Five good reasons to live in El Paso, Texas

The recent howling spring winds blowing dust and debris everywhere in my home town of El Paso, Texas prompted me to write this post.  I must think positively, Pollyanna-like.  I've got to remember why I live in El Paso, Texas.  Here are five good reasons that come to mind, in no particular order.

No. 1.  El Paso is located on the border between Texas and Mexico.  Some may use the term 'border city' as a pejorative term, but I prefer to think of El Paso's location as a two-for-one deal. Citizens of El Paso have all of the advantages of  American-style living with the bonus of the opportunity to experience Mexican culture close up.

No. 2.  Great Mexican food.  I do believe that El Paso is the Mexican food capital of the world. Once a person becomes accustomed to the special flavor of our border Mexican food, no other Mexican food can match it. Enchiladas made with thick red sauce, sauces made for dipping with warm tortilla chips, fluffy handmade flour tortillas, need I go on?  And my husband and I find new small restaurants popping up constantly in El Paso where you can imagine that your aunt or grandmother is in the kitchen preparing a special spicy dish just for you.

No. 3.  We have mountains!  Beautiful mountains that change colors and create a backdrop for breathtaking sunsets.  "Sunset alert," we call out in our household to remind each other to take a few minutes from a busy day and walk outside for a view towards the west.

No. 4.  Two languages, English and Spanish, that swirl around, mix, compete, and find that one can't live without the other one.  Two vocabularies, two grammars, two accents.  What richness!

No. 5.  Western heritage and history.  We can sit in the Dome Bar of the historic Camino Real Hotel in downtown El Paso and imagine times long past when revolutionaries and cattlemen met in that very location, making important deals.

Within two hours, we can drive to the small western town of Van Horn,Texas and spend the night at the historic El Capitán Hotel,

or to Marfa, Texas and stay at the Hotel Paisano,

both decorated beautifully with heavy wooden furniture and courtyards and gardens.

 And one of my favorite places in El Paso is the Magoffin Home, a state historical site located near downtown.  It only takes a few minutes after stepping inside for me to be mentally back in the 19th century.  

So, I'm focusing on the positive and forgetting those gale force winds for the time being at least.  Surely they can't last much longer? Surely?