[Elfsea] Fw: NYTimes.com - 36 Hours In Fort Worth

[Morgan Cain (Ret.)]

> In Fort Worth
>
> June 25, 2004
>  By SUZANNE HAMLIN
>
>
> ONCE the dusty, dowdy sidekick to Dallas, Fort Worth seems
> well on its way to becoming the liveliest two-step in
> Texas, an irresistible combination of cowboys and culture.
> In a two-decade overhaul, significantly helped by generous
> oil-rich natives, the little fort that was created to
> protect Dallas has grown up to become a center of
> innovative architecture, art, music, ballet and opera.
> Sundance Square, the revitalized, spirited downtown, is a
> model of urban planning. "Where the West begins" was Fort
> Worth's 1800's descriptive - and still, with more big blue
> sky than skyscrapers and more sidewalks than freeways, the
> city proper (population over 500,000) is unabashedly
> hospitable to drop-ins. As for that Texas summer heat: no
> problem. Curled brim, high-vented cowboy hats are sold and
> worn everywhere, even inside with air-conditioning.
>
> Friday
> 4 p.m.
> 1) Fueling Up
>
> Take a detour on the way in
> from the airport to see for yourself why many locals say
> that "life is too short to live in Dallas." A landmark on
> the nation's barbecue map, the Railhead Smokehouse (2900
> Montgomery Street, 817-738-9808) is a family-run
> wood-paneled pit stop that serves smoked ribs, turkey,
> brisket, sausages and other seriously succulent ranch
> favorites. Pump yourself a goblet of beer and get in the
> cafeteria line. The tab will be under $10 a person.
>
> 6 p.m.
> 2) Saddle Up for Drinks
>
> Head over to the
> Stockyards District, which is on the National Register of
> Historic Places. Starting about 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. each
> day, the longhorn drive moves down East Exchange Avenue.
> The coast should be clear by now, so it's safe to visit the
> Stockyards Hotel (109 East Exchange Avenue, 817-625-6427).
> Pass through the Wild West lobby of overstuffed chairs and
> palms and turn left into the "no-strangers-here" bar.
> Choose your bar seat - a stool or a saddle - and cool down.
>
>
> 8 p.m.
> 3) Dinner at the Hacienda
>
> Joe T. Garcia's (2201 North Commerce Street, 817-626-4356)
> is about a half mile from the Stockyards, but it might as
> well be in the middle of Mexico. Once a private home, now a
> square city block of tiled rooms, courtyards, patios,
> fountains and hanging plants, it's like a continuing
> fiesta, including mariachi bands and a wedding party or two
> on weekends. There is always a line (no reservations for
> small parties) and only cash is accepted, but the high
> spirits are free, the service is great and the family-style
> menu is reasonable, including the enchiladas ($9.75),
> fajitas ($11.75) and the margaritas by the pitcher
> ($19.25).
>
> 9:30 p.m.
> 4) Jumbo Jamboree
>
> Billy Bob's Texas (2520 Rodeo Plaza, 817-624-7117) was
> built as a cattle barn in 1910 and used as an aircraft
> plant in World War II. In 1981 it became what is billed as
> the "the world's largest honky tonk," and with room for
> 6,000 people in 100,000 square feet, who's going to argue?
> Admission on weekends ($6.50 to $10.50 after 6 p.m.)
> provides access to 32 bar stations, a pool hall, a
> Texas-size dance floor and nightly entertainment beginning
> at 8. Willie Nelson is scheduled on July 4.
>
> Saturday
> 9:30 a.m.
> 5) Japanese Tranquillity
>
> Time for a Zen moment
> before the rest of your excursion. The Japanese Garden at
> the Botanic Garden (3220 Botanic Garden Boulevard,
> 817-871-7686) awaits. A onetime gravel pit, now carved into
> 7.5 acres of Japanese landscapes and structures, the garden
> is centered around a serpentine pond, with schools of
> astoundingly large, lively and friendly rainbow-colored
> koi.
>
> 11 a.m.
> 6) Wild West Women
>
> If you've ever fallen in love with a cowgirl, or wished you
> were one, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
> (1720 Gendy Street, 817-336-4475) is a must. Not just
> chicks in chaps, it's a celebration - through multimedia
> presentation, films and costume exhibitions - of Western
> women, including celebrity singers, writers and artists, as
> well as a multitude of lesser-known names - women who rode
> and ranched across the West, and still do.
>
> 12:30 p.m.
> 7) Art Park Afternoon
>
> The city's foremost art museums are
> in an architectural dreamscape, each building seamlessly
> linked by elegant landscaping and walkways. The newest is
> the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (3200 Darnell Street,
> 817-738-9215). Designed by the architect Tadao Ando to
> house mid 20th-century to contemporary art, the building is
> a series of soaring glass pavilions surrounded by shallow
> water and river-stone pools. Fortify yourself at the Café
> Modern just inside the lobby; the menu includes a venison
> meatloaf brioche sandwich ($12). Smaller in size but no
> less arresting, the Kimbell Art Museum, above, (3333 Camp
> Bowie Boulevard, 817-332-8451) is down the walkway.
> Designed by Louis Kahn and completed in 1972, it holds
> recognizable masterpieces - including works by Mondrian and
> Goya - balanced by the serenity of arched stone galleries.
> Just ahead is the Amon Carter Museum (3501 Camp Bowie
> Boulevard, 817-738-1933). Designed by Philip Johnson, it
> opened in 1961, and its gallery space has tripled. Its
> American and European collection is extensive, but it is
> perhaps best known for its Western art and photography.
>
> 6 p.m.
> 8) Sundance Stroll
>
> Sundance Square, 20 blocks of
> old brick-paved streets, is filled with spiffy hotels,
> restaurants, clubs and shops. At dusk, street strolling
> becomes a major activity among the locals. Cruise the
> quirky shops and boutiques and drop in at the Sid
> Richardson Collection of Western Art (309 Main Street,
> 817-332-6554), the late oil patriarch's admission-free
> gallery of paintings and sculptures by Frederic Remington
> and Charles M. Russell.
>
> 8 p.m.
> 9) Dinner at the Ranch
>
> Film buffs will recognize Reata as the ranch in the 1956
> movie "Giant." And Reata, the restaurant, (310 Houston
> Street, 817-336-1009) is a big enough concept to invite
> comparison. Spread over several floors of an old building
> in the heart of Sundance Square, its polished Western
> ambience is well-served by a professional staff, an
> extensive wine list and a sophisticated interpretation of
> Western cuisine. It is moot whether Reata's ranch hands
> feasted on pan-seared pepper-crusted tenderloin with a port
> wine sauce ($29.95), bone-in double pork chop with a
> Bourbon apple sauce ($18.95) or tortilla-crusted salmon
> with a salsa verde ($20.95). Just don't question - or miss
> - the dessert tacos with caramelized bananas and chocolate
> gravy ($6.95). For a nightcap, the fourth-floor bar has a
> panoramic skyline view. If your stamina holds up, the hot
> clubs around Sundance Square stay open until at least 2
> a.m.
>
> Sunday
> 8 a.m.
> 10) Hometown Breakfast
>
> Wherever you're from, the downtown Corner Bakery Café (615
> Main Street, 817-870-4991), a combination coffee shop and a
> deli, will seem like home. There is a cross-country
> panorama of breakfast selections, all $6 or less. And check
> the take-out menu of salads and sandwiches for an in-flight
> lunch on the trip home.
>
> 10 a.m.
> 11) Rocket Science
>
> The only downside to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and
> History (1501 Montgomery Street, 817-255-9300) is that the
> interactive marvels - from a dinosaur dig, above, to the
> experiments of "Hands on Science" - make it hard to leave.
> Although many of the hands-on exhibits are geared to
> children and families, almost everyone is enthralled by the
> continuing dramas in the Noble Planetarium or the Omni Theater.
>
>
> Visiting Fort Worth
>
> Most major carriers serve Dallas-Fort Worth International
> Airport, which is a hub for American and Delta. Downtown
> Fort Worth is about 25 minutes from the airport by cab.
>
> There is no shortage of rooms in Fort Worth, and up-to-date
> hotel package deals are listed on www.fortworth.com.
>
> The Courtyard by Marriott/Blackstone, (601 Main Street,
> 817-885-8700) is a newly renovated hotel in the heart of
> downtown. It has an indoor whirlpool and outdoor heated
> pool. Rooms range from $99 to $179.
>
> Etta's Place Bed & Breakfast, (200 West Third Street,
> 817-255-5760) is named for Etta Place, the sometime
> girlfriend of the Sundance Kid. Its 10 rooms have period
> furnishings. Rates are $125 to $280.
>
> Since 1907, the Stockyards Hotel, (109 East Exchange
> Avenue, 817-625-6427), has served cattle barons and a few
> crooks, notably Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Its 52
> rooms and suites have period décor. Sunday-to-Thursday
> rates are $139 to $425; Friday and Saturday, $169 to $425.
>
>
>
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/25/travel/25HOUR.html?ex=1089165957&ei=1&en=4
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