Moving to El Paso from Hershey, PA (San Antonio, Fort Stockton: rent, condo)

[joqua]

Originally Posted by shinycookies28

I'm a walker and it's good that the town is a pedestrian town. If it's not too warm, maybe I can walk to Utep...too far?

I would never refer to El Paso as a "pedestrian town." Not sure where that came from, but it might apply to the downtown area and the areas abutting downtown (Sunset Hgts. - EP High area) to some degree.

For commuting to and from UTEP, there are various bus routes that will get you there and back. You can find information on routes and schedules here:

http://www.sunmetro.net/routes-and-schedules.html

Just recently there were a couple killed while crossing Mesa Ave at the university and they were a former UTEP athletic director and his wife who were well aware of the dangers of footing it in that area.

EL PASO, Texas – Two people were killed in a pedestrian accident in west El Paso near the Don Haskins Center Thursday morning, police said.


The victims were Ben Wesley Collins, a former athletic director at the University of Texas at El Paso, and his wife, Mary Gene Collins.


The crash happened around noon Thursday on 2900 Mesa Street.


Police said the 93-year-old man and his 86-year-old wife were not at a crosswalk when they tried crossing the southbound lanes of Mesa Street.

[Army_Guy]

Originally Posted by banal

I wouldn't trust Army_Guy's opinion, he has an odd taste for egregious commercials.

Kidding aside, since you are working at UTEP. I would advise looking for places on the west side (79922, 79912) since the commute is shorter as compared to living on the east side (and it is not getting any better because of the ongoing construction near Lee Trevino). Puerta Villa is a good place to start as previously mentioned but a notable recommendation is the Montecillo apartment complexes (The Venue at Montecillo | Apartments for Rent in El Paso, TX) since it is even closer to UTEP. That area also has some pretty good restaurants/amenities within walking distance and they are building a small entertainment district across the street (supposed to include more restaurants and an Alamo Drafthouse).

I had to YouTube some of their older commercials last night.

If she went to Montecillo, I think she could park her car majority of days and just bike it to work.

That does seem to be a good area for restaurants and amenities.

Originally Posted by joqua

I would never refer to El Paso as a "pedestrian town."

I don't think I would consider it a pedestrian town, either.

I think the OP may have misunderstood, I think there are certain neighborhoods that are pedestrian/bike friendly and if you live in a certain area, you can walk/bike for a lot of things. But overall, it probably isn't the type of town where you can walk/bike everywhere.

[katzpaw]

I rarely see bikes or the bike lanes being used. It would be a rare sighting in El Paso "Car Bingo".

[shinycookies28]

Ah...thank you for the clarification.I did misunderstood Army Guy's comments.

I looked at monticello and those prices are way over my budget for a one bedroom, especially without any utilities. Puerta Cimarron and the Pointe are the main contenders for now.

How do we feel about shipping a packed car? That drive is looking brutal! The longest I've driven is 14 hours and it was pretty easy but man...

I absolutely loved the NE coast! To be within reach of a lot of major cities is awesome. However those polar vortices....I've had enough!

Thank you so much for all the help! Once I move and get settled I'll be glad to be part of the welcoming committee.

[Army_Guy]

The drive really isn't that bad. The key is to break it down to manageable segments. If it were me driving in segments, I'd go from FL to Lake Charles, LA to Kerrville, TX to El Paso.

Then again, when it comes to driving, I can put in a lot of miles. I once drove from Los Angeles to Chicago quite easily. Left L.A. at 5am on Sunday morning and arrived in Chicago at 9pm on Monday night.

As for shipping, some shippers will not let you pack the car. You're also looking at probably $1.50/mile. You factor that in plus your plane ticket and it doesn't seem to make sense money wise.

[lmbebo]

As for the drive from SA to ELP, any recommendations on stops to take along the way. No time in terms of sight seeing, but just having a few stops to make sure to fill up on gas, check on the baby, etc.

[Army_Guy]

Originally Posted by lmbebo

As for the drive from SA to ELP, any recommendations on stops to take along the way. No time in terms of sight seeing, but just having a few stops to make sure to fill up on gas, check on the baby, etc.

Not really, there's a town of about 3k or so called Ozona maybe 4 hours east of ELP. Other than that, you're not going to run into much besides gas stations until you hit the Fabens area just east of ELP.

[joqua]

Originally Posted by Army_Guy

Not really, there's a town of about 3k or so called Ozona maybe 4 hours east of ELP. Other than that, you're not going to run into much besides gas stations until you hit the Fabens area just east of ELP.

You're forgetting Fort Stockton, the largest town between SA and EP. Also Junction, Sonora, Van Horn and Sierra Blanca - all of which have at least a gas station and a motel.

[atrabilius]

Originally Posted by joqua

You're forgetting Fort Stockton, the largest town between SA and EP. Also Junction, Sonora, Van Horn and Sierra Blanca - all of which have at least a gas station and a motel.

lmbebo said there was no time for sightseeing, but maybe if s/he stops in Sierra Blanca s/he could take an extra five minutes to cruise by the Hudspeth County Courthouse there. It's the only working courthouse built of adobe in the United States.

S/he probably wouldn't have time for the Alley Oop Park and Museum in Iraan.

(If there's any other tourist attractions on or near I-10 between San Antonio and El Paso, I'm not aware of them.)

[katzpaw]

Fort Stockton and Van Horn are good stops with motels, chain restaurants, and a choice of gas stations. The other stops between Fort Stockton and El Paso's extremities are small sad lonely gas stations with questionable restrooms and we only stop if someone really, really, really needs to go. Van Horn is a good stop to gas up & eat before pushing on for the final leg into El Paso. Use Google Streetview before you go to know what to expect at different exits.

If you are driving in at night start looking for El Paso's' lit 'star-on-the-mountain' when you get to about Ft Hancock or Fabens. It's a welcoming beacon after such a long drive.