Coffee Box in El Paso; image by Tom Adkinson.

EL PASO, Texas – People are accustomed to seeing shipping containers in El Paso, especially since 4,000 cross the border with Mexico every day, but two containers in particular draw people’s attention in the heart of downtown. They were repurposed into a two-level business called the Coffee Box that is within walking distance of several hotels, the El Paso Convention Center and the El Paso Museum of Art. One side is colorfully decorated with a wildly colorful mural with swirls of orange, pink and turquoise as a backdrop to three fluttering hummingbirds. Seating is inside or outside, upstairs or downstairs. The containers are 40 feet long and 8 feet wide.

Coffee Box mural; image by Tom Adkinson.

Coffee Box patrons are a mix of downtown workers and guests at the nearby hotels who are in a city that generates $108 billion in trade every year, according to Visit El Paso, the convention and visitors bureau. In addition to the 4,000 shipping containers crossing between El Paso and Juarez, Mexico, daily on four bridges, 35,000 cars transit the bridges, and 22,000 pedestrians make the trip. It’s a busy city, requiring a lot of caffeine.

Trip-planning resource: VisitElPaso.com

(Travel writer Tom Adkinson’s new book, 100 Things To Do in Nashville Before You Die, is available at CornersOfTheCountry.com.)