Branching out in your home town

Auckland, New Zealand,

Los Angeles, California,

 and London, England

are world cities I plan to visit again and again. I love the fact that each of these cities is composed of distinct neighborhoods, and each neighborhood offers its own atmosphere, culture, shops, music, and restaurants.

Would it be possible for my husband Wayne and I to discover a new neighborhood in our home town of  El Paso, Texas, where we have lived for many years?

Wayne had recently done business with a tool repair shop in a section of our city that we seldom visit, an older, established neighborhood near the downtown area.  The shop owner recommended  "El Jacalito"  ("The Hut")  as the best restaurant in the neighborhood.

As part of our ongoing research to find the best huevos rancheros in the city, we decided to seek out "El Jacalito" for breakfast.  (For the uninitiated, huevos rancheros  are eggs served on a fried corn tortilla and topped with some variety of chile sauce.)

The exterior of the restaurant looked promising as we drove up and parked.

And the interior had a decorative 1880's type metal ceiling that is often found in older buildings in the Southwest.

The restaurant walls were colorfully decorated.

 "El Jacalito" appeared to be a local eatery, with solitary diners, groups, and families all having a quiet breakfast.

The service was swift and efficient, with new steaming breakfast dishes emerging quickly from the small kitchen located at the back of the large dining area.

Wayne couldn't resist the traditional huevos rancheros plate.

  I ordered the migas, scrambled eggs with chiles, onions, tomatoes, and tortilla chips.

The food was delicious, but the best part of the meal was having it in a different restaurant located in a different neighborhood of our town.  

It wasn't Auckland, Los Angeles, or London, but it was a new cultural experience for us.  I'm now convinced there are more adventures to be had closer to home if we are willing to explore and place our trust in serendipity. 

A Sunday Afternoon Stroll Through the Past

"Storytelling"  read the headline in the Saturday, May 2, 2015 edition of the El Paso Times. The 1st Annual Old El Paso Historic Home Tour would be held on the following Sunday afternoon.

As I joined in the walking tour, I picked up pamphlets and information sheets about seven historic buildings near downtown El Paso, my home town.. These were the official stories from the tour organizers, the El Paso Preservation Alliance. But the more intimate stories were those that I caught snatches of from fellow tour participants, chatting about family memories of life in El Paso a century ago.

The first stop on the tour was the building that is now the International Museum of Art.  It was designed by an architect responsible for many unique buildings in the Southwest, Henry C. Trost. This classic building greeted me with a touch of elegance as I purchased my tour ticket and printed guide.

International Museum of Art, 1211 Montana Ave.

Just about a block down the street was another building in the Classical Revival Style.  It now houses a very attractive studio.

Lara and Company Creative, 1317 Montana Ave.

Next door was a tour home of a different style, the American Foursquare.  I was intrigued by the front gate and fence.

1318 Montana

My favorite architectural style came next, Spanish Mediterranean.  This building has always been a working photography studio.

Achilles Studio, 1330 Montana

A charming Victorian house, meticulously restored, was the last stop on Montana Avenue.  It is now an attorney's office.

1420 Montana Avenue

Just a few streets over on Rio Grand Avenue, I toured a well preserved house of mixed styles that could boast of several colorful El Paso residents as past owners.

801 E. Rio Grand Avenue

The last stop on my tour was a short drive to Kansas Street to view a house with a Prairie-Style exterior and an Arts and Crafts interior.  It is now the law office of Terry Hammond.

1401 N. Kansas Street.

What an entertaining way to spend a quiet, sunny El Paso afternoon, thinking about the richness of El Paso's history and the value of preserving and restoring items from the past.  I celebrated the day's experiences with a pears and cream gelato from Gufo de Milano.

My favorite gelato flavor

And I suppose I wanted to do my small part to preserve the past. Inspired by the tour,  I  engaged a piano tuner this week to work on our over sixty year old Wurlitzer piano which was my childhood piano.  The past washes over me every time I sit down to play it.