Stops I should make on my Cross-Country drive

[ewiggy]

Recommend them here. I'm trying to plan things now so I know how much $ to have saved. It's about a month off.

My route will be from Tampa, FL to Anaheim Hills, CA.

I already plan on stopping in New Orleans and a little detour to Austin. What else?

[gaypalmsprings]

the restroom and a shower

[amyzzz]

Lots of people are starting traveling threads today.

If you're going through Arizona, you might want to hit the Grand Canyon or Sedona if you like scenery. What exactly are you looking for in a "stop?"

[TomAz]

I have driven pretty much that entire route in different segments, though not all at once. New Orleans, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio are really the only interesting things, and Houston and San Antonio are not all that interesting. There are good authentic Cajun restaurants between Laffayette La. and Beaumont Tx. Austin to El Paso is like 10 hours of nothing. El Paso is nothing but Mexico is right there. In Tucson there is a nice national park if you are into deserts and cacti and stuff. In Phoenix there are lots of golf courses.

Also when you are in Austin be sure to eat at Guero's and Stubb's.

[Courtney]

Marfa, Texas. I want to live there someday.

[ewiggy]

where's cool to go in new orleans and austin?

also i'm going to stalk amy when i get into arizona. i'll pick up where yabs left off.

[ewiggy]

Marfa, Texas. I want to live there someday.

what's there?

[TomAz]

Marfa has the ghost lights.

[tessalasset]

Go to Hutto, TX

[Courtney]

what's there?

Mysterious ghost lights. The Donald Judd Foundation. My favorite art museum in the entire country, The Chinati Foundation. The Marfa Book Co, The Brown Recluse which is an entirely appealing coffee shop / vintage record shop, and Ballroom Marfa which randomly gets amazing acts like Yo La Tengo, Jenny Lewis, Grizzly Bear and Jeff Tweedy come to a town that's roughly population 4000. Plus a bunch of great art galleries and the art installation piece Prada Marfa. Oh and the best pizza I've had since I left New York.

[amyzzz]

where's cool to go in new orleans and austin?

also i'm going to stalk amy when i get into arizona. i'll pick up where yabs left off.

If you do, be prepared to be randomly insulted for no apparent reason! Just warning you.

[TomAz]

I've never stalked you amy.

[ewiggy]

marfa is almost 100 miles out of the way. is it worth 100 miles?

[amyzzz]

I think I stalked you though.

[Courtney]

marfa is almost 100 miles out of the way. is it worth 100 miles?

In my opinion, it's worth moving to Texas for. That's saying a lot. (But you have to be into contemporary art to fully appreciate it, I think.)

[TomAz]

depends on how big a hurry you're in. By the time you get to that part of Texas your mind will be craving a change. between Marfa, Alpine, and Ft Davis, there's some things to see (and considerably cooler temps than on I-10). if you really want to get adventurous go all the way down to Big Bend, that's some gorgeous country there.

[ewiggy]

i'm always feeling adventurous. i just googled prada marfa and got this:

West Texas has a history of faux-ruins. Beginning in the 50s, flatcars arrived from California carrying "Riata." This huge prop became the plywood-thin mansion of Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson in Giant. The mansard-roofed prop bravely weathered the West Texas climate for years. It's last appearance was a cameo appearance in Fandango.

Then there was the Oasis Gas Station for the movie Dancer, Texas, pop. 81 and finally Contrabando - a complete faux-village built just north of the Rio Grande on highway 170 that has appeared in both US and Mexican movies - at least one of them named Contrabando.


But Prada Marfa takes the proverbial cake. Movie sets are meant to be art but seldom are they wry statements. Prada Marfa is (was) both.

It's "Grand-opening" / showing occurred on October 1st, 2005. (My invitation was probably lost in the excitement of hurricane Rita.) When I first saw the photos of the sculpture - I knew that the glass windows and doorway probably didn't see the sunrise of October 2nd. (Actually, the vandals took three days to arrive.)

A time-released time capsule.

The artists and supporters of this project knew this too. Made of earth-friendly earth, this biodegradable adobe building will slowly melt back into the landscape once the looters have removed the merchandise. The slow fade to oblivion will provide countless hours of conversation for motorists driving through West Texas. Starting with simple questions like "What the hell was that?" it's sure to inspire more thoughtful dialogue - like "When is advertising art?" or "When is art advertising?" Or (for really long trips) "What is art, anyway?" My question is: If it wasn't Marfa Prada, then who did sit behind me in 9th grade science?

Texas' most famous outdoor sculpture is probably the weather-worn, graffiti-covered "Cadillac Ranch" outside of Amarillo. It's been baking and freezing in the Panhandle for 30-some years now and still going strong. But like the man said about progress - there's nothing wrong with it - it just went on too long. Prada Marfa may never outlast those bodies by Fisher, but it's already become the most talked about sculpture of the 21st Century - despite the puny traffic count of highway 90.

that's fucking cool.

[Courtney]

Yeah, it's awesome. Here are pictures of the Prada installation I took in January. It's so bizarre that it's this hermetically sealed store in the middle of nowhere.

[CuervoPH]

Stop at Mother's in New Orleans (restaurant on Poydras just down from the Superdome) and have one of their po-boys. Wait. That would be my normal suggestion but not sure what they'd have in the way of vegetarian options.

Anyway, Tipitina's (on Tchopitoulas...outside the Quarter) usually has good music every night. Crescent City Brewhouse (between the river and the Quarter just before you get to Cafe Du Monde and Jackson Square) is good if you like sampling beers. They feature six beers that they make and you can buy a rack (6 oz sample of each one) for a pretty good price. If you like industrial dance music and can find it, the Dungeon used to be fun. Haven't been there in several years though. It's in the Quarter somewhere. Oh, and go have an overpriced hurricane at Pat O'Briens just so you can say you've been and see the flaming fountains. You won't want to stay there long, but you can mark that off your life's to-do list.

[mountmccabe]

Stop in Phoenix. We have bowling lanes. And mexican food. And small downtown arts/concert venues. There are mountains. Canyons. Fighting racoons.

[ewiggy]

looks like the 10 takes me right through phoenix. can we go bowling? you better not be lying about the fighting raccoons.

[amyzzz]

MEXICAN FOOD. Yeah, we have that. La Pinata on 19th Ave and Osborn (Phx). To die for.

[amyzzz]

(I don't think we have raccoons)

[bmb555]

if your driving through el paso take a little trip into juarez, you can get into all kinds of trouble down there...in a good way

[joppy-slow]

Yeah, it's awesome. Here are pictures of the Prada installation I took in January. It's so bizarre that it's this hermetically sealed store in the middle of nowhere.

very cool..

I would drive some of the old route 66.. play some music from lost highway.

[jackstraw94086]

Stop in Phoenix. We have bowling lanes. And mexican food. And small downtown arts/concert venues. There are mountains. Canyons. Fighting racoons.

you guys barely have mexican food. You're all about the tex-mex

[mountmccabe]

[mountmccabe]

you guys barely have mexican food. You're all about the tex-mex

I never said every place was real mexican food. Or that mexican food places outnumbered more tex-mex places. I just said that we had mexican food. I know that of which I speak, boy.

[SojuGorae]

[MarkO]

Yeah, it's awesome. Here are pictures of the Prada installation I took in January. It's so bizarre that it's this hermetically sealed store in the middle of nowhere.

Whoa girl .....