2023 Travels -- El Paso, Texas - Passport, Stanton House, Taft Diaz Bar and Savage Goods Coffee

Travel

Passport Rush in El Paso

A quick trip recap — Dallas to El Paso for same-day renewal

7:30 AM

Appointment Time

6 hrs

Total Duration

Same-Day

Renewal

Table of Contents

① Passport Appointment

② Night Before — Taft Diaz Bar

③ Hotel Stay — Stanton House

④ Morning — Savage Goods Coffee

⑤ Exploring El Paso

⑥ Lunch at Sabor

 

Overview

The Mission

I recently found myself in a bit of a bind with an expired passport that needed urgent renewal. I managed to secure a same-day appointment at the Passport Office in El Paso, making the trip from Dallas. While the journey had its share of turbulence, the trip was smooth overall.

Section I

Passport Appointment Details

Detail	Info
Appointment Time	7:30 AM
Interview Called	9:00 AM
Passport Ready	~1:00 PM (called early)
Office Closes	3:00 PM

I arrived at the office, was called for my interview at 9 AM, and observed that others who arrived before me also got their appointments around 1 PM. They mentioned they would call if my passport was ready early, which they did.

The office closes at 3 PM — it's beneficial to stay nearby with a hotel reservation so you can return quickly if called early.

Section II

Night Before — Taft Diaz Bar

On the evening before my appointment, I relaxed at the Taft Diaz Bar in the hotel:

• → Suntory Toki Old Fashioned — $16 (preferred over the regular version)
• → Al Pastor Tacos — $5 each (delicious!)

 

Section III

Hotel Stay — Stanton House

I chose to stay at the Stanton House, which was conveniently located near the Passport Office. It was a nice, slightly upscale hotel for what I needed.

A few pics nearby the Passport Office El Paso in the Anson Mills building.

   

Section IV

Morning — Savage Goods Coffee

After my appointment, I headed to Savage Goods Coffee for breakfast:

• → Cortado — $4 (excellent)
• → Cappuccino — $4 (better than most in Dallas)
• → Breakfast Burrito — $6 (delicious!)

 

Section V

Exploring El Paso

With some time to spare after breakfast, I wandered around the open-air shopping district in downtown El Paso:

• → Shopping — A few blocks of inexpensive clothing boutiques.
• → Art Museum — Free admission. Small but modern — a nice place to cool off.

 

Section VI

Lunch at Sabor

For lunch, I chose Sabor at the Hotel Paso Del Norte, which was across the plaza from the Passport Office. Though pricier than Stanton House, it was a nice option:

 

• → Carne Asada Tacos — Good but average for El Paso.
• → IPA — Paired with the tacos.

Departure from El Paso

Once I had my passport in hand and confirmed everything was in order, I headed to the El Paso Airport (ELP) to fly home. The city was clean and felt safe, and I was satisfied with how everything turned out for this quick trip.

 

El Paso Passport Office · same-day renewal · Stanton House · ELP departure