We're getting close to launching our leather collection. It looks like it will be 4-5 bags, 2 wallets, and a luggage tag to start.

In anticipation of the launch, we're excited to announce a giveaway of the briefcase. You can sign up here. 

After the giveaway, the collection will launch through a crowdfunding campaign in late June or early July. We are still working out the exact specifics.

Here is a close up of the handstitching on our briefcase. We use a goldish brown, nylon thread for a subtle contrast with our rich brown leather. More on why handstitching is superior to machine stitching in a future post! 

Can't wait to get these new leather bags in your hands. 

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We're taking a slightly new direction with Satchel & Page and the products we create. After about a year in business (mostly focused on waxed canvas bags), we listened to you, and the message was clear. "The waxed canvas is great, but how about a leather briefcase I can take with me to business meeting/court/studio/trip, etc.." 

We will always continue to sell our waxed canvas bags, but we are moving to a be a luxury, leather goods company, with the goal of creating the best leather briefcases and bags in the market at a reasonable price. Thick, vegetable-tan leathers. Handstitching. Clean, minimalist designs inspired by our favorite classics. We can't wait. Here's the 2nd prototype of our Briefcase. Available for preorder this Summer.

We also have several plans in place to educate you in what to look for in a leather bag, so whether you become a Satchel & Page customer, or not, you will make the best decision for your bag needs. We'll be in touch soon!

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We're very excited to be featured in this month's GQ - UK! Our brand is all about travel, so it's especially rewarding when we expand our reach into new countries. And this month, we're offering free shipping to the UK!

 

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From the June, 2012 issue of Southern Living

Made in Texas: Satchel & Page Bags

These handcrafted goods from Austin make stylish and rugged travel companions.

"Daniel Ralsky's wanderlust has taken him to 25 countries - 12 in the last three years. So it's no surprise that when the Austin globe-trotter couldn't find a dependable bag for his travels, he decides to make his own. "I was carrying a messenger bag a couple years ago in Tokyo when the strap broke," he said. "When I bought it, I was under the impression that the product was made in America, but when I investigated, I learned it had been made overseas. I realized there was some room in the market for a high-quality, American made bag with character. So last year I started Satchel & Page."

Now Daniel and his Austin-based staff of three craftspeople create tough, waterproof travel bags from waxed canvas and leather, all of which is sourced in the United States. "I think that's important so I can keep an eye on our quality. The leather is oil-tanned in Texas and gives our product an authentic Texas feel."

Even the company's name reflects that "Texas feel" of worn leather, harkening back to the days when messages were carried by horseback in satchels, he explains. "It's really a nod to the past because a satchel was just an older version of a travel bag and the primary means of communication was through the pages of letters," Daniel says. "The computer has largely replaced the need for sending letters, so we make something durable that can carry today's technology - like our laptop and iPad bags that are specifically designed to carry computers and tablets."

Daniel still loves to travel (he recently hiked through the pre-Colombian Incan site of Macchu Picchu in Peru and he knows his traveling bags won't let him down. "I carry our 'Austin' messenger in tan, which has a pattern inspired by an old saddle," he says. "It's aged quite well and the subtle markings and patina show that I have traveled quite a bit."

-Southern Living Magazine, June 2012

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Unless you sleep in your clothes, or wear your underwear outside of your pants, you’re going to spend more time in your shoes than in any other piece of your visible wardrobe. It makes sense then, to take the time to love on them with regularity. Most of the advice you’ll hear is about waterproofing or properly shining a shoe (and what the hell is a shoe tree?), but there’s more to it than that. Sometimes a shine turns the shoe a color you don’t like, too dark or too shiny, or makes your broken-in pair boots look like you’re about to go to a funeral. Nobody wants to look like they’re going to funeral, unless they’re literally going to a funeral. So I’ll take you, step by step, through my process of taking care of my leather shoes, show you how I get them to look the way I like them to look, and give some pointers on how you can get the look you want. 

 

The first step is cleaning. If your shoe is pretty dirty and you don’t want to lock in any dirt or oil, use saddle soap or your preferred shoe cleaner to remove all that excess grime. If mine are muddy or heavily caked, I’ll use a stiff kitchen brush and a little water and vinegar. It’s really good to let your shoe dry out after this step. It usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour, but give it more, around a day, if you want to maintain the color of your leather before you continue. 

Personally I don’t like to clean my shoes. I will remove excess grit and grime with a brush before, but I like to lock in all the beer spills, oil stains, grit and grime. It makes the leather show its age and its travels.

The next step and first rule in shoe care, despite what anyone says, is conditioning. This is crucial if you want your shoes to age with grace. You should condition your leather shoes as soon as you buy them and before you wear them. Shoes don’t come pre-conditioned. Sometimes that leather has been in a warehouse for a while before it got turned into a shoe, and then that shoe sat in a warehouse, then it sat in a store before you put them on. Wearing a shoe before it’s been conditioned is the easiest way to get premature cracks in the leather. Once that happens, there is no going back.

I learned this lesson after visiting my shoe guy in Portland OR, a Ukrainian gentleman who has a shop in a basement on NW Sandy Blvd. I took him a pair of vintage Rockports and he said they were finished. Done. “You can’t fix,” he said. “There is tiny cracks coming from sole.” One might read into this statement a deeper, more prophetic and spiritual meaning, but I had made the mistake of wearing them without first conditioning them.

“Next time, you use this,” and he handed me a bottle of leather conditioner.

“You put little bit on towel, and you rub, 20, 30 times,” he said as he demonstrated on my broken shoes. “Then you do whole shoe like this. You leave it. You let dry. This make leather soft, like skin.”

 

the shoe in question

He is so right. It makes the leather soft, like skin. After applying the conditioner, you should let them dry at least an hour, so that it doesn’t affect the shine. The conditioner can soak some of the shine down into the pores, giving you a dull looking shine.

The only drawback to conditioning is that it darkens the leather. It’s not going to turn your brown shoes black, but it will turn tan or raw leather a couple shades darker. Letting your shoes dry longer can prevent some of this; a day or two will return them closest to their original color. 

To me, this change is a good thing. Again, it shows the graceful age, and looks traveled, sort of like a baseball mitt getting a good oiling. Plus, after a little wear, and a couple of conditionings, it’ll start to feel like a good ball glove too.

The next step is the shine. This is something that varies by technique and skill, but I’ll tell you how I do it. First I rub a terry cloth hand towel in the tin, getting enough polish on the rag to coat a quarter to an eighth of the shoe at a time. I like terry cloth because it’s a little course and helps hold a little more of the polish. Then I rub the polish into the shoe. Once applied to one shoe, I set it aside, and do the other one. Once both shoes are polished, I wipe the first shoe down with a smooth cloth, removing excess polish and massaging the polish into the pores. Then I use a soft brush to buff the polish to a nice sheen. I then repeat the process on the second shoe. If you want to get a really glaring polish, use a spritz of water or spit and rub with another clean smooth cloth to buff up the polish before using the soft brush.

 

Working both shoes at the same time allows me to utilize my time better, and gives each shoe time to soak up some of the polish. I don’t do the ‘spit shine’ step, because I like my shoes to have little glints of shine and an oiled look, not a parade-boot gloss.

The last step, and second most important, is waterproofing. Most water-proofers are applied the same way as polish or conditioner, but there are also waterproofing sprays. I have tended to go with wax-based water-proofers in the past, but I’m looking forward to trying mink oil or Otter Wax next time I need to waterproof something. I’ve been told to avoid silicone-based water-proofers, as it can affect the shine and ability to shine in the future (some areas keep the silicone and others lose it, making the pores of the leather inconsistent). The bonus with silicone: it won’t ruin the color of the leather, because it doesn’t get absorbed into the pores.

Here at Satchel and Page, we love when things age well. We love making things that age well. We love things that get better as they go, and a good leather is one of the rare pieces of design that gets better with age. You can’t really say that about most of the products we’re surrounded by on a daily basis (skip to ~2:30 and listen to David Kelley or watch the whole thing and get enraged by the guy with purple glasses).

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When it comes time to spend $200+ on a pair of jeans, there is a lot of choice in the world of custom denim. If you want a brand you’re familiar with, you can get custom tailored Levi's at the flagship Levi Strauss and Co. store in San Francisco, and if you want a small denim shop with Southern charm there’s Imogene + Willie, just outside of Nashville. Just about every corner of the country has its own custom denim shop, putting their own spin on things. Even though there is all this choice, you can’t go wrong with the Hartford Denim Company, in Hartford Connecticut. There really isn’t another denim company with the dedication to the craft, their products, or to their customers.

 

The Hartford Denim Company makes jeans, bags, and one really solid work shirt. They even collaborated with Friedson Bros Fine Boots on a line of boots. They put a lot of detail into their work, from the Cone Mills and Collect Co. Ltd. denim, to the hand peened penny or the custom cast buttons (yes, gold or silver buttons are a very real possibility). They also put a nice reminder of their origin on all of their jeans, in the form of a Connecticut shaped leather patch on the back. With all these customizations and details, Hartford Denim is pushing the boundaries of what a pair of jeans can be.

 

Another way that Hartford Denim pushes the industry is through their dedication to their own product: every pair of Hartford Denim jeans comes with a lifetime repair policy (just look at what they’ve done for this bike messenger). I know I go through at least a pair of denim every six months before I get a blow out right below my left rear pocket. I end up getting it patched with flannel or bandana material and rotate them to weekend jeans. I wouldn’t have a problem with keeping them in the daily rotation, knowing they were patched by professionals with Japanese or American made denim. I don’t know of another denim company that will repair their product for life (if you know of one, let us know and we’ll write about them too), and that makes Hartford Denim stand out in our book.

 

Companies that stand by, and continuously innovate their products are the kind that get us at Satchel & Page excited to be in the apparel industry. Especially products that are made in America. Knowing that there are other companies out there pushing themselves to make better products, inspires us to do the same.

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Our founder, Daniel, lived in Cordoba, Argentina back in 2003. After a 12 hour plane flight, he was exhausted and ready for a nap. The local roommates had another idea, however - a round of yerba mate. That day started an addiction to yerba mate that continues to this day.  Details

Our tan waxed canvas messenger bag made another appearance on ABC's happy Endings. It was on the hanger in Max and Dave's apartment. Check out the pictures below and be sure to tune in on Wednesdays at 8:30 pm Central. 

 

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We are very interested/invested in the "Made in USA" conversation. We recently stumbled upon this commentary from GOOD, a great lifestyle magazine, on the factors driving outsourcing of apparel manufacturing:

"The rise of the branded private label was the nail in the coffin for U.S. apparel manufacturing. Designers started taking over their own manufacturing (contracted overseas) and opening their own retail outlets rather than relying on department stores. Companies consolidated their U.S. operations to design and planning, leaving sourcing and manufacturing to foreign contractors in foreign countries. U.S.-based middlemen were cut out in pursuit of cheaper, faster clothes. Eventually, small, independent local labels were pushed out by the multinational retailers we know today.

More importantly, though, these new private labels started investing heavily in advertising. Nike, Levi’s, Calvin Klein—with the movement of production overseas, the race at home was to capture the imagination, and dollars, of the American consumer. Companies were no longer selling clothing—they were selling a lifestyle. The supposed glamour of fashion had gone public, and the race for trends had begun. The demand for more clothes, faster, has increased ever since. The consumer has become further and further alienated from the processes that make her clothes.

The disappearance of Made in USA clothes seems almost inevitable. But recent years have brought a small resurgence in demand for clothing made here. We want fairly made clothing, better-quality materials, and support for local businesses and workers. Still, given the labor intensity of sewing and quick turnaround times of fashion, it's doubtful we'll ever come close to a reprise of large-scale local garment production. Instead, we should focus on supporting the niche markets here: high quality custom-made clothing and independent labels with skilled manufacturing capabilities that emphasize ethics over trends. We are in the middle of a sea change of clothing consumption. Perhaps someday, the values underpinning our reliance on mass production will falter, and we'll dress to a new paradigm: Quality over quantity." 

Basically, it's pretty simple: If brands can get everyone to dress alike, they can mass produce - saving on manufacturing and shipping costs. But doesn't the consumer lose some uniqueness and individuality along the way? 

So what does this mean to you?

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As you might know, Satchel and Page is based in beautiful Austin, Tx. Our adopted hometown is known as the “Live Music Capital of the World,” but Austin is actually rapidly becoming known for more than its music scene: the capital of Texas is home to so many amazing creative endeavors. We’re all about supporting the independent spirit that characterizes this city. 

Although we’re kind of wiped out from South by Southwest festivities, we found the energy to interview fellow Austin entrepreneur JohnPaul Fierro about his natural soap and body care company, South Austin People.  Get it? SoAP! We’re big fans of SoAP’s incredible ecofriendly products for you and your family. They even make shampoo for your dog!

1. You are committed to using organic ingredients in your soaps, lotions and other products. How does South Austin People, as a company, remain green in other areas?

Being green is a state of mind. We try and re-use everything or recycle it, but that is just simple logic. To be as helpful as possible you have to see the bigger picture. We are trying to create a better petroleum free product that is going to inevitably end up down the drain once you are done with it. It should not contain any chemicals that hurt the waterways that it will for sure find its way into. That is why we try to educate everyone about not using anti-bacterial agents and, if possible, no petroleum based detergents, period. We try to offer them superior alternative, our Natural Liquid Soap and Bar soaps, so doing the right thing is better for you and too expensive.

2. Have you seen your company grow considerably since 2004? It seems like more and more people all the time are realizing the value of local companies who make earth-friendly products.

We have grown tremendously, and still have plenty of room to go. I think the high quality and effectiveness of our products is the main reason for our growth, but heavily supported by their earth-friendliness and the fact that we are local, by far more so than any product manufactured in China, especially.

3. You sell at farmer's markets in the Austin area. How has this helped you gain a relationship with the community?

The farmers markets are like a community themselves within our community. I feel as though it is the best and often only place for people to meet the producer of their produce, and in our case soap or whatever have you. People have such a good reason to go; you are missing out on the highest quality food that is available if you do not go to the Farmers Markets. Finding anything fresher is impossible unless you grow or make it yourself. 

4. What's your favorite thing about running a business in Austin, TX?

Austin is a great town because it respects culture, health, and education. The people are generally more hip to right causes, like local based economy. People here tend to spend money more locally based and less from cheap crappy main stream outlets that funnel money away into the pockets of already rich old men.

5. What can we expect to see from South Austin People in the future?

White hairs. And some nice conditioner to use on it, as well as a full line of natural as can be body care product designed to be made fresh and sold through grocery stores. 

If you’re in Austin, check out where you can pick up these great products. If you’re not in Austin, you can order directly from the website. Stash a bar of SoAP’s Texas Pecan Eucalyptus soap in your Austin Messenger Bag and you’ll have a little bit of Texas with you wherever you go. 

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We have some big news....We're extremely excited to announce that our messenger bag, The Austin Messenger, has made its television debut on ABC's Happy Endings in Max and Dave's apartment. We have always been big fans of the show and are super pumped to be a small part of it. Happy Endings airs on Wednesday nights at 8:30 pm CT, so tune in! Check out this picture of the Austin messenger bag on the set:

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Food trucks are a huge part of Austin, Texas culture. Last night, I think we may have stumbled on the best one around. Chi'Lantro Korean Mexican fusion is heaven in a trailer park. Daniel decided to go healthy and ordered the Kimchi Fries Burrito: French fries, BBQ pork, cheese, onions, and special sauce all rolled into a tortilla. Go try it out for yourself on 2nd and Congress.. Details

In anticipation of the upcoming SXSW festival in Austin, our founder Daniel decided it was time to upgrade his current boot collection. Here is what he went with: Details

We've been spending hours in the workshop coming up with our new collection. We're still finalizing some prototypes but we're very excited for what's in store. We're introducing a new color for the Alegna ipad purse: slate with burgundy leather. That will be available in a few weeks. Also on the docket: a leather iphone case and leather macbook air sleeves. And oh yea, a ridiculously tight backpack...

Stay tuned!

The new Alegna ipad purse in Slate/ Burgundy

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I’m not sure what percentage of travelers who visit Italy end up visiting Sicily. I’ve been to Italy twice and only hit Sicily on my second trip, but in my opinion it’s worth a visit in and of itself. Think hot salty air, gorgeous views of the countryside and the sea, and a slow yet spicy pace of life. Although Sicily became part of Italy in 1860, it is considered its own autonomous region and has its own unique cultural history. This largest island in the Meditterranean is typically associated with agriculture and Don Corleone, and there is plenty to offer in the way of cultural sites to visit. In high summer, when I visited, there were considerably less tourists than in mainland Italy, which was a welcome change. Sicily has its own distinct language, Sicilian, but I didn’t have any trouble using my spotty Italian with the locals.

Palermo, the capital city, certainly has a different feel than the rest of Italy. Visit the Vucciri market for incredible fresh seafood, produce and a real slice of Sicilian life. Palermo is a real beach city; Mondello is the most popular and the most crowded, but also the most fun, in our opinion. There are many, many gelato shops and stands in Mondello, too. Our favorite flavor is zabaglione (egg custard), but you can’t go wrong with a classic cioccolatto (chocolate), either.

The first step in creating the ultimate Italian meal.

We also recommend visiting the shrine to Santa Rosalia, the patron saint of Palermo. Perched high on Mount Pellegrino where the saint was said to have hermited herself in a cave, this church and shrine is a gorgeous site to behold.  There is a real sense of serenity here, despite the tourist stands hawking Godfather t-shirts just a few feet from the sanctuary’s door.

Ceffalu is a bustling, colorful village not far from Sicily, and was one of our favorite sites in all of Sicily. The ancient city now boasts tons of upscale shops, delicious restaurants, and a nightlife worth staying a night for (or so we hear; we took a day trip from Palermo which is also doable!).

Seeing Mt. Etna was without a doubt one of the coolest things we did on our trip to Sicily. Travel up and up, around and around, eventually reaching the top of the largest active volcano in Europe where you can hike to higher points, collect lava rocks or enjoy a slice of pizza overlooking the craters. If you’re around during the Giro de Italia, the yearly cycling race, there’s a leg that travels from popular tourist city Messina to Etna, too.

If you go to Sicily, you simply cannot miss the epic Greek ruins at Selinunte and Agrigento. Selinunte, the smaller of the sites, consists of five temples overlooking the radically beautiful Sicilian coastline. You can climb on a few of the ruins, and we recommend going in late afternoon, when the setting sun turns the ancient stone to a fiery orange.

Great job by this girl of ruining the picture!

Agrigento, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was founded as a Greek colony in the 6^th century, is a much larger site with a much more organized tourist system, including guided tours, an archealogical museum, modern sculptures throughout, and more.  The ruins are equally as beautiful and breathtaking; you won’t easily forget seeing “The Valley of Temples.” Agrigento is also a modern city, albeit a small one, with a few sites in its own right: an old Roman quarter, some tourist shops, and a large cathedral.

If you’re planning a trip to Italia, definitely consider a trip down south. We promise you won’t be disappointed with Sicily’s incredible scenery and rustic charm. 

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While Daniel, head Satchelor of Satchel & Page, lived in Brazil, he developed an addiction. The addiction was to acai. Acai, a superfruit from the Brazilian Amazon has risen in popularity over the last few years. Done right, the acai bowl may just be the best snack ever. Yes, bold statement, but wait until you try one. Here are a few ground rules when it comes to acai bowls:

1. Don't waste your time with acai juice - Acai juice is watered down and mixed with cheaper ingredients like apple juice concentrate. This is a common scam of the food industry. "Let's put 15 ingredients in the bottle so we can use as little of the expensive ingredient as possible." Monavi, the multi-level marketing product, is a perfect example of this trick. 

2. For convenience, taste, and quality, go with a sorbet as your acai base. This acai sorbet by Sambazon is serviceable and easily available at whole foods. This sorbet by Acai Roots , is better as they use a higher grade acai. The downside is, you have to order it. 

3. Go for the Acai 1-day trifecta : Breakfast, lunch, and dinner - As a versatile snack with high nutritional benefits, acai can be eaten at any time of the day. For breakfast, throw in some green tea powder or guarana extract in place of coffee. For lunch, add granola and almonds for carbs and protein. For dinner, add some whey protein powder. 

4. Combination is everything - Bananas are perfect complement to the cocoaish, berry taste of the acai. If you're not a fan of banana, try mango. It's not typically served with acai, but we've found it to be a killer combination as well. 

At this point, you owe it to yourself to take a trip down to Brazil and have the real thing. If you're in Sao Paolo, we recommend Frutaria Sao Paolo, the best juice bar in the city. If you're in Rio, there are many more options. Try Bibi Sucos.

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We recently spoke with Sarah Scoble Commerford, the blogger behind the international food blog What’s Cooking in Your World? Sarah’s almost two-year-old blog was born out of a challenge from her son: cook a recipe a week from each of the world’s 193 countries. Sarah rose to the challenge and we’re so glad she did! What’s Cooking in Your World is full of stunning food photography, interesting historical, cultural and geographical information about each country, and of course, recipes! We recommend the Mango and Lime Curd Tartlets from Tanzania, the coconut cookies from Samoa or Russian black bread and caviar. Here’s what Sarah had to say about cooking her way around the world, eating when abroad, and more:

1. How do you decide what recipe to make from each country? Do you research the overall cuisine or do you focus on a specific aspect/ingredient?

 I search the web, my cookbooks and friends for inspiration. I try to pick something I know my family will like as well. Even though they're adventurous eaters, I do try to find things we'll all enjoy, as most often, the meals I make double as our dinner. I always look for a dish that's as authentic as possible and uses ingredients I can source (which is half the fun) - I try really hard not to substitute or adapt my recipes.

2 .What's your favorite recipe that you've made over the course of blogging the world's cuisine? And how about your son's favorite (since he prompted the idea)?

 I can't say that I have one favorite dish,  but I do have favorite regions: North African (Morocco, Tunisia), Mediterranean/Middle Eastern, Provincial and West Indian cuisine are my favorites. My son likes tropical cooking - anything that involves coconut, mango, papaya and curry.

3. Where is the place in the world you'd love to travel to most?

I'd love to go to Morrocco, and have been invited to visit from friends I've made through my blog. Also, I'd love to go to the island of Mauritius, where I've also met a friend through my blog. Honestly, though, I'd welcome the opportunity to travel and completely immerse myself in the culture of most any country.

4. Has it been hard to find some of the more unusual ingredients some of the recipes have required?

The harder it is to source the ingredient, the more I want to find it. I'm lucky to live in an area that has almost everything I need: wild boar, ostrich, durian, chestnut flour. And, local vendors have been wonderful about helping me find whatever I need.

5. Do you have any tips for eating when you're abroad?

Be open. Be respectful. Be gracious. Be adventurous. Leave your preconceived notions about what's good (or not) behind. And always, do your best to observe customs and rituals whether you're at a family table or in a restaurant.

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Moseyin’ Around Marfa, Tx 

This tiny west Texas town (population roughly 2000) is an artist’s haven. About two and half hours from the nearest large city of El Paso, Marfa is the perfect place to relax and experience the feeling of manana: don’t worry about it today, worry about it tomorrow. With a few good restaurants, a few good hotels, and a few fun activities for tourists, Marfa is all about quality over quantity. It’s also a place unlike any other we’ve been to; you’re just as likely to see a farmer pulling his tractor through town as you are to see a Brooklyn transplant in skinny jeans and retro glasses.

If you’re a fan of artist Donald Judd, Marfa is your heaven. With over 15 different spaces devoted to Judd’s life and art, there’s more than enough to keep you occupied. Visit the Judd Foundation website for more information.  Also be sure to check out Ballroom Marfa, an incredible space for contemporary art. When you drive into town, make sure you stop and take a picture of the art installation piece “Prada Marfa” a model Prada store just outside the city limits of Marfa.

Once you’ve seen the art, there’s plenty more to do in Marfa, including viewing the mysterious “Marfa lights.” These unexplained lights have been appearing in the desert sky near Marfa since the late 50s. There are quite a few theories as to what causes them (Aliens? Headlights from a passing highway? Vapors ?) but until you see them for yourself, I wouldn’t wager a guess. The viewing area is located a few miles outside of town and is open at night. Marfa also has a cute downtown with a couple of decent shops and galleries, including the hotel’s gift shop and the awesome bookstore, Marfa Book Company. We also recommend biking around town, as many of the locals do, or hitching a ride to another cool town nearby, Alpine.

Sleeping options are somewhat limited in such a small town, but you can’t go wrong with Hotel Paisano. Both Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor stayed at this gorgeous old hotel during the filming of Giant, and you can even book yourself into the “Rock Hudson suite.” We’ve stayed there and we promise it’s worth every penny! The hotel is located smack-dab in the middle of downtown and has a terrific courtyard where you can enjoy a red beer and people watch. If you’re looking for something less traditional, there’s the Thunderbird, a remodeled 50s motel on the outskirts of town, as well as El Cosmico, a creative and sustainable vintage trailer hotel and campground created by Austin hotelier Liz Lambert. I’d love to try El Cosmico the next time I’m in town. People in Marfa are friendly, so you might have some luck with couchsurfing, too. 

Ok, so how about the eats? We dig Pizza Foundation, which is built in an old gas station. The pizza’s great and made to order, the staff are sweet and , and they serve Coke from Mexico, which comes in glass bottles and is made with real sugar. Marfa Table, closer in to downtown on Highland Ave (the main drag of Marfa), is a terrific contemporary restaurant that serves fresh and mainly local food. It’s BYOB and the servers and chef are so damn friendly you’ll think you wandered into your own grandmother’s kitchen. In fact, when we ate there we weren’t aware of their cash-only policy. Since there’s only one ATM in all of Marfa, the owner/waitress told us to just go and send a check when we got back home. That’s right, she not only trusted us leave the restaurant without paying, she trusted us to leave the town without paying. Suffice it to say the check was sent, with quite a bit extra on trop. Food Shark is great, too; a food truck that serves up “Mediterranean by way of West Texas” food, it’s open Tuesday-Friday from 11:30 to 3:00 next to the railroad tracks.

Fancy a drink? We recommend Padre’s, which has great food, great drinks and one of the best jukeboxes we’ve ever seen. Padre’s has a terrific outdoor area, complete with shuffleboard, pool, air hockey, old pinball games, mismatched vintage seating and more. And did we mention there’s live music most nights of the week?

If you get a little bored knockin’ around town, Big Bend National Park is just a few hours away, perfect for camping, hiking and more. We betting you won’t though; Marfa’s friendly citizens, quirky vibe, clear desert air and clear desert skies, combined with its chill and quirky vibe, almost convinced us to move there!

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We’ve combed through the amazing annals of Etsy to find some of the best travel products out there. And the best part? These awesome travel accessories are all handmade by independent artists and companies:

You’ll always be reminded of your trip to the City of Lights with this Paris Skyline Wall Decal. We like it in classic black, but the vinyl decal is available in several different colors. The dramatic city skyline adds a lot of interest to a room, especially a living or dining room. And if you get tired of it, simply peel away! $85.00, WallStar Graphics.

Never be caught with a warm beer again. Soft and cushy, this knit cozy can travel anywhere with you, from box seats at the Super Bowl to the sandy beaches of the Caribbean. $6.95, Handmade by Sandi 

If you find yourself in a bind when you’re out hiking, rock climbing or rafting, simply unravel this Paracord bracelet and you’ve got yourself several yards of cord that has all sorts of uses. You can choose your cord strength and the colors you’d like, too. This great store also sells keychains and pet collars! $12.00, Top Knotch Gear.

It’s de rigeur these days to have a fancy camera. Leave the point-and-shoot at home and keep your DSLR safe by using one of these gorgeous ecofriendly camera straps.  We love the 60s inspired design! $26.95, Couch Guitar Straps 

These single-use soaps are perfect for toting with you on the road; the peppy spearmint, eucalyptus and peppermint scent will wake up your mind and body. Just add water and washcloth. $6.15, Soap for Your Soul

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