So after our trip to Alamogordo and Cloudcroft, we headed to El Paso. This is Lorraine’s birth/hometown and where she graduated from University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). We stayed at the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. They have 10 sites with water and electricity at a cost of $15/night. A dump is close by. Friday night all sites were taken and RVs were driving around the parking lot which was funny to us. We are always lucky to get there early and get a spot. Of course there is a casino there and we ended up making a little money at the slots. No big winners but enough to have some fun.
On Wednesday, we attended a dinner with several of Lorraine’s Andress High School Alumni. There were 16 that showed up and we had a nice dinner at L&J Cafe. The restaurant opened on the outskirts of El Paso in 1927, providing home cooking, home brew and slot machines through Prohibition. Later renamed the “L&J Cafe,” a fourth generation now continues the family tradition. You will have to park several blocks away because all of the close parking is taken early and it is crowded with a wait time. It was a great time and great food.
We then toured El Paso and looked at several murals. There was no online map for them – only postings from others so we had to hunt for them.
Victor Ving and Lisa Beggs traveled cross country on their “Greetings From…,” tour to paint welcome murals. Commissioned by David Herrera, owner of 3rd Shift mural sign company, El Paso was their 17th stop. Now “Greetings From El Paso,” is one of the hottest photo spots in town. The mural features our locally famous star on the mountain, ASARCO, El Paso Streetcars and Southwest University Park.
David Herrera and El Mac are the creators of the mural of a Mexican man flexing his muscles in the heart of downtown El Paso. It took them a week to create this image which is cohesive with the nearby Boxing Hall of Fame mural by Mr. “Pano” Mendoza.
The subject of Animo Sin Fronteras is Melchor Flores, whose son was abducted by police in Nuevo Leon, Mexico in 2009. Flores has been fighting for answers ever since, which is why his image is a representation of struggle and strength in the fight for justice on the border.
On the corner of the above mural, a mural painted by El Mac, entitled Ánimo Sin Fronteras (Courage Without Borders) is pictured next to Boxing Hall of Fame, by Mr ‘Pano’ Mendoza. Ánimo Sin Fronteras is devoted to the common people of the US-Mexican border who have experienced injustices and violence in recent years. Boxing Hall of Fame depicts famous boxers from El Paso and elsewhere, including greats such as Oscar De La Hoya and Juan Lazcano
The above are only ones we could find more details about. Here are some others.
The Montecillo area has some very interesting murals.
Rock House Gallery Wall (near Union Plaza)
A walkway around the El Paso Convention Center were created by Roger Peet, Jesus “Cimi” Alvarado, Martin “Blast” Zubia and Ivan “Shack” Melendez. The story of these murals can be found at https://justseeds.org.
We do need to share with you that El Paso is on the border of Mexico – right next door to Juarez. Lorraine remembers walking across the border easily way back then.
All in all a quick visit where Lorraine got to see many former classmates and we got a taste of El Paso again. Off to San Antonio.
