Charismatic any beautiful office building in the heart of downtown. It's an amazing place to see…read moreand an even more amazing place to work in. I'm lucky enough to have had the opportunity to work here for years and I love it.

Grateful to friends we came to town to visit for suggesting a tour of this historic home. It was…read morein wonderful condition, very well preserved, and we had a fantastic tour guide. No knowing anything about the Magoffin family prior, it was a big history lesson. Although the home looked in wonderful condition, it will close for a lengthy renovation soon. I'm sure it will be worth a 2nd visit in a couple years.

This is a nice, slow paced tour. It was me and my hubby and one other lady who was a bit of an…read moreoddball that were on the tour. The tour guide was super sweet and architecture of the place is really beautiful. There's a rich and interesting background that comes with the house and the Magoffins. Part of El Paso used to be Magoffinsville - So they were a very important part of the local history. Not to give too much away, it is a really interesting tour and you may hear of a ghost or two. It's not a scary tour by any means though. They also do events at the house (check the website) and the place is available for rent if you wanted to plan a small gathering there. The backyard would be really beautiful for a small wedding reception or something like that! The tour is cheap at $7. Hang out and learn some history!

Buffalo Soldier Gate Fort Bliss is the closest gate to the El Paso International Airport and the…read moreMontana Ave/Airway Intersection, this is also the main visitors gate meaning this gate has a building where visitors can get a pass to enter Fort Bliss and it is open 24 hours. Before you arrive to the actual gate there is a parking lot to the left where you can walk to the building if you are in need of a pass. This gate gets busy and the building only holds 5 people. So, there is often a line and people line up outside under the sun or cold to get a pass. In other words be conscious of this and bring an umbrella or jacket as applicable. The waiting time for a visitor pass is approximately 5 to 8 minutes per person depending on the person/situation. Other than the long waiting time the staff is respectful and to the point. To get a pass you will need a sponsor, an identification card and you will need to fill up a form. The requirements do change every once in a while so check out their website ahead of time.

This gate is one of two you can use to get a visitor pass. If you know you need a pass, please…read moredon't wait until Friday afternoon to get it. The line will be wrapped around the building during that time. Also remember you can apply ahead of time through a soldier's computer. Check their website to see current rules.

Newly renovated and reopened after a 5-year closure! There…read moreare study rooms, a computer lab, an extensive Border Heritage area, meeting rooms, and tons of children's and adult programming.

A 5 star facility frequented by 1 star people... This has nothing to do with socioeconomic status…read moreor anything racial, but I saw a fight break out in the lobby the last time I was here. Not a shouting match, not a shoving match, actual punches were thrown, and the fact that the security guard merely asked them to break it up while these people's friends were trying to pull them apart made it worse. These people needed to be kicked out or the police should have been called, that's why I reflect this incident on my review. That aside, I hadn't visited this library since the new renovation, and like I said, the facility is great. They have a nice lobby area, which is not only perfect for cholos to fight, but they also have a coffee stand. The computer lab setup is great, lots of PCs available. The stacks area is brightly lit, which makes it a good place to study. And of course they have the most books since its the main branch. It's a real shame that security is an issue, particularly since this branch is the only one open every day of the week and is open the latest. It is a great library to visit during the daytime.

Best view is actually from the park at the corner of loop 375 and Yarbrough Road. There is lots of…read morespace to stop and see it across Loop 375 without worrying about setting off and ground detection that can happen if you try to get too close.

Oh border fence of mystical wonder. How you make the view of the Texas-Mexico border from my house…read moreso pleasant! Really, there's nothing like a nice park and then a lengthy chainlink fence with men in green hovering around in their big trucks 24-7. Nothing. I remember the days when you didn't exist (that's right, there once was a time when there was no fence, just a river and small ditches with eddys of death). Those eddys of death are still there, of course. But since you've gone up, things have just not been the same. Of course, I was about 8 when this happened, but I remember it like it was yesterday. A huge fence, with a hole where one of the doors should have been. "Are they just trying to make sure everybody goes through that one door?" I asked my mom. Since then, there are no more illegals hiding in the bushes in the front yard of the house. No more illegals knocking on my door asking for money for the bus. No more dodging illegals on the Border Highway who were trying to outrun the "migra." Oh, those were the days. And now they want to replace part of you with a wall. What is the world coming to? Is this the end of us -- me and you -- beloved border fence?

The LTC William W.S. Bliss parade field is located on Main Post inside Fort Bliss between Sheridan…read moreand Pershing Road. You can see it to the right as you enter Fort Bliss from the 24-hour Cassidy Gate. Through walking paths, this beautiful and large parade field is connected to the Japanese Garden, Memorial Circle, the 1LT Pail A. Noel Parade Field, and the Old Fort Bliss Replica Cultural Center. Many Soldiers also use the paths for running. From the LTC Williams WS Bliss parade field, one can appreciate many other historical buildings and houses, including the beautiful green and white Pershing House. The parade field's perimeter is approximately 1.09 miles, but if you continue to walk the connected paths all the way to Replica and back, you will cover a bit over three miles. The parade field has a parking lot mainly used for business at the IG office, Fort Bliss Courtroom, and the Fort Bliss MWR building. Walking through this area during the summer is refreshing because you will experience some green. The parade field was named after William Wallace Smith Bliss, who entered the Military at 14 and, at age 17, was commissioned to serve in the infantry. He taught at West Point, was part of the Mexican War in 1846, became private secretary to former President Zachary Taylor, and died in 1850 at 37. In 1854, Fort Bliss was named in his honor. LTC Bliss was known for his enthusiasm for learning different native cultures and languages.

I thoroughly enjoyed the El Paso Mission trail and making each stop along the route. The best stop…read moreby far is San Elizario. I suggest stopping here first and starting at 10:00am when the museum and church open. Not only is this the most scenic and peaceful stop, it offers the most interactive experience of all the nearby missions. Oscar was working the museum on the morning that we stopped and he treated us to a great walking tour and provided local history. He is an oral historian and does a great job of informing visitors of area history as well as culture. Stop in and ask for him. He walked us around the museum and down the nearby streets to give us a tour of the prison and local establishments. I'd say you should plan on being at San Elizario for 1-2 hours to enjoy everything that the area has to offer. Once you've toured, you'll want to hit the local coffee shop known as Cafe Arte di Admore. Amazing coffee, sandwiches, and pastries. The owner even makes all the art on display. You should definitely check out my review for more info on that. Socorro and Ysleta are the other two missions and certainly worth seeing. However, they are in much more bustling areas and will not require the same amount of time. I'd say you can safely plan on 15 minutes at each of these thus making the entire experience about a half day commitment. Please have fun and enjoy!

I agree with the first reviewer that this Mission Trail is essential for those who want to learn…read moremore about the history of El Paso and the Borderland. I managed to stop at each mission/chapel on my drive back to Arizona to read the plaques, walk around the plazas, and take in some spirituality. Even on an abbreviated schedule, this took me two hours. Unlike the missions of San Antonio, these three missions are best done by car, due to the heavy traffic along the border and the narrow road of travel. All three are well-maintained, but opening hours may vary despite them being posted. All three are within seven miles and the road is well-marked. It's journey is best done from the south, starting with the Elizario chapel and then continuing to Socorro and then Ysleta. The Elizario complex is the most quiet one, away from main traffic or large buildings. A gate prevents vehicular traffic in front of the chapel. A lot of blackbirds like to gather in the trees in the plaza, so watch for bird bombs! The Socorro mission has a large parking area. Getting in and out of this one is easy, but again, watch out for traffic when getting back on the road. There is a somber memorial to the Gutierrez family in the back of the mission. Watch out for two very vicious chihuahuas across the dirt path, too. They like to annoy passers-by. The Ysleta mission is in the most congested area of the three. It's on the Tigua Reservation and a major road is between the parking lot and mission. It's loud and active. The noise can be disturbing. This one is also surveilled by camera and a guard shack. Take the time to read the historical signs, enter the churches and take in some self-reflection when walking through these three complexes. The Ysleta mission is the oldest of the three, yet also one of the busiests.

It's a very very very small library. I wish books were common these days but with technology it's…read morebecoming a diminishing item. We are moving towards ebooks. However, this library suits the purpose. It is not really clean which saddens me. This is probably why I do not like coming here that often. On a side note, they rent movies.

In reality, I'm a fan of all the El Paso public library branches and they are all meet pretty much…read morethe same standards. This library is closest to the Stonehaven/Eastwood area. It's a one story building with a park and walk way outside. Inside there's plenty of seating, computers and laptops available. The book selection is what it is, decent sized (comparable to the size of a library in a public school maybe). If you can't find the book you're looking for, don't give up hope...just go to the front desk (you can also do this online under your account on the libraries website) and make a request. They'll let you know if there is a wait for the book because a lot of people have requested it before you. If there's no wait, expect your book in the next couple of days - they'll give you a call to let you know when it's in. This branch used to have a cafe in the far left corner. I'm not sure what plans they have for it now, but I'm positive it'll either go back to being a cafe or become some kind of "quiet" room. The Jose Cisneros branch like all the others are always having different classes and groups. Check the website to find out if there's a group that you want to check out. They also have a lot of things for kids to do (and even more in the summer) and I would say a majority of it, if not all of it, is FREE. If you're taking your kids here, there's usually a small snake on exhibit near the check out. The snake goes on hiatus during the winter though, but your kids might become a fan of the library just because of that snake. I've seen it happen.