretty fast after 8 or so. Get one of the combo plates, you know you'll want to try everything.
Rudy's is... special. But the food is really, really worth it. The restaurants are half restaurant, half gas station. There are no plates. And you buy your meat by the pound. However, it is amazingly tender, moist, and overall excellent. You can choose between the sissy "sause" and the regular Rudy's "sause." Try a taste first (I am admittedly a spiciness wimp, but I still find the sissy sause to be fairly intense). If you love it, you can buy a whole bottle to take home with you - and they sell their rubs, too. Love their rubs. Personally, I'm a huge fan of their turkey and the regular sausages (they have jalapeno sausages, too). I also like the creamed corn, and they have a good beer selection. Grab a Shiner (or whatever pleases you, but when in Texas...) out of the tub of ice while you're waiting in line, and they'll crack it open for you once you've bought everything.
Everything else
I know this is a little weird, what with 80% of the city being Hispanic, but Japanese Crepe House on the West side is amazeballs. If you happen to go in the evening, you're bound to meet the owner, who is super sweet and loves to talk to his customers. I always go for the authentic Japanese entrees and a dessert crepe, but be warned go on a REALLY empty stomach if youre going to do that. So. Much. Food.
Singapore Cafe, on Mesa Street down near campus, is a great little cheap Asian place.
Tara Thai, which is kind of hidden by the Rib Hut, is pretty great Thai food for the area, but it's a little pricier. They also no longer have a bar, just beer and wine. However, it is pretty much right next to the Cincinnati district - which is kind of bar central for West-Central El Paso. Parking in the area is a nightmare if you don't feel like paying for the garage, so be warned (though TT has a few dedicated spots for their customers).
In terms of bars, however, I like the Hoppy Monk. It's a little further from campus, but they have 70 beers on tap, and even more bottled. They also have pretty good food. Try the burger sliders sampler and get a basket of fries. If you're wanting to watch any games on the local channels, though, this is not the place. They didn't bother to pay for them with their satellite TV.
Toro Burger is to die for, but they no longer have a location on the West side. Theres one right by the airport, though, so if you're staying over there, or if you're hungry when you get in, drop by.
If you're looking for a local alternative to Starbucks, try out Kinley's House. Their food menu is small, but adequate, but their drink menu is massive and well priced. I love the matcha lattes. Parking here can be a pain, but they give a discount to the drive-through customers as an incentive to not park in their lot.
Coronado Prime Meats is a butcher shop, but they also sell chile verde and BBQ, as burritos and by the pound.
Lastly, if you've got a bit of a sweet tooth, try International Bakery. They're in the same shopping strip as CPM. Their cakes can be hit or miss, but the frosting is always good and the other pastries... just yum. Try the railroad tracks (IIRC thats what theyre called) - in fact, I might be nomming on one of those right now.
The Campus, the Stadium, and Tailgating
So while the campus isn't Hokie Stone levels of beauty, it's still pretty and unique. The buildings are all based on Bhutanese architecture, so it's worth a stroll through. Sun Bowl Stadium is nestled into the mountains (Cops will literally sit on top of them and watch for people behaving badly. Someone mentioned civvies watching from up there, too - I'm not sure its permitted anymore.) and is massive compared to the population's interest in UTEP football (Possibly because they're terrible? Naw, that can't be it...).
They picked a brilliant time to begin a construction project on Sun Bowl Drive (right at the beginning of the semester, awwwwww yeah!) and it's still ongoing. When they first started it up, the traffic was awful. Of course, as I said, that was right at the beginning of the semester, so there was a lot more traffic then. I would expect it to be a problem again for the game. It will probably also affect the tailgating situation, since it's caused several parking lots in the area to be closed. I'm not 100% on this (tailgating isn't really a huge thing here - see former snarky comments about UTEP football and people's interest).
However, if you don't feel like grilling out in the parking lots, Cincinnati district (Bars! Food!) is just off campus and is definitely walking distance to the stadium. (Well, I would imagine it's no farther than, say, the Litton Reaves lots to Lane. Probably shorter. I haven't actually walked it before, but I know people do.)
Attractions and Side Trips
There's not a ton to do in the city, but there are a few things. If you're into hiking, check out the Franklin Mountains State Park - specifically the Tom Mays unit. Like climbing/bouldering? Drive out of town to Hueco Tanks. (If you're really into climbing, you've probably heard of it before.) And if you like nature, but not necessarily hiking, check out the Wyler Aerial Tramway. You can ride up and walk down, or ride round-trip. Check the hours before you try to go! They're a little weird.
The other thing in town that I think is cool is the War Eagles Air Museum. Take a student ID and get in half-price to see all sorts of still-operational historic WWII & Korean War planes, plus a badass historic car collection. There's also a decent zoo in town, for those of you who might be bringing kids along.
If you're going to be sticking around for a couple of days and making a vacation out of it, you're definitely not going to want to stay in El Paso the whole time. Las Cruces and White Sands/Alamogordo/Cloudcroft/Ruidoso are both doable as day trips, and while I would highly recommend an overnight at Carlsbad Caverns, it would also be doable as a day trip. Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos are all within driving distance, but are not really day trip material.
Las Cruces - Take a drive up 28 to Mesilla and Las Cruces. It's a really cute little road that runs parallel to I-10, and there's all sorts of farms, wineries, shops, and historic sites in the area. I'm a fan of La Vina Winery, St. Clair Winery, and Luna Rossa Winery. Drop by Mesilla Plaza - it's a national historic landmark.
White Sands - Visit the national park, where you can go sledding down the sand dunes. Or, go to the White Sands Missile Range Museum (not in the same location! Be aware!). Also in the area are the New Mexico Museum of Space History (complete with IMAX) and the National Solar Observatory on Sacramento Peak.
Carlsbad Caverns - I. Love. Carlsbad. Seriously, I've been twice and I want to go back again. Its SO cool. I would definitely recommend a 2-day, 1-night trip out there (the town of Carlsbad is just off the parkland, with loads of hotels and restaurants. Theres also an itty-bitty town (White's City) just at the park entrance, but there's just a few overpriced restaurants and a gas station there.) I would highly recommend doing the self-guided tours and adding on a few ranger-guided ones, as well. (They're quite reasonably priced and go to areas of the caves that aren't open to the general public.) You can reserve tickets for these tours ahead of time (there's only a limited number of spots available on each tour), but December/January isn't exactly peak season, so while I would recommend it, it's probably not necessary. If you do go, make sure to take a light jacket or a sweatshirt - it's chilly down there. I would begin your trip by hiking down the Natural Entrance - it's really cool to watch as all the formations begin to sprout up the deeper you go. Everyone's going to be doing the Big Room walk, and it can take a while (they don't call it the Big Room for nothing!). For the ranger-guided tours, the King's Palace and Left Hand Tunnel tours are the most accessible and least strenuous. The Left Hand Tunnel tour is cool because it's all done by candlelight. I really liked the Lower Cave tour, though. There's less pretty formations during that tour, and more focus on history and sustainability. It also requires a little more athleticism to get into and out of the Lower Cave, though once you're down there, it's pretty easy. There are a few more tours that are definitely more a caving experience, but I haven't done them. You'll want to check times, days, and availability for all tours before going. (As a note, if you've been to any caves back east, there is some serious concern about white-nose syndrome affecting the bats. Anything you might have worn into caves back east could potentially contaminate the caves here, so think carefully about your wardrobe.)
If you've made it this far, congratulations! Or if you TLDRed and skipped to the bottom, HAI! Enjoy El Paso, cause I sure as shit won't be here during the Sun Bowl. Wave to me on the TV!
Comments
Stupid thing ate my formatting, so please excuse any missing punctuation or apostrophes.
Excellent write up EP.
So what you're saying is head to Juarez. Just for Funsies? :D
Thanks for the write up.
I know you're teasing, but Juarez is a seriously scary place...
Ok, so the scariest environment imaginable. Thanks, that's all you gotta say. Scariest environment imaginable.
This was absolutely amazing. Thank you for writing it!
Awwww, thanks joe!
Well, sure, if you're looking for USEFUL information conveyed in a humorous manner for a city people might actually be going to. Where's the fun in that?
I must be 25% through with my lunch, in this pic.
As a Hokie that lived in the area in Roswell NM for a couple years (actually in Baton Rouge now), I second the Carlsbad Caverns trip. I went twice while living there and its a phenomenal experience if you're in to that sort of thing. You can also hit up the Living Desert State Park in the town of Carlsbad, which is sort of a more natural zoo. The White Sands Monument and Park is also fun for a day trip. If you like hiking I would suggest Guadalupe Mountains National Park, which has the highest peak in Texas at 8000 feet.
Cloudcroft is a cool day trip town that is set up sort of Old West meets Ski Resort. Ruidoso has a very large Native American Casino, horse-track, and the southernmost ski resort in the Northern Hemisphere (Ski Apache). And unless you're really really REALLY into UFOs I would not recommend a trip to Roswell. The UFO museum is a bunch of pictures and blocks of text stuck to corkboard that hasn't been updated since the mid 90s and some bad plastic alien props covered in dust. The town itself is really just dust and sadness in general.
And the great irony of this bowl game is that I was living just outside of New Orleans and moved to Roswell right before the the 2011 season where we ended up in the Sugar Bowl. Then, I moved back to southern Louisiana right before this season started and we end up in the Sun Bowl. They keep putting Texas between me and my Hokies, dammit!
That is awful and I'm so sorry.
I ended up driving back for the Sugar Bowl and going with friends. No more driving across Texas for me ever again.
I'd have to agree. Driving in Texas is probably one of the worst things imaginable. Not only are the drivers the worst in the country, but if you leave the cities there is literally nothing of note for hundreds of miles.
You clearly have't been around DC in either the District, NoVA, or MD and experienced Maryland drivers
Ha... ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Yeah, no. I'm pretty sure they make Texas drivers eat a bucket full of lead paint chips before they issue driver's licenses.
I'm pretty sure they just feed them that as kids. Apparently it "builds character"
It was always a running joke in New Mexico that if a car came barreling down on you on a long stretch of road, tailgated you for no reason for several miles, and then blew your doors off when passing you, it was guaranteed to be a Texan on their way to Ruidoso.
Maryland drivers are the worst. Slowing down for no reason, swerving into lanes randomly, and all of that is just when it gets cloudy. God help you if it's actually raining or something. These people panic for no reason. My daily commute between Silver Spring and Baltimore is always an adventure (not to mention occasional adventures into DC).
There is a town called Blacksburg, they can usually be found there 6 times a year
Please move to wherever the NC game will be next year - thanks in advance.
I think its in Arlington Texas. So now Texas won't seperate you from your Hokies, you can just wait for them there.
I know that Juarez is a scary place, but the coke is totally worth it. It comes in glass bottles and is made with real sugar as opposed to high fructose corn syrup.
A) They import it into the shops here
B) They've announced they're not going to make it with sugar cane anymore... not sure starting when, but it was a BIG. DEAL. here.
Mexico just passed the U.S. as the most obese country. Replacing the sugar in Mexican coke with high fructose corn syrup is them making sure we don't get that title back anytime soon.
there's really not that much difference between HFCS and 'regular' sugar aka sucrose. We're talking 55% fructose + 45% glucose in HFCS while regular sugar (sucrose) is comprised of 50% fructose and 50% glucose.
Sucrose is bonded (that is the glucose and fructose are bound together) and the glucose and fructose in HFCS are free. Also, the impurities will be different, which really determine the flavor. Think how different maple syrup, honey, and agave syrup all taste. Pure glucose (most common sugar in biology), tastes absolutely disgusting.
Health wise, both will lead to diabetes.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I read that sentence COMPLETELY wrong the 1st time.
It's 1:44 AM. Don't judge me.
Eight ball the tiger thinks the coke in Juarez is totally worth it.
I also thought he was making a joke.
I am not ashamed to admit that I did that on purpose.
Well played, Griffer.
I would hope so, I thought it was funny. Reminds me of this one: "I tried snorting coke once, but the ice cubes got stuck in my nose"
I read it the exact same way and didn't pick up on the lack of irony till the end.
When you first said "Coke is definitely worth it" I thought something else...
Thanks for taking the time to write this, this is awesome! I have some extended family in Juarez/El Paso and for Mexican food, they also recommend Anadale and La Terraza (in addition to Taco Tote and Barrigas).
As a fiercely proud Carlsbad native, I was very happy to see you've enjoyed your visits there. If anyone is interested in making an overnight trip, it is a good idea to book your hotel pretty early. The oilfield (which constitutes roughly 95% of the Southeastern New Mexico/Southwestern Texas economy) requires a lot of work-related travel and hotels fill up surprisingly fast and theyre kind of pricey. Another thing you might want to look into is the Christmas on the Pecos tours (I believe the last one is the 31st). All the residents who live along the river decorate their back yards with Christmas lights/decorations and you can take a boat trip down the river and look at them. I used to drive the boats for this when I was home on break, and there is one house that is owned by Hokies and always has a giant VT logo made out of Christmas lights, and it is sweet.
Looking forward to seeing any fellow Hokies at the game!
Christmas on the Pecos is definitely one of the cooler things in the area.
Definitely go try Rudy's. Fantastic barbeque. I got to try it while my brother was stationed at Laughlin Air Force Base for Flight School. Great experience.
Sugar Cane coke was also a treat. Try it if you get the chance.
I live in a pretty heavy Hispanic area of NC and we get all kinds of crazy Mexican sodas. They're great, so treat yourself.
Also, Sam Rogers vacations in Juarez.
When you're questioning whether or not to get that sugar cane loaded fruit flavor you never heard of Mexican soda in El Paso, remember to Treat yo self!
i feel like i actually know el paso now, thank you so much great job
Ironic that if my husband got the job he thought he was going to get, we would have just moved to Fort Bliss and been able to go to the game. Now he's deploying, so I just moved up to Northern Virginia.
Trust me, that's a good thing. The standard response for hearing someone's just moved to El Paso is "I'm sorry"
My dad was stationed (edit: at Fort Hood, not Bliss) in the late 60s, and he pretty much said it's as bleak as can be for an installation. But being stationed in Texas, he did get to see the Longhorns beat Notre Dame to claim the National Championship that year.
For some reason I think most Hokies will be used to unpredictable weather...
We call it "Blacksburg weather," I believe.
That was impressive. The main thing I get from it is how much you HATE El Paso.
What do you do that keeps you there?
PhD student. Followed my husband here, and there's barely any engineering jobs, so I figured, why not stay in school? Get something out of my time here. Now I'm rather committed to finishing...
I hear what you're saying.... phucking Spouses and their needy shit. haha, jk
Good that you got your PhD though. Admittedly I have not spent much time there so I am colored by my stomach's passion for Mexican food.
Like this, maybe?
Nicely done! My favorite part was "There is a 99% chance the temperature at kickoff will be somewhere between 30 and 70 F.". Funny!
In all seriousness, this was awesome, thanks so much. Despite your warnings, I kind of want to go to El Paso now. My Texas experience has been limited to Amarillo and Dallas (I'm SUPER awesome at inadvertently avoiding getting sent to the places you'd actually want to go, like Austin or San Antonio or...I think that's it?) so El Paso sounds like it might actually be an improvement...
Good luck on your PhD! Bummer you won't be in town when the Hokies come to visit you.
Just a heads up that Carlsbad National Park is closed on New Year's Day.
YOU BOYS LIKE MEXICO?!
See you in Juarez!! It's cool, I'm a lawyer.
(I'm going to neither El Paso nor Juarez. Please do not give my name to the federales when all of you are undoubtedly arrested and/or detained at the border.)
Excellent write up. After having been stationed in Colorado Springs (6,000+ ASL) I second what she said about the elevation challenges. If possible I'd recommend getting there a day or two earlier before you start drinking to get acclimatted as elevation changes effect people differently. You may expeirence headaches, shortness of breath, tightness of the chest etc etc. One bene though is it doesn't take as much to get drunk! Also, the wind, yeah that shit's for real. Fronts blow through the passes and mountains like a freaking hurricane! Have fun, be safe, and don't travel alone if you can help it. Human traffiking is alive and well, especially in a border town.
The US side is pretty safe (technically one of the safest large cities in America, at least in terms of violent crime per capita) but, yeah, popping over the border is just asking to be sold into sex slavery, or kidnapped and held for ransom, or... well, you get it.
Great writeup! I'm 99.9% sure I'm not going to the game, but it does look like flights from DC are fairly reasonable (based on a very quick search). So I know that boarder towns in the southwest are not a good place to visit, but are there any places in Mexico in that area that are safe? I've been to Mexico once before (Cozumel, so the Americanized Mexico), but I think it would be interesting to visit "real" Mexico.
I'm really not sure about this, because cars registered in the US are only allowed to go... I think it's 50 miles deep? into Mexico. So if you're driving, you're kind of stuck in the bad area. Plus, there's really not a lot going on between Juarez and Chihuahua...
If you're actually interested in a future trip to Mexico, not just an adjacent bowl game trip, I recommend Puerto Vallarta. It's 1/2 touristy, 1/2 real Mexico. Puerto Vallarta is not Gringo City like Cabo, Cozumel, and Cancun, but I totally felt safe in and around the city. There is a lot to do (zip lines, go carts, atv, and beach) at very reasonable prices. It will help to know a little bit of Spanish to talk to to the cabbies, waiters, and such, but there are plenty of locals who speak English well to help you out. I went about 4 years ago when Mexico was bad for tourists, so I assume it's still the same.
I think Acupulco may be very similar, but I've never been that far south.
I live in San Diego, and if you want to do real Mexico only for a day or two, you could fly to SD and do Tiajuana and Rosarito Beach. It was extremely dangerous at TJ for a little while, but the cartels have essentially been caught or expelled to other border towns (see Juarez). It's not bad, but it's still not super-safe. As long as you're not looking to buy drugs and stick to the beach-like areas, you'll be fine. And hey, if you're lucky, you might even get to see the Donkey Show!!
If we do find ourselves in an awkward encounter with some of the cartels, is there a sign we can flash (a la Seinfeld with the Van Buren Boys), to defuse the situation?
dying right now
great stuff...thanks.
My Dad always called El Paso "Pale Asso". He won't say why.
Spent a few summers and holidays in ELP back in the day. There were several decent golf courses even in winter. Not sure but I think the horse track is operating in the winter. It is on the west side just inside the New Mexico State line. Very close to state line restaurant ELPhokie mentioned. I also really enjoyed the great American steakhouse just west of town. Couldn't agree more about staying out of Juarez. It was bad back in my day so I can't even imagine how bad it is today with the cartel influence. Sun Bowl is a unique experience worth the trip if good weather. Hopefully it lives up to its name!
It sounds like Juarez needs Dexter to do a new season there.
Hey, EPHokie - have you seen the TV show, "The Bridge", and if so, what's your opinion?
I have not.
My company had an office downtown El Paso that I visted a few times. I really enjoyed Tommy's right around the corner. The 'Tommy' was delicious...
I ate way too much at State Line and please DO NOT eat Chico's Taco's before getting on a return flight....nuff said!
That looks delicious