El Paso, aka The Pass, Hell’s Pass, Hell Paso, Texas. This intriguing and mysterious border town is a Mexican oasis nestled in the baron Chihuahuan Desert. The Pass, as it is appropriately named is one of the top four most unique cities in the U.S., in my opinion. Mark Twain’s top four were San Francisco, New Orleans, Boston, and San Antonio. I agree with the first two, but I would insert Santa Fe and El Paso in place of Beantown and S.A. When you enter the El Paso city limits, you pass into a world different from anything you’ve ever seen or felt. El Paso has a vibe that few cities can claim. That vibe at times seems shady and diabolic, other times you sense a warm fiesta and warm smiles of people that inhabit this city of wonder. From my experience of meeting some of the natives, I’ve learned a lot about the local culture. Unfortunately, I’ve been sworn to secrecy and I’m not allowed to talk about certain things I’ve seen or a particular bar on the edge of town that a lady friend took me to and woke up the next morning in a shit motel on Dyer street. When you drive down Interstate 10, I can’t help but listen to that song from Marty Robbins, when he sings about El Paso City and it’s almost like you can reach over and touch Mexico. This place almost sounds too good to be true, now here’s the flip side, the drivers in the El Paso border town suck! Traffic lights that turn yellow and speed limits don’t mean shit to those people! I was driving down the freeway and I saw this bumper sticker on a minivan that said, “honk if you love Jesus” so I honked and the driver flipped me off. That wasn’t supposed to happen. It seems like common courtesy is becoming a thing of the past. I would like to change that, starting with myself. Next time someone has their blinking on, I will let them in. I promise not to flip them off or try to run their stupid ass off the road. Well, that’s all I have to say about that.
Tell me about your list of the most unique cities in the U.S. or send any comments or e-mails. Thanks and join me again next week, and until then…
Take care and be safe-