A Weekend in Marfa - AI-Crafted Cultural Journey

Marfa has been on my list for a while. There’s something about a town in West Texas that represents a certain kind of emptiness, silence, solo adventure into a frontier. I knew nothing about Marfa except that it was indeed in the middle of nowhere, so I turned to ChatGPT to create our itinerary, with a few edits based upon arrival times and accuracy of tour times (since they had to be reserved).

Here’s the final, full itinerary for the Marfa trip based on the edits:

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Overall, this itinerary on first glance looked absolutely packed for a short weekend trip. I was arriving on Friday morning after staying in a nearby city, departing on a Sunday afternoon. I won’t go too much into the options for where to stay, I didn’t ask the AI about that, but I did find a super cute AirBNB in the nearby town of Alpine both nights! There’s a huge amount of places to stay in Marfa that are vacation rentals, but the only time of year they’re fully booked is probably Artblocks weekend, which I didn’t know at first I was sharing with this trip and genuninely was confused about the accomadations the town even had… but everything made sense after that.

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From the first glance at the itinerary, the standout items to make sure I nailed were two tours: the Chinati Foundation and the Judd Foundation tours. ChatGPT did put times on these that absolutely didn’t exist. You have to go to the website and make sure the times exist, and the times do change based on time of year. I booked my two tours, and ended up choosing to do them on different days based upon general load and to account for travel time from Alpine to Marfa being around 20-25 minutes.

The next thing was the general food recommendations as I take those very seriously. Sad news, “Do Your Thing” coffee doesn’t actually exist anymore as far as I saw! Because of that I have a few different options for coffee that I’d highly recommend, as I made time to stop for coffee both in the morning and the afternoon… so many coffee options abound in Marfa! Big Sandy Coffee is my favorite, the venue being an old gas stations that’s been remodeled, next up is Bitter Sugar, a cozy little storefront with varied hours. Mutual Friends was also on my list, but I didn’t end up making it.

For meals, I ended up grabbing lunch the first day at Aster’s which was truly amazing. Get the meatloaf sandwich. Get anything. Trust me. Hang out and read the Sentinel while you eat, don’t browse your phone. Take in the community stop ins here, take in the vibe… just enjoy this place with every single one of your senses. I loved it. For dinner Friday evening, I was so tired, I dropped in to the big grocery store in Alpine and grabbed a rotisserie chicken and ate it at my AirBNB, so this is a very valid option if you’re into a cheap/easy dinner. Lunch on Saturday was the infamous Marfa Burrito, a classic Texan burrito that was extra filling and easily as big as my arm. Yum. Did not finish it, did save it for breakfast the next day. The Cochineal recommendation was SOLID and I’m so glad I saved this for taking myself on a date on Saturday evening. The bread was very decadent, the steak immaculate… My drinks and the bartender both very nice as well. I really enjoyed this and it is PRICEY but worth it entirely, especially given the location! You’re hours away from a huge city, experiencing James Beard nominee level cuisine.

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The two tours centered around Donald Judd and the contemporary artists that called Marfa home. The Chinati Foundation was my first tour on Friday shortly after my arrival, and I almost feel like I’m still marinating on this as there’s just not many places to experience large scale art installations that shift the light and environment around us. The foundations tour is what was recommended, and I’d second that - time pending. It was a LONG tour and for somebody not obsessessed with Judd, Flavin, or Irwin, it may be a bit much; otherwise entirely worth it for those of us that know these contemporaries’ pivotal works. The Irwin piece being my favorite to explore, is unfortunately closed for conservation as of December 2024, but it stuck with me the most of any, even after being starstruck getting to see the Flavin pieces I had only seen in my university art classes. The Judd Foundation tour could probably be saved for people who enjoy light hitting spaces in interesting ways, good architecture, and people who are just generally curious about artist’s homes. I am a huge Donald Judd fan so parts of this really hit for me, but again… A long tour. Not horrendously long, but long enough that I noticed my group’s energy change. I still enjoyed it.

The stores that it recommended to wander around that I chose to look at were The Marfa Book Company and Wrong Store & Gallery, which I both spent 100% of my travel goodies budget at easily. They both have expertly curated goods and owners who were a joy to talk to and gain some insight about Marfa itself.

The one thing that ChatGPT missed for me was the nightlife, which in their case is the Marfa lights viewing area. For me, I opted for Planet Marfa to experience music, cheap drinks, and great conversation with some fellow nomads I ran into along the way. The catch with the Marfa lights viewing area is mostly that the lights don’t show up every night! I still kept a lookout for them and I’m fairly certain I saw one, the mystery is what makes it worth it.

Truly you cannot go to this area without seeing Prafa Marfa, which is out of town by quite a bit on the way back towards El Paso. I hit this stop in the early early morning on Sunday, which was the perfect note to end on: A surreal moment frozen in time, all alone in the desert of West Texas.

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My Marfa adventure had more than I can even include in this blog, but I do think ChatGPT did a great job of offering those filler things in amongst the big time commitments. Overall, here’s my personalized recommendation for how to take a trip to Marfa:

Big Time Commitments (Reserve in Advance)

• Chinati Foundation Tour (3+ hours): A must for art enthusiasts. The large-scale installations are breathtaking, but be prepared for a lengthy tour. Book the Foundations tour if you have time.
• Judd Foundation Tour (2.5 hours): Perfect for architecture lovers and those interested in artists’ spaces. The way light interacts with the spaces is remarkable.
• Prada Marfa: Plan this for sunrise or sunset. It’s about 40 minutes from Marfa but worth the drive for the surreal desert experience.

Coffee Spots

1. Big Sandy Coffee: Housed in a renovated gas station, this is my top pick for both atmosphere and quality.
2. Bitter Sugar: A cozy spot with great coffee, though hours can be unpredictable.
3. Mutual Friends: On my list for next time, comes highly recommended by locals.

Food Worth Your Time

• Breakfast/Lunch:
  • Aster’s (Must try: meatloaf sandwich)
  • Marfa Burrito (Enormous, authentic, perfect for lunch or next-day breakfast)
• Dinner:
  • Cochineal (Worth the splurge, exceptional steak and cocktails)
  • Budget Option: Grab supplies from Alpine’s grocery store for a quiet night in

Quick Stops & Shopping

• Marfa Book Company: Expertly curated selection, worth browsing
• Wrong Store & Gallery: Unique finds and engaging owners
• Planet Marfa: Better alternative to the Marfa Lights viewing area for nightlife
• Local Art Galleries: Pop into any that are open, they’re all worth a quick look

Pro Tips

1. Stay Flexible: Not everything will be open when you expect
2. Base in Alpine: Consider staying in Alpine for more accommodation options
3. Morning/Evening Light: Plan outdoor activities and photography around golden hour
4. Pace Yourself: Don’t overpack the schedule - Marfa is best experienced slowly
5. Talk to Locals: Some of the best recommendations come from casual conversations

Remember, Marfa isn’t about checking off a list of attractions - it’s about embracing the unexpected and letting the desert town’s unique rhythm guide your experience.