Texas is certainly more driving than I care for these days, but it’s structural. The whole place is wide open space that really developed concurrently with the automobile and too…well, Texan, to give that up. I know that’s reductive and Texas contains multitudes, but I have found the Fort Worth area to be chock full of super wide, one-way streets and an absolute mess of access roads. Don’t even get me started on their strange u-turns that make my Jersey jughandles look sensible!
However.
Driving did take me to Dayne’s Craft Barbecue today. So yeah - we left the Stockyards this morning on the way to the barbecue joint. It was recommended by the fine folks at Richmond’s own ZZQ, so I had high hopes. They didn’t disappoint - but at the risk of damning them with faint praise, I was left feeling pretty surprised by just how good we have it in Richmond, Virginia. Dayne’s was amazing, but so is ZZQ, and I felt like the Texas joint was more like another great entry in the same style of barbecue than a far superior version.
We followed lunch with a visit to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing - I don’t have photos or anything here because no phones or cameras were allowed! - but wow, what a cool tour. The amount of highly skilled craft that goes into producing paper currency is astonishing. And the printing operation and technology were a sight to behold. I loved the nice little touch where the press workers on the floor frequently looked up and waved to us as we watched from above.
And now finally the actual city of Fort Worth. I needed a coffee stop and Rio Dulce did the trick, after which we checked in to our downtown-adjacent hotel. Once everybody had settled in and shaken off all that time in the car we hopped right back into it so we could get to the actual downtown and explore for a couple of hours. Dinner was lip-smacking tacos at Salsa Limón before wandering around Sundance Square Plaza and a cute alleyway filled with seating, plants, and more shops. Wrap it up with some ice cream from Melt and back to the hotel for the day.
It’s supposed to be super windy tomorrow, so we’ll see what the kids will tolerate outside, but we may be checking out a few museums and a few bits of architecture.
Anyway, I managed to take a few photos I don’t hate along the way, and I hope for more over the next few days.
<img style=“display:block; margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;” src=“https://ploafmaster.micro.blog/uploads/2024/8c3e5b6a46.jpg" alt=“The words “Taco Heads” wrap around the corner of a restaurant in Forth Worth” title=“DSC_9042.jpg” border=“0” width=“800” height=“640” />
