A Time For Everything

As I mentioned on Facebook yesterday, if you follow me there, in the twenty years I've lived in Fort Worth, I've never made a trip to the Stockyards.



But when you have a friend visiting Cowtown from across the Pond what more fitting place is there to go?

We had delicious brisket tacos from Riscky's Barbecue, checked out the Stockyards Collection and Museum in the old Exchange Building, and then caught the "cattle drive."

Brisket tacos:

 


Fort Worth's humble beginnings: the layout of the original fort.





The "cattle drive":



Have a great rest of your week.

Until my writers group conference. A mini-vacation for me, really.

We'll be at one of the fabulous hotels in downtown Fort Worth and you all know how much I love being downtown. I've been thinking about getting Fort Worth Friday back on the schedule and this'll give me a chance to scope out some more locations.


Yeah, yeah, I'm supposed to be at a conference learning stuff. But in all reality I'm mostly there as a board member to help make sure things go smoothly. Once things get underway I can take to the streets! Not that I can go far...

I'm looking forward to spending quality time with several of my writer friends as well as meeting some new friends. I downloaded a book the other day and then discovered the author is attending the conference as well--how fun will that be!

...is back!!

Today, we're going to talk about Bass Hall. I figured since I went Casa Manana last week, Bass Hall would be a good place to visit this week!

Here's a gorgeous picture of the building at night and all lit up. This is not my picture, but is used with permission via Wikimedia Commons. (My pictures, taken by Sonshine, will follow.)


I've attended several performances (ballet, opera, and music) at Bass Hall which is as lovely inside as it is outside. I wish I could share some pictures, but I don't want to step on any copyright toes. If you click here, you can see some.

It's only been around since 1998, but apparently rivals the great concert halls of the world, and is the permanent home of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theater, and the Fort Worth Opera.





Have you ever attended a performance at Bass Hall?

Unfortunately, I am out of pictures of Fort Worth. Which means I need to make another trip around town to get some. I haven't had time to go adventuring, so my apologies. Which means I'm pre-empting today's Fort Worth Friday. I've a tentative date set with Sonshine to get breakfast downtown on Sunday and then meander around. He has an interest in architecture too. Fort Worth Friday should be back on track in two weeks. In the meantime...

Random stuff is random.

So this past Wednesday I talked about all the walking I did in Nashville last week and how I've been attempting to keep up the good work/walk (lol) since I've been back. The first few days were okay, but they got tougher. Especially at 5AM. So I skipped a few in trying to listen to my body's needs. I think I'm over the hump for now. And while the walking is great, it doesn't specifically target my waist line.

There was a time when I did calisthenics at least three to four times a day in conjunction with my trips to the rest room. I have a standard cache of things I do, and they were helpful in getting my blood flowing (cuz I sit on my keister most of the day) and working the muscles around my waist. Now I've got an expanded waist line and I don't like it. So I'm back to some calisthenics. Not the full regime, but getting there. And one of these days, I'll get back to serious calorie counting using MyFitnessPal. I just can't seem to say no everything I should right now. Though, yesterday I opted for home brewed unsweet tea rather than hitting QT for rootbeer or Mickey D's for sweet tea. One NO at a time, I guess.

Remember those life lessons I posted last month and waxed poetic about?? Well, between those and my much-needed, long overdue vacation (short as it was), I've got a totally new attitude. I needed one. I was getting kind of grumpy and crabby.

And I've got some new goals. Some of those life lessons come into play and some are financial. DH is having me listen to some marketing seminars so that we can get our business to a few new levels. Anyway, these seminars are also beneficial for me in the proofreading business when the time comes that I want to and can take on more work. And I found this really cool budgeting software. It sorta does what I do in a spreadsheet, but automates it. I'm using a 34-day free trial, but I really like it so I'm pretty sure I'll end up buying it. I was originally looking for an inexpensive accounting software for the proofing biz, but happened upon this instead. But I s'pose I'll still need an accounting package...more research. Though Quicken seems like the most popular. Maybe I'll look for an iPad app and see what I stumble upon.

So lots of cool and exciting things going on in my world at the moment.

What about you?? What cool and exciting things are going on with YOU?

I really do want to know!

One of the (seemingly) fun ways to see downtown Fort Worth is by trolley! Our fair city has Molly the Trolly to ferry folks around a small area of downtown. I haven't ridden her myself, but it looks like fun and is definitely on my agenda. Best of all, it's a free ride.

We do also have a rapid transit system, which does cost money and can get you to all corners of Cowtown.

Here she is:


For more info on her schedule and route, click here.

Have a great weekend!

I struggled with today's options...but ultimately settled on Fort Worth's own Flat Iron building.

Though modeled after New York City's Flat Iron building in Manhattan,our replica stands only seven stories tall. It was supposedly going to be ten stories, but budgetary restraints caused a couple of floors to be removed from the plans.

Built in 1907 and located at the intersection of Houston and Ninth Street in the southern portion of downtown, but just north of the area of Hell's Half Acre, the building was one of the first steel-framed buildings as well as one of the tallest in North Texas in the early 1900s.

The building's been going through renovations for the last several years and if I had the money and inclination, I'd love to rent/buy one of the loft apartments it will eventually boast. During the restoration process, they've uncovered beautiful original wood and tile floors as well as ceiling friezes. For pictures of the restoration, click here.

Here are some more pictures that I took.




I hope I have the chance to go inside someday and see the completed project.

Today I'm going to talk about the Ann Brannon Award....I know you're wondering what the heck that is and what it has to do with Fort Worth, and of course I'm going to tell you! And any time I can brag about one of my kids, it's a bonus, so here goes:

The Ann Brannon Award, specific to our district, is presented in music, mathematics, art, reading, science and physical education. In order to qualify, one must score in the top 4% in their field on overall grades for which the award is given. It was established in 1976 when Mrs. Brannon, a former elementary school teacher and then Assistant Superintendent for Instruction for the FWISD, suggested that the district honor students who showed the most improvement in a subject or those who advanced beyond normal expectations in a class. An Ann Brannon Award is given to students in the Fort Worth Independent School District for exemplary academic achievement.

Guess whose kiddo got one?

Yes, my Sonshine received the Ann Brannon Award in JROTC for the year. YAY!!!! In case you're wondering, JROTC falls under the physical education umbrella for some reason.

And no bragging is complete without pictures...none of Sonshine receiving it as I didn't get to attend the program...but the award and his certificate:



Despite it being a FWISD honor only, I think any award (aside from participation) is a good thing. :)

Today we're going to take a look at one of several buildings/areas of Fort Worth that have been revitalized--

The old Montgomery Wards building--



The building was built back in 1928 and was the largest building in Texas for many years. It was built so well, it apparently withstood the 1949 flood and the tornadoes of 2000--probably because of the 12 inch concrete walls! (http://montgomeryplaza.com/about/then/)

These days, the whole area has been built up. Not only has the building itself been renovated and now sports condo lofts (http://montgomeryplaza.com/condo-living/), shopping and dining, but the empty property around it is filled with additional retail and living space. Not only that, but it's only a few blocks from FW's Cultural District.

Here it is these days (pictures taken by moi 05.07.13):



The bottom picture is the rear of the building--it's north arm extending farther back than the south arm. As I was driving around I saw a restaurant on top of one of the smaller buildings. One of these days, I have to go in there and chack it out.

Let's visit the Fort Worth Zoo! Our zoo is one of the best zoos in the country. DD and I visited the zoo last fall for the first in many many years. I think I went with one of the kids on a field trip way back in the day, but I was chaperoning kindergartners so my enjoyment of the zoo was minimal at best.

But this time--lots of fun!



The zoo was founded in 1909 with only a handful of animals and was operated by the City of Fort Worth. It's everyday operations were transferred to the Fort Worth Zoological Association in 1991.The zoo has grown by leaps and bounds over the years and now houses over 7000 creatures, both native and exotic, including the largest herpatarium--the reptile and amphibian house. FMI: Forth Worth Zoo wiki page and The Fort Worth Zoo website.

And now for some pics of the animals--cuz that's really why we go to the zoo, yeah??






Have you been to the zoo lately?? And I've gotta ask--what's your favorite zoo animal?

(Mine's the elephant.)

What one thing does Fort Worth have that no other U.S. city, save the capital, has?

Okay, I'm sure there are lots of things, but I'm talking big.

Give up?

A currency facility! Sounds a little anti-climactic, but we literally make money here in Fort Worth. Falling under the auspices of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, our facility produces only paper money. No coins (which I believe involves minting, rather than printing) are created here.

Take a look at any paper money. If you see the letters FW printed in the lower right-hand corner, that means that bill was printed here in Fort Worth. Most likely your money will have that FW stamped on it--as well over half of all money printed is printed here. Did you know that 95% of the bills printed each year, whether here or in D.C. replace old, worn out bills? Also, the bills do not become legal tender until they are placed in the vault!

Sonshine and I went on a tour of the facility way back in 2007, I think, and it was very cool. They were still designing the new $100 bills at the time and had a lot of huge canvas curtains up to block portions of the printing rooms. A glitch in the manufacturing process was discovered in December 2010 and they had to stop printing the new bills for a while, but we should start getting the new one again some time this year.

Today, I'm going to talk about Hell's Half Acre...


For marker text, click here.

At first I thought that this moniker for a portion of downtown during a certain historical time frame was more common--what I mean is that I thought more cities sported such a place with this same nickname. But that's not so. While there are, according to Wiki, several locations throughout the US that are referred to as Hell's Half Acre, only Fort Worth's represents a portion of town also commonly referred to as a Red Light District.

It's true location is in the southern end of downtown; Jones Street (east), Lancaster Street (south), Throckmorton Street (west), and Tenth Street (north) being the borders. Many people erroneously believe it to have been located in what is now the Stockyards area, in the more northern section of downtown.


As you can see on the map (if you click for the bigger version), there are bunches of train tracks just to east of the area, which could have been the location of the first sets of tracks through town.

Anyway, the area sported its fair share of saloons, bordellos, dance halls, and gambling parlors. It's heyday was probably the late 1880s as Fort Worth was a major stop along the Chisholm Trail.

Some of the most famous outlaws of the day, partied in Hell's Half Acre, including Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Sam Bass, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Despite the end of the cattle drives, this section of town continued to thrive until the end of World War I, and, sadly, the construction of the Fort Worth Convention Center in the 1950s and into the 60s demolished the last of the district's buildings.

I know most cities had their Red Light Districts (and many still do) but how cool is the name Hell's Half Acre??? It just evokes that feeling of wild west lawlessness and wickedness, doesn't it?

Welcome to the fifth edition of Fort Worth Friday.

Right in the heart of downtown Fort Worth is a Barnes & Noble--


But, Jen, there are B&Ns across the US, what's so special about that??

Well, it's a two story store, which probably doesn't make it completely unique, but what does make it special is the humongous metal sculpture of a cowboy on a rearing horse. The picture doesn't do it justice... The escalator is on the right, so you can look down at it as you reach the second floor.

Fort Worth has many nicknames: Cowtown, Funkytown, the Metroplex (shared with Dallas), Queen City of the Prairie, the city Where the West Begins, and...

Panther City!

Seems a little odd, considering, but the story goes that back in the late 1870s, a Dallas lawyer had been in Fort Worth and claimed things were so quiet in town that a panther lay sleeping in the street.

There are a couple of statues in downtown, several district high schools have panthers as mascots, and our local Triple A ball club are the Fort Worth Cats--whose mascot also looks suspiciously panther-like.

Here is my picture of one of the two panther statues:

This statue and fountain is located at the corner of Houston and West 9th Street, right next to the Flat Iron Building, which we'll cover some other Friday.

This picture of the other panther statue was taken by Darren Wright and I use it without permission. I was trying to take my own, but my camera battery died but either the charger died or the battery has gone bad. My apologies.

This statue is located across the street from the Tarrant County Courthouse in front of the Tarrant County Tax Assessors office building.

Today, instead of a location, I'm going to talk about a person....

Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr....

You see, he died on Wednesday...

And who is this Van Cliburn, you ask. Well, he was a really famous classical pianist and he lived here in Fort Worth. Not just a local celebrity, but a great international name in the classical music world.


You see, at the age of 23 in 1958 during the Cold War, Mr. Cliburn won the very first International Tchaikovsky Competition--an event designed to demonstrate Soviet cultural superiority.

His subsequent recording of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 became the first classical album to go platinum. It was the best-selling classical album in the world for more than a decade, eventually going triple-platinum. He is also the only classical pianist to ever receive a Ticker Tape parade in New York City.

In celebration of his victory in Moscow, The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition was organized by a group of music teachers and Fort Worth citizens in 1962. It quickly became one of the world's most important and renown piano competitions. For more info on the competition, click here.

A section of street in our Cultural District was re-named Van Cliburn Way at some point.


And here, for your listening pleasure, is Van Cliburn playing his most famous piece: Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, which I'm sure you have all heard at some point. And I do believe this is his original performance in Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in April 1958. The Soviet Union's new Premier, at the time, Nikita Khrushchev, was in the audience. They even asked Mr. Khrushchev's permission to give an American the award.



Mr. Cliburn was 78 and had been diagnosed with bone cancer in the fall of 2012. May he rest in peace.

Welcome to the second edition of Fort Worth Friday.

One of the things I love about Fort Worth is that there's so much history here. The proof is in the wonderful old buildings still prominent throughout the downtown and surrounding area. I really love when these old buildings are given new life.

One such building is the Texas & Pacific Station. Opened in October 1931 to replace the previous building, this building served as railroad terminal and office space with warehouse space just to the west. It was designed in Zigzag Moderne Art Deco styling.


This is part of the warehouse space I think. But there's another building just to the right of this arm and I'm not sure if that really what Wiki was talking about.
The building was run down and abandoned when we first moved to Fort Worth in 1999. According to Wiki (yes, I know what they say about Wiki), that area of downtown declined when the freeway (I-30) was built in 1958. In 1967, the terminal was closed when passenger train service to Fort Worth ended. After that, HUD was the lone tenant from the 70s to the 90s.

The lobby was returned to its former glory in 1999 and passenger service began again when the Trinity Railway Express extended into Fort Worth.

Much to my surprise and pleasure, renovations began on the building in the early 2000s and in 2006, the first lofts were for sale. A smaller adjacent building was built on the east side of the original. The north view of downtown is spectacular I'm sure. The southern view--I guess if you look past the freeway. According to another site, the warehouse building is also slated for renovations, but the economy has postponed those plans.


I took these pictures of the outside (obviously), but did not attempt to go inside. To see pictures of the lobby, click here. And to look at what they've done with the lofts, click here and here.

 I still have more pictures, but another trip with my friends will be discussed this weekend.

Do you live in a city with a rich  history, architectural and otherwise??

It's unseasonably warm for this time of year here in North Texas. I personally don't mind the warmer temperatures, but warmer temps mean that whatever moisture we've accumulated is going to evaporate and we need it. Our lakes and ponds and rivers are still down by anywhere from 9" to 18". Not good folks. But I realize none or few of us are experiencing the weather we grew up with.

The weekend was almost perfect. I wrote and spent time outside doing yard work--if you consider burning off your fire pit yard work--and enjoyed breakfast with a dear friend. The third member of our intended trio had to bow out at the last minute with a sick hubby. While I understood completely, she was sorely missed and her absence was what made the weekend only almost perfect.

But CP and I hit a few major Fort Worth sights and landmarks as well as a couple of minor ones. Sandwiched in between, no pun intended, was breakfast at a local bagel place. I had a pretzel bagel and, oh my, was it delicious.

Starting this Friday, Fort Worth Friday will be resurrected and you'll have the first pictures of our breakfast adventure. My original intent with Fort Worth Friday had more of a historical leaning, but I've decided to just go with anything and everything that tickles my fancy about my home town.

As if that weren't enough, I watched a lot of TV this weekend, including Grey's Anatomy and Downton Abbey, and except the one episode of one show I really wanted to watch. Ah, well. Lunchtime viewing for today.

How was your weekend?

(And can you believe today's post is already up??)

Quick NEWS!!! I just received notification that I finaled in a (writing) contest that I entered. I'm so excited.

Now...unfortunately, the original post for today will have to be postponed as the pictures I took for it are on my old hard drive.

So in lieu of pictures and random ramblings from me regarding those pictures, I'll leave you with a video created by the city. It's only a minute or so..

Here it is, followers and gentle readers--my idea! A series of posts on the history of and other interesting things about my (adopted) home town of Fort Worth. Mostly it'll be about down town and the cool historical things that can be found there, but we'll hit a few other more current things here and there too. I love love love history and without further ado...


I just read, in preparation for my posts, that Fort Worth is "the most typically Texan of all Texas cities." I know what they mean, but it's kinda hard to explain. One of FW's slogans is "Where the West Begins." which helps to do so. FW is a unique combination of Old West and urban city.

It began life as a lonely outpost and is now the 16th most populous city in the US and the 5th most populous in Texas. The first settlement was established in 1840 or so and in 1873, Fort Worth was incorporated with a population of 500. Today we have 741K folks working and playing in our fair city.

This is the boundary now, according to Google maps:


Fort Worth is also considered the county seat and the courthouse stands prominently in the middle of down town:

I don't really think there's time for everything:(

Anyhow, Saturday, July 19th, was hubby's and my 15th wedding anniversary. We celebrated in a way we haven't for many, many years. It began with driving around downtown locating the restaurant we had reservations at in relationship to the hotel - would it be too far to walk in the early evening heat?

Then we searched out free parking and walked a couple of blocks to the Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth.


We checked in and relaxed, and enjoyed the northward view of Fort Worth, including the Tarrant County Courthouse, which was just a couple of blocks away. In fact, the clock tower lit up our seventh floor room quite nicely once it got dark.



This is exactly what our room looked like. Same bed, same draperies, same chair, same layout. The room was cool and spacious. A delicious treat during a Texas July.





This is a view of The Tarrant County Courthouse, made of fine Texas red granite, from the intersection of Main & 2nd Street. I think the concrete building at the front left of the picture is the hotel.



Our 6PM dinner reservation (a first for me) was at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. YUM. Not cheap but awesome food and service. Since I made the reservations online, and had indicated it was our anniversary, the restaurant added a special touch of balloon-shaped confetti on our table.

After dinner, hubby and I meandered around downtown. I have a fascination with historical architecture and love to look at the old buildings. Which is sometimes hard to do in the car while driving around with traffic lights and other cars on the road! Some of the buildings we looked at included the Flat Iron Building , First Christian Church, Knights of Pythis Castle Hall, Joe Daiches Jewelers, the Tarrant County Courthouse, the Criminal Courts Building, and so many others I don't really know the names of. We also saw Fire Station No. 1 on the walk to the car Sunday morning. To see many of the wonderful buildings in Fort Worth and the styles of architecture they represent, go here. It's not the prettiest site I've ever seen, but the information & pictures are wonderful.