Larry and I traveled to Marfa, Texas before going to the writer's retreat last weekend. We'd visited the Hotel Paisano several times to take pictures and walk through the shops and the Giant movie memorabilia room. During the making of Giant, stars and crew stayed in the hotel and today guests can stay in the Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor suites. James Dean's room is one of the basic rooms, but all accommodations have been restored to maintain their historical integrity. Hudson and Taylor soon moved to rented houses in the small town. It's interesting to read accounts of people driving miles to see the movie set and try to glimpse the stars. Google the making of Giant and read some of the stories. Here are a few pictures of the movie memorabilia.
I've always wanted to stay in the hotel and this trip talked Larry into it. We thought about one of the suites but settled on a room on the mezzanine where the rooms have small patios with an outdoor fireplace. Nights are beautiful in west Texas and we envisioned a fire and a glass of the Enchanted Rock red wine we picked up in Fredericksburg. Below are a few pictures of our room.
Pictured to each side is the side entrance to the hotel, an interior view of the side hallway and shops. Below is the patio entrance where diners can enjoy their evening meal, have drinks and visit with friends, or merely enjoy the fresh air while reading and pictures of the lobby.
Take a look at the beautiful floor tiles. Though the hotel has air conditioning, it's designed so that breezes rush through keeping the entry area cool. Notice below the indoor pool where the stars swam. Some rooms overlook the pool with small lanais.
And here is the Palace Theatre where the cast watched movies and screened film clips from the movie. Each evening a plane took off from the small airport to deliver film for processing to a studio in California. It returned the following morning with the processed film ready for viewing. The theatre is no longer open but is the home of an artist.Can you imagine a book written to take place during this exciting event? Maybe the story of an extra? I can.
I hope you enjoyed my visit to Hotel Paisano. There are a number of vintage pictures on the web just ready for your viewing and stories galore. Please leave a comment to be entered in my monthly ebook drawing.
Happy Reading and Writing!
Linda
That's fascinating, Linda, especially since I didn't know anything about the hotel or area. Sounds like a wonderful setting for one of your time-slip stories!
ReplyDeleteTrue, Rosemary, but I bet you've seen the movie GIANT. If not, you might want to rent it sometime. I'm thinking about watching it again as it's been so long since I've seen it. Thanks for your comment.
ReplyDeleteHey Linda...now that's my kind of mini-vacation. I love to go somewhere and learn the history of a place. We're retiring this summer and that's high on our 'things to do list'....Great inspiration for a story. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletemy wife and i went to ft davis, marfa,alpine and we had a great time stayed at el paisano hotel it was a great experince. thers just so much to see. mcdonald ovservatory is wonderull also visited the prada store, the mistery marfa lights.
ReplyDeletejust the drive tru the mountains and the cool weather was woth the trip.......... jose
Peg, congratulations on your retirement. You'll have loads of fun. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteHello, Jose. That area of West Texas is a joy to visit. We loved the El Paisano hotel. I must have missed the prada store. Where is it? Thanks for your comment. I hope you'll visit my blog again.
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