Fort Worth, TX

I wish, I so wish, I was more obsessed with writing in this blog. So obsessed that it makes my insides feel like Julie Andrews on a hill in the Bavaria. (By the way, how awesome was Lady Gaga's tribute*?) Instead, I obsess over dumb shit like boots. For two days I research boots online like it's my j.o.b. I'll allow the first day's tomfoolery: is this cute? is that the real colour? can I walk an hour in those?? The second day, however, that was a pure obsession. I had traversed the land of That Might Be Cute and back. I had scoured sites across the pond and back. I had even ventured into the no man's land that is Bergdorf Goodman and hastily back. Now, it just boiled down to price and availability -- to no avail. Today is the third day, I wake up still slightly obsessed, note the post I'm working on and think, "I bet it would be cheaper to fly to Fort Worth, get a custom boot made there, then fly back." Tempted, very tempted.

Texas Monthly rated the best 25 bootmakers in Texas. El Paso has the highest number with five, Ft. Worth comes in second with three. But what does Paso del Norte know about cowboy boots? I'mma Amurican, and I want me some Amurican cowboy boots dammit.  I think this is why in Ft. Worth you'll see certain individuals (with a puppy and all) look and act like children sitting on a bull. Because they found a place that feels like Amurica, not Americá. Or my favourite, Amreeka.

For years I assumed Ft. Worth was Dallas' identical twin because of the airport and other twin cities (e.g. St. Paul-Minneapolis, Raleigh-Durham). So wrong. It's the fraternal twin parents love slightly more because it's prettier, and in turn, it does everything right to earn their affection more and more. Show reverence? Yep, the old stockyards are there and still in use. Tidy? Yep, it's cleaner and greener than Dallas. 

Eventually (hopefully), the privileged twin will wonder one day, "Who am I?" I wouldn't say Ft. Worth is going through an identity crisis, rather individualization. It's apparent even in cyberspace between the city's two websites. Words from a former self on .gov, "Where the West Begins", have evolved to a confident alliteration on .com, "City of Cowboys and Culture." The culture a brown gal and her Persian friend know of wasn't exactly evident, however, the culture both of us love (after yogurt), was. A cowgirl museum and posters for a Lucien Freud exhibition in Ft. Worth?? Surprised me. Don't we always though when we're true to ourselves**?

* Shamefully, I started this post nearly a month ago...

** Sorry for gettin' all Oprah up in here. To be honest, it's because of Oprah :/

Length of Stay

Half a day

Docking Index

     

Six anchors. I think it would be a great city to live in if you love "Old West", but it all felt a bit too theme-parked for me. Probably because a majority of our time was spent in the Old Stockyard district. My original index was five anchors, alas I couldn't deny my love for boots. Then again, I'm sure they're cheaper in El Paso.