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If I would like to attach a second monitor to my MacBook air is my only option the Thunderbolt Display? Everything I've found online points me there, but those are a cool grand, so I'm wondering if there are other options out there that I just don't know about.

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To clarify, do you mean you want two external displays attached to the Air? If you just want one, you can use pretty much anything, given an adapter. – Dan J Oct 6 '12 at 4:37
Just one for now. So would I just need a Thunderbolt to "X" addapter? – Abe Miessler Oct 6 '12 at 4:42
In fact, you just need a mini-DisplayPort to "X" adapter, as Thunderbolt is backwards-compatible with mDP (per robmathers's answer). – Dan J Oct 7 '12 at 23:03

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The Thunderbolt ports are also mini-Displayport compatible. So you can hook up pretty much any display (Displayport, HDMI, DVI, VGA) with the proper adapter.

For high-resolution panels (greater than 1920x1200), you should try to go with Displayport if possible, as the mini-Displaylink to dual-link DVI adapters have been problematic for many people (this isn't an issue for single-link DVI displays, which comprise all but the largest DVI displays around).

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