I first visited the West Texas town of Marfa back in the summer of 2013. Besides some rather impressive Donald Judd art installations, what had made this remote outpost famous was an unlikely looking Prada store (established in 2005) plonked on the side of a dusty road, a few miles outside of the tiny town of Valentine, which is in fact a “pop architectural land art project.” And it was while bubbling away in a hot tub under the stars at El Cosmico that I had a burning bush moment. I’d always longed to live in America, and as soon as I got home, I set things in motion; a year later, once the visa had been approved, I moved to Los Angeles. So big, life-changing things happened for me in Texas nearly a decade ago. To return was something of a personal pilgrimage, I guess, although going back anywhere a second time is never the same, and I wasn’t sure what to expect given how much America has changed.
Fortunately, this desert gem still shines, partly because its natural setting is still so unusual for an international art hub. It sometimes feels like you’ve wandered onto a film set (Giant was filmed here in 1955, and features the sprawling, windblown landscape of the remote cattle town as a character.) As it turns out, the planets had aligned and a rare, once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon coincided with my return visit: the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction of 2022. I had no idea that this interplanetary event was going to happen, and it wasn’t visible to the human eye, but it felt like kismet. This rare alignment hasn't occurred since 1856 and won't happen again until 2188. Maybe this will bring some good vibes to the region, the country, or maybe even the world. Meanwhile, the Marfa Lights, mysterious glowing orbs that appear in the desert outside of town, have mystified people for generations. According to eyewitnesses, the Marfa Lights appear to be roughly the size of basketballs and are varyingly described as white, blue, yellow, red or other colors. Reportedly, the Marfa Lights hover, merge, twinkle, split into two, flicker, float up into the air or dart quickly across Mitchell Flat (the area east of Marfa where they're most commonly reported).
Inspired by the magical constellations that make up the celestial canvas of the West Texas night sky, I stopped at The McDonald Observatory (built in 1933) which hosts Dark Skies festivals. On a scenic loop of the Davis Mountains, also known as Highway to the Sky, oak and juniper line the volcanic peaks, while blooming agave and cactus blossom make this a striking 74-mile drive through some of Texas’s highest mountains. On my epic journey home through the Guadalupe Mountains and Sonoran Desert, where giant cacti dot the primordial landscape, I felt a deep sense of wonder. Cultural tectonic plates will continue to shift, and we can never return to the way things were in 2013. But in the run-up to Easter, I’m reminded that this is a period of rebirth and resurrection. Great things are on the horizon. Happy Easter y’all.
Stay: The Lincoln Marfa. A lodging community in the heart of Marfa, consisting of eclectic casitas surrounding garden courtyards with native plants, water features, fire pits and shady porches. It’s also dog-friendly; thelincolnmarfa.com