SOCIETY

Fort Worth Love

By Shilo Urban

Illustrations by Conny Gonzalez I’ve fallen in love with many cities: Paris in the rain, Sydney in the sunshine, Moscow from the moment I stepped out of the Metro. But now I’m in a serious, long-term relationship with my new home: Fort Worth. Our romance wasn’t the irresistible coup de foudre of love at first sight. Rather it was like a friendship that slowly grows and deepens — until one day you wake up and realize that you’re in love with your best friend. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

O N E

My favorite spot in the city is easy: under the giant trees at Trinity Park. Walking through the towering oaks, cedar elms and pecans, I imagine that I’m on a mythical quest through a fairy-tale land. The riverside path has the best scenery, but I prefer the unpaved trails that meander beneath the dense canopy above — even better in the autumn when shocks of crunchy leaves cover the ground. For my wiener dogs, this is Squirrel Land. Picnickers nibble, children play and bicyclists whiz along — but we’re in our own little world, a woodland realm dusted with a glimmer of leafy magic.

T W O

Safe, clean and beautiful — these words usually don’t describe a city’s downtown area. But they do in Fort Worth, even late at night. Sundance Square practically sparkles. I can walk around well after dark by myself and feel totally secure. I don’t have to dodge piles of human excrement or sidestep used syringes. Where are the tents? Where are the groups of shady characters to accost me? Have I spent too long on the West Coast? Our downtown is an absolute gem, from the palatial pink courthouse to the view down Main Street to the rushing energy of the Water Gardens.

T H R E E

I’ve lived in cities that are known for their weather and coffee, their entertainment industry and horrible traffic, their romantic lights and joie de vivre. But now I live in a place that’s known for something even better: its people. There’s a true feeling of community and mutual support here, something that’s usually lost when cities reach a certain size. People are genuinely friendly, with none of the pretentiousness commonly found in arts and culture hotspots. Bartenders are nice, not snarky. Baristas don’t snub you if you don’t specify your roast. And all of this legendary friendliness makes me a nicer person too.

F O U R

Did someone say arts and culture? The Modern (and the Café at the Modern). The Kimball. The Amon Carter and the Museum of Science and History. Have you seen the Victorian dress collection in the Civil War Museum? Or the new John Wayne exhibit? Cowgirls! Cowboys! Log cabins! And of course, the marvelous Main Street Arts Festival and out-there Arts Goggle. Quite the impressive slew of artsy endeavors. Fort Worth’s Wild West history might seem like old news if you were born and raised here — but it is unlike anywhere else in the world. No other place tells the story of the cowboy quite like Cowtown itself.

F I V E

Little things make a difference, especially in a big city with a small-town soul. Like the door being held open for you, a slow drive down the bricks of Camp Bowie, or an ice-cold pickle beer on an oak-shaded patio. Like the candied bacon at Doc B’s or the smoked trout dip at Pacific Table. Like the fierce bull riders, spring bluebonnets and fresh flour tortillas from Central Market. Tickets to a show at Bass Hall and the poolside cabana chandeliers at Hotel Drover. Big things matter, too, from affordable housing and Hot Box biscuit sandwiches to soul-rattling thunderstorms. And with every new restaurant, new friend and new taco — the Fort Worth love just grows. #FW4EVA