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Nine Reasons Why I Like El Paso
by Soll Sussman
EL PASO, Texas -- As someone who has visited
El Paso frequently over the years and almost always enjoyed
myself, I'm surprised by the number of times I've heard people
living there smirk about the city or talk it down a bit.
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People talk about wanting to be someplace else, or complain
about the isolation, or wonder if there will ever be better
days. I've lost count of the comments about lithium or some
other substance in the water causing complacency and an overall
lack of energy.
Hey, listen up. El Paso is unique, and in these days of increasing
homogeneity around the country in everything from accents to
retail stores, that's not anything to be taken lightly.
Because I travel a lot, all along the U.S.-Mexican
border, around Texas and elsewhere, what surprises me the
most is that I hear these disparaging comments more in El Paso
than I do in places that really are the pits.
People in those cities and towns, which shall remain nameless
because I probably will have to go back for one reason or another,
talk as if they are living in the center of the universe.
I've been asking friends and acquaintances in El Paso about
it, because I wanted to make sure that this verbal malaise wasn't
only my imagination. 'We're our own worst enemy,' one told me.
I've also been keeping eyes and ears open when not in El Paso
in search of those who have left, continuing my survey around
the country. There are the inevitable grumblers, those who rarely
miss a chance to talk about how much happier they are since
they left. A couple of radio personalities in Austin pop immediately
to mind.
I like the nostalgic ones better, the group you might consider
El Pasoans in exile. Rick Ramirez, for example, vice president
for emerging markets at the Fox Entertainment Group in Los
Angeles, calls himself 'a great fan' of the city and comes
back to visit his parents whenever he can. 'I'm very proud of
El Paso,' he told me.
As my small contribution to El Paso cheer, I thought about doing
one of those humorous Top 10 lists until I remembered that I'm
not very funny. El Paso may not be Miami
Beach or Seattle, and I'm not David Sedaris or P.J. O'Rourke.
That doesn't mean we can't be as cool or as clever as we want
to be.
So here are nine reasons why I like El Paso, some from the perspective
of an ignorant tourist, others just because I enjoy hanging
out there. And, for the record, I'm not stopping just because
I exhausted the subject -- a double-digit list would be easily
within reach.
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NINE REASONS
1. The mountains. This is not an original
thought. I overheard some visitors from Dallas the other day
talking about how they always forget how pretty El Paso is until
they get there and see the mountain views. I started paying
more attention to the mountain views immediately, partly because
I used to live in Dallas -- flat as can be and definitely
not pretty.
2. Walking across the border bridges. No matter
how many times I have done it, I remain amazed by the ability
to walk from one country to another in a matter of minutes.
Driving can be a hassle these days, but walking across the bridge
is an experience.
3. Juárez. Walking across the bridge
wouldn't be much to talk about if there weren't sights on the
other side. If you haven't been there lately, check out some
of the upscale new restaurants and clubs. On a less exciting
note for cultural purists, the proliferation of American chains
continues with the largest Krispy Kreme outlet I've ever seen.
4. Those concentric circles around El Paso.
Easy access to places others travel thousands of miles to see.
Drive out 100, 200 or 300 miles away from El Paso and you're
at the White Sands National Monument or the heart of the Big
Bend. Bonus points as the U.S. departure point for the Copper
Canyon in Mexico, which is simply jaw dropping.
5. Downtown. The flavor of a unique culture
is well preserved. Not many cities get to effortlessly blend
Mexico and the United States and the East and the West at the
same time. Come across the plaque for John Wesley Hardin and
feel as though you are walking where outlaws once roamed. How
many cities get to brag about that?
6. Writers. Hard to find a city that has inspired
a more remarkable collection of contemporary writing, even if
some of those who wrote the books have moved elsewhere. Dagoberto
Gilb's early stories and "The Last Known Residence of Mickey
Acuña." Abraham Verghese's "The Tennis Partner."
Extra points as a home of Cormac McCarthy. Special rock'n roll
bonus for the Bobby Fuller Four and "I Fought the Law."
7. Offbeat places to eat. Sure, I can thoroughly
enjoy eating at Café Central or ducking out to Sunland
Park for a pleasant lunch at the Greenery. But nothing beats
finally having the chance to try one of the spots I've been
driving by for years, whether it is El Nido on Gateway East
for a not completely healthy (but in a good way) breakfast or
Burritos Pampas on Airways for the best tortas outside of Mexico.
8. The L&J. In a city full of unique eating
spots, the L&J deserves its own number because you simply
can't get any more unique. Down-home El Paso Tex-Mex at its
best. But I look forward to continuing the search.
9. Being on the brink of something new. Probably
because I've lived in Mexico, the United States, and Canada,
I have become a firm believer that achieving continental cooperation
is a fascinating challenge that must be solved. When I'm in
El Paso, I like to think that I'm in the middle of it.
If anyone can figure this out, it should be right here.
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AUTHOR
Border
Crossings is a series of features prepared by Soll Sussman
who reported on Mexico and Central America as a correspondent
and regional news editor for The
Associated Press. He left for a stint as A.P. bureau chief
in Toronto. Because his heart never really left Mexico City,
he quickly came to his senses and moved closer to the Mexican
border. He now is a freelance writer happily living in Austin,
Texas.
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