Fort Worth? I'm in Dallas--30-45 minutes away if traffic is good. Don't know if I can make it out to Fort Worth, though. I will see if I can arrange a trip out there.
Anyway, there is a joke in Ft. Worth:
Q: what is it the only thing that Dallas has that Ft. Worth doesn't?
A: A nice city in under an hour's drive.
I love Dallas, but there is something to that joke.
Ft. Worth is nice--it really is. Dallas is a glitzy, pretentious town full of fake tans and fake boobs. Ft. Worth is full of real people, most of whom are quite pleasant. If you've never been to Texas before, or the American West at all, I recommend that you do some of the touristy stuff in Ft. Worth--definitely visit the Stockyards. There are a lot of music venues in the area too. You should check to see if anyone is playing that you like. Ft. Worth's music scene is largely country and grunty kinds of metal (at least that's how it looks from Dallas), though there are a few goth/goth-ish bands in that neck of the woods. Jessica's Crime played out there a few years ago, with another band called Ending the Vicious Cycle (who owe a lot to the Cure and Joy Division).
As for drinks, get thee to
the Flying Saucer: it is beer heaven!. Definitely try the local stuff, too--Dallas/Ft. Worth has had a real craft brewing renaissance over the last few years. I'd recommend anything by the Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Community, Peticolas, and the Lakewood Brewing Company (the Temptress imperial stout is heavenly). I'm sure there are others. There's a new brewer in Ft. Worth whose name escapes me at the moment, but they make what they call a breakfast beer that is quite good. The Rahr brewery in Ft. Worth can be hit or miss, but their Ugly Pug Black is really nice on draft.
If you are at all interested in whisky/whiskey, you should try Balcones while you are in town. They are a distiller down in Waco that have been winning a number of international competitions lately.
The Ft. Worth zoo is nice, from what I remember. They have a monkey house, and lots of bonobos, if that floats your boat. The Ft. Worth water gardens can be pleasant as well.
If you have the time and ambition, Dallas is not a long drive away. Alternatively, there is also a commuter train--the Trinity Railway Express--that runs from Ft. Worth to Dallas and connects to the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) rail system in downtown Dallas, which would put you in my neighborhood. If you decide to head into Dallas, I'd probably be back downtown around 3:00 PM or so most days of the week.
When specifically will you be there? What is your schedule like?
Pista wrote:
I've seen the forecast.
Be glad it's June and not August.
Also: here's a link to Ft. Worth's "alternative newsweekly":
http://www.fwweekly.com/
).
