El Paso, TX Road Trips

El Paso is geographically divided into several parts with the Franklin Mountains and Fort Bliss cutting the city into distinct sections. Each area has its own style and culture. West Side is between the Franklin mountains and Mexico and New Mexico includes El Paso's most affluent neighborhoods along the side of the mountain. Providence Memorial Hospital, Sierra Medical Center, Las Palmas Medical Center, El Paso Country Club, and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) are located here. The UTEP area ("Kern Place") is emerging as an entertainment district with restaurants and nightclubs also known as the "Cincinnati Entertainment District". The Sun Bowl, Don Haskins center, and Centennial Gardens are all located on the UTEP campus. Downtown is in the southern part of El Paso, just below the tip of the Franklin Mountains. The streets of Downtown are often difficult to navigate for first time visitors, especially with the current construction. Parking (there are many cheap areas to park your car for the day) is probably the best bet. Walking through Downtown, there are many little shops reminiscent of Mexico and many small cafes. Many of the buildings are historic and very beautiful. The Downtown area boasts a beautiful plaza in the center of the city. The El Paso Museum of Art, the Plaza Theater, El Paso Civic Center and a children's science museum, Insights, are all located here. Extensive renovations are taking place in the Downtown area. Nearby on Paisano Street is the El Paso Zoo. North East El Paso is home to Fort Bliss Military Base.

1 El Paso Zoo, 4001 E. Paisano, ☏ +1 915-212-0966, [email protected]. 9:30AM-5PM. (updated Jan 2018) 2 Fort Bliss Army Base. El Paso is near the largest US military installations in the world, which stretches into two states, Texas and New Mexico. It is one of the Department of Defense's largest projects, coming in third after Iraq and Afghanistan. Major construction is under way at Fort Bliss. 80,000 new soldiers and their families are expected to arrive within a few years. Fort Bliss has the first, and biggest of its kind PX anywhere in the world. The area near the base also has a lot of military surplus stores. (updated Oct 2020) Visitor control centers for the public wishing to access the military base are at 11 Buffalo Soldier Gate west of the airport terminal and 12 Chaffee Gate off of the Chaffee Rd exit from the Liberty Expressway (SR-601) where visitors need to obtain passes. Traffic going in is controlled and all persons must have a valid DoD ID to enter. 1 Ft Bliss Welcome Center, Bldg 505 on Pershing Rd, ☏ +1 915-568-3035. 24 hr. Official reception unit for military personnel and their families to report to duty, get checked in and get set up. (updated Oct 2020) 2 USO, (W Ft Bliss) 2408 W Chaffee Rd, Ft Bliss, ☏ +1 915-569-5644. Provides information and a lounge for military personnel and their families transiting into or out of the area. They have additional locations at the airport and in other parts of the military base.

Chihuahuas Baseball, 1 Ballpark Plaza, ☏ +1 915-533-2273. A minor league baseball team, the Triple-A level affiliate of the San Diego Padres, plays at 1 Southwest University Park. From $5 to $30. 2 El Paso Rhinos, 4100 E Paisano, ☏ +1 915 479-7825, [email protected]. See website for current season schedule. Enjoy an ice-hockey game at the El Paso County Coliseum. The Rhinos play in the North American Tier III hockey league. Ticket price varies depending on seat. (updated Aug 2023) Miners. Miners football is coached by Dana Dimel. UTEP has a beautiful stadium, the Sun Bowl, that looks as though it was cut right out of the mountain. Every late December the Sun Bowl is played, where two 3rd, 4th, or 5th place teams from either the Pac-10, Big Ten, or Big 12 meet. This is the longest running televised bowl game in the country. Rodeos. Rodeo events can be seen in El Paso around the months of January and February. Rodeo is a unique cowboy 'sport' where individuals compete in a number of events the most famous of which is bull riding. UTEP-Basketball. Don Haskins changed the way college basketball was played forever in 1966. He led his all-black lineup against the all-white Kentucky team featuring Pat Riley and won the National Championship. Prior to Don Haskins, black players were marginalized in college basketball. Don Haskins has the basketball arena named after him, the Don Haskins Center, that hosts Miner Basketball and concerts. 3 UTEP Sun Bowl Stadium, (Ticket Office) Brumbelow Buildig, 201 Gloria Rd, ☏ +1 915-747-7450, [email protected].

The following foods are popular in El Paso: Menudo Travelers will see signs referring to Menudo everywhere. It is a type of soup made with hominy, chile and tripe. It is a Mexican specialty. Burritos A border favorite. Burritos are a humble but delicious food and should not be expensive. Do not try them in an upscale restaurant. True burritos are done with home made flour tortilla and your choice of filling. Try "chile con queso", chile relleno, barbacoa (meat) or "deshebrada con chile colorado" (shredded meat with red chile) for the local traditional El Paso/Juarez flavor. Green chile fillings are great too. All other flavors are more likely not from the region. Gut Trucks These are large white vans that sometimes sell ice cream, but usually always sell burritos and gorditas. They are often best described as restaurants on wheels. They can be found parked anywhere there is construction work, or in parking lots of large Do-It-Yourself stores. Do not pass them by. The food is very inexpensive and is absolutely terrific. They are usually only seen around lunch time. You'll know the food is good if you see a line or group of people waiting for food. Papa Eric's, 2519 N Piedras St, ☏ +1 915-565-7272. Specializing in hefty burgers and green chiles. Smokey's Pit Stop and Saloon. There are 3 locations of these barbecue joints slash bars on the East and Northeast part of El Paso. The inside of the Pit Stops aren't much to look at, but the food is great. Again, vegetarians forget about it. All of the food is starch and meat, with the exception of cole slaw.

The legal drinking age in Texas, like all of the United States, is 21. However across the border in Mexico, the drinking age is set at 18. The original Margarita recipe was invented in Ciudad Juarez-El Paso region (where Dos Lunas is headquartered) on July 4, 1942 by Francisco "Pancho" Morales. Morales was a bartender at a bar named Tommy's Place, according to the Old Mr. Boston Official Bartender's Guide (a book that professional and home bartenders alike call the "Bible of Booze"). Morales improvised the drink after a customer ordered a Magnolia, a drink recipe that he did not know, other than the fact that it contained Cointreau. The drink's popularity immediately grew after Morales, who was an instructor at the local bartender's school, began teaching the Margarita recipe to his students. The name Margarita is Spanish for "daisy." El Paso has a very active nightlife that has something for everyone. Union Depot area at 115 Durango street, which includes several bars and clubs that cater to college students and young professionals. Cincinnati street area near the University of Texas El Paso, includes a variety of bars, ranging from upscale lounges to dives, as well as a variety of restaurants. The 500 block of North Stanton Street features a row of gay and lesbian friendly clubs. Dyer Street near Fort Bliss includes a few bars and clubs that cater to African-Americans. El Paso's Lower Valley and Central neighbourhoods have many small bars and clubs that feature primarily Mexican music, often with dancing or live music on weekends.

El Paso Hostel / Gardner Hotel, 311 East Franklin Avenue, ☏ +1 915-532-3661, [email protected]. Beds start at $25.99 per night. (updated Apr 2019) 1 Hawthorn Suites By Wyndham El Paso, 6789 Boeing Dr, ☏ +1 915-613-3798. Hotel features spacious suites, some with full kitchens, exercise facilities, video cassette players and on-site guest laundry and valet service. 2 Best Western El Paso Airport Entrada Hotel, 2001 Airway Blvd, ☏ +1 915-772-3650. Motel 6 El Paso, TX - Southeast, 12211 Gateway Blvd W, ☏ +1 915-858-1600. Quality Inn & Suites El Paso I-10, 6185 South Desert Blvd, ☏ +1 915-584-2026. 3 Hotel Paso Del Norte, Autograph Collection, 101 S El Paso St, ☏ +1 915-534-3000. A renovated downtown hotel, promises to bring back the original luxury from when it opened in 1912. (updated Jan 2018) 4 Holiday Inn El Paso Airport, 6351 Gateway Blvd W, ☏ +1 915-772-4088. 5 Hyatt Place El Paso Airport, 6030 Gateway Blvd East (On Interstate 10), ☏ +1 915-771-0022.

1 El Paso International Airport (ELP IATA), 7601 Convair Rd. Served by the following: Concourse A: American/American Eagle Concourse B: Allegiant, Alaska Airlines, Delta/Delta Connection, Southwest, Frontier and United Express. The USO has a presence at the airport and is located airside between Gates B5 & B7 for military personnel and their families transiting into and out of the area. They also have additional locations on base in other parts of the city. The available commercial flights to El Paso are only from within the U.S. Connections from Mexico can be made through the 2 Abraham González International Airport (CJS IATA) located 32 km from downtown Cd Juarez/El Paso and 26 km from El Paso Airport via I-110/US Hwy 54 which becomes MX Hwy 45. Connections from additional U.S., Mexican and other international destinations are through other major (hub) cities such as Atlanta (Delta, Southwest); Chicago (Frontier, Southwest, United Express and American Eagle); Dallas(American, Southwest); Denver (Frontier, Southwest, United Express); Houston (Southwest, United Express); San Antonio (Southwest); and Los Angeles (Southwest, American Eagle). The airport is on 7 mi (11 km) northeast of the city center via I-10 (Airway Blvd at Exit #25) and surrounded by the huge Ft Bliss military base. A taxi to downtown will run about $25-30 and take 15-20 minutes. Sun Metro bus services (Rt #33 and 50) to and from the airport is significantly cheaper but will take at least 48-50 minutes to/from downtown El Paso.

This may be the easiest way to see what El Paso has to offer. Since many sites of interest are quite far apart from one another, renting a car may afford visitors the most flexibility. Cars can be easily rented at the Airport or on Fort Bliss. Must be called for pickup in most areas. Yellow Cab Company, ☏ +1 915-532-9999. Checker Cab Company, ☏ +1 915-532-2626. Border City Taxi, ☏ +1 915-533-4245. Public transport is provided by Sunmetro which offers an extensive bus network. Most major routes offers departures every 30 minutes or less. Standard fare is $1.50 with daily and weekly passes available at attractive prices. The two downtown circulator buses are free. Many routes convey at the 1 Downtown Transit Centre is located at 601 S Santa Fe St. Sun Metro Streetcar runs in a 4.8 mile loop between uptown and downtown, providing free transportation from UTEP to points downtown and the international bridge. The system uses lovingly restored 1960s streetcars and runs from 3PM-10PM W-Sa and Noon-6PM Su. Much of what can be seen in the Downtown and UTEP area is easily accessed by pedestrians, for example. Because of the high temperatures it is not recommended to walk during summer.

El Paso is rated the second Most Safe City in the United States for its size. San Diego took the first spot. All records are based on latest FBI reports. Most of El Paso is safe from violent crime, and El Paso has a very low murder rate for a large American city. El Paso is generally very quiet and peaceful during the daytime, take normal precautions at night. Areas to avoid at night may include near the international bridges, but curfews on both sides of the border have cut down on the number of aggressive, intoxicated juveniles at night. El Paso also has a good neighbor atmosphere, and is a military friendly city. Heat in the summer. During the summer months when temperatures nearly always stay around 90°-100° Fahrenheit, the biggest dangers facing visitors are dehydration and heat stroke. El Paso is in a desert and it is important for all visitors to remember to drink enough water at all times. Too many people fail to take the heat seriously. The dry heat can actually feel less 'hot' than it really is to many people. Learn to recognize the signs of danger for dehydration and heat stroke. Heat stroke is very serious. Take care of yourself in the heat. And remember a cowboy word of wisdom: If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated. For more information, consult the article for this region. Sun. Not just for the heat, but the sun can be dangerous because of UV rays which are much stronger at El Paso's altitude than at sea level. Wear a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. It is not uncommon to see pedestrians in El Paso walking with an umbrella to shield them from the sun.