Yep, that’s right, you can spy on the town of Cloudcroft from your computer. So it’s not really spying but it’s a fun site where you can view two different webcams that have been posted in town. It’s really fun to watch the time lapse video as a snow storm moves in. All you have to do is type in http://cloudcroftwebcam.com/ and voila, there is the town of Cloudcroft on your computer screen. Enjoy!
My name is David and I am living El Paso.
Living El Paso
Just enjoying the ride as I live El Paso
Tagged with New Mexico …
El Paso’s role in the next frontier, Space
Runway @ Spaceport America
When I think of future economic development opportunities for El Paso, I think outside of this world. With Spaceport America being built near Truth or Consequences and Jeff Bezos supposedly setting up shop near Van Horn with his own spaceport…Blue Origin.
hmmm…that puts a spaceport on either side of El Paso and within a few hours drive. I’m not sure who REDCo is trying to attract, but I would be pushing hard for space startups to set up shop here. The combustible engine is cool and car manufacturers are nice to have….but space…that is forward thinking!
I would hate for El Paso to possibly be late to the economic space party because we thought that it wasn’t that 
profitable at first. Look wha Dell Computers did for Austin in the technology world and take a peak at what waves Rackspace is making for cloud computing/hosting in San Antonio.
All it takes is one successful company in an industry to help lure others and I belive El Paso could be that place for Space/Alternative Energy world.
What are your thoughts on this? Should El Paso target the space industry?
My name is David and I am living El Paso.
El Paso & Albuquerque…long lost twins?
Is it just me or are these two towns a lot a like? Don Juan de Onate traversed both areas…maybe he is the link? When driving the streets in Albuquerque one can almost imagine being in El Paso (minus the trees of course) Central Ave. which runs in front of the UNM is sorta like Mesa St. but more walkable. I like how the businesses don’t have parking lots in front of their establishments. Instead, you either park on the side or in the back.
As far as downtowns go, El Paso’s has more potential in my mind. Albuquerque’s is nice but it is too spread out (not enough density in my opinion) Both towns have a tramway and both towns also have highway construction going on.
Albuquerque definitely has better retail but as some have mentioned, that probably has to do with a high per capita income and being the largest metro area in state. MGR, as you know, my mission is to bring REI to El Paso and then a whole foods/trader joes…oh yeah and a Borders Bookstore too. I would be set with those three stores!
I think having two interstates intersect in that town definitely helps relieve traffic congestion….don’t get me started on El Paso congestion (getting worse by the minute) I now almost always take Loop 375 instead of I-10. Those connector ramps at 375/I-10 can’t get here soon enough.
I have heard from many of you on your thoughts of Albuquerque but I would like to hear more. What would you like to see El Paso adopt from Albuquerque and vice a versa?
My name is David and I am living El Paso.
A few quick thoughts from ABQ
Love:
1) REI
2) Trader Joes
3) Whole Foods
4)Flying Star/Satellite Coffee
5)ABQ Uptown
6) Scalos (thanks Laurie @ Lynx!)
7) Parks
The similarities between El Paso and Albuquerque are eerily similar and it makes me wonder why El Paso lags behind ABQ in certain arenas…more on that when I get back.
If anyone is looking for some fun this weekend, go check out the Amigo Airsho!!
My name is David and I am living El Paso.
Up in Albuquerque
Just headed up to Albuquerque for a few days and am interested to see what this town is about. I will try to post some pictures while I am here and compare it to aspects in El Paso.
Thoughts so far:
- Central Ave. near UNM is nice and seems to have a lot of shops/restaurants
- Easier to get around town (this may be because of the two interstates that intersect the city)
- Downtown: I heard a lot of hype around downtown but so far have not been that impressed.
- Kimo theatre is nice but the Plaza is as good or better (especially location wise)
- Great location if you want to be close to skiing
Any suggestions on places I should visit while I am here? Next up on my list…ABQ Uptown Just noticed that their website was developed by local company Stanton Street.
My name is David and I am living El Paso.
San Antonio/Austin, Solar capital of TEXAS?
I still read the SA Express news everyday and last night, I came across an article entitled SA, Austin leaders want solar firms. As of right now, it is still just an idea. However, knowing how these two cities operate, it won’t be an idea for too long. What they have proposed is to combine the purchasing power of both of their public utilities (two largest in the country) to lure solar companies to the area. The article goes on to mention the solar plant that is 
currently being built in Albuquerque and will employ as many as 600 people.
I think it is great that two cities in Texas are trying to become the leaders in alternative energy, but if I were El Paso, I would feel behind the curve. Politically speaking, those two cities will have a lot of pull when it comes to getting state and federal funds and if El Paso comes lagging behind, the money might not be there.
Since I moved here, I have wondered why this city hasn’t aggressively gone after solar firms to relocate here. I love San Antonio and Austin, but those cities have a lot more cloudy days than El Paso. El Paso can be the model city for leading the alternative energy push. I will be very disappointed if our city, state, and federal leaders drop the ball. Let”s not get left behind again for lack of a vision, something I think this city sorely needs. I want all cities in Texas to succeed, but I want El Paso to get its share of the pie. Maybe El Paso, Austin, and San Antonio should all work together. Every city has their own strengths and if we were to make this is statewide issue, Texas could rival Germany as one of the top leaders of alternative energy in the World and everyone would benefit.
What are your thoughts?
Also, thank you for all the suggestions so far that came from yesterday’s post, we will go through them in the next few days.
My name is David and I am living El Paso.
Skiing up at Ski Apache & Cloudcroft
The snow flurries last night made me think about skiing up at Ski Apache. I checked the weather reports and saw that they are about 20% open. One great thing about living in El Paso is that skiing/snowboarding is only 3 or so hours away and you can make it a day trip.
Another place you could head to would be Cloudcroft, NM. Check out their site. With the new snow from the past couple days, they are hoping to open up on Monday.
My name is David and I am living El Paso.
La Vina Wine Festival
This past weekend was the La Vina Wine Festival out in La Union, NM. Now I am not a huge wino, but I sometimes like to have a few glasses. We decided last week that a short trip needed to be taken and La Vina was the answer. It is only 20 minutes away, so it wasn’t a taxing drive. 
This festival was filled with probably the most eclectic group of people I have seen in my life. From bikers to suburban families to twenty-somethings, they were all there.
It cost $10 to get in the door. Once in, you were given a wrist band that gave you access to 6 tastings and a souvenir wine glass. We sampled twice and used our last four samplings for a full glass of our favorite selection.
It was a kid friendly environment too. There were some blowup slides/bouncy things and plenty of great food. To top it off, plenty of covered seating plus a farmers market and also a great jazz band.
We spent about two hours out there and had a great time. We definitely look forward to attending La Vina 2009.
Free glasses
My name is David and I am living El Paso.
