We had an adventure in Fort Worth this weekend.
Things started at the Fort Worth Stockyards because Michael had never been before (despite living in DFW for 7 years now!)
The Stockyards are always priceless people-watching, and certainly didn’t disappoint this time.
The most bored and miserable looking longhorn cow that I have seen, with the Texas historical museum in the back.
Artery cloggers at the Stockyards – who said we had to wait for the State Fair?
An ominous warning that this may be the last longhorn you take a photo with.
A horse shit PSA in the Fort Worth Stockyards Barn.
The Longhorn Saloon sign in the Stockyards Historic District.
Leddy’s Boots in the Stockyards district. It’s a high-end cowboy boot store where the boots can get up to $2k.
Knife Alley, where the bikers hang out, of course.
Bling hats a novelty shop in the Ft. Worth Stockyards.
Texas kitsch at the Stockyards. Note the shell casing Texas sign!
Teens getting prom photos taken at the Stockyards.
Our delicious, carb-free, calorie-light, totally healthy brunch at the Stockyards.
A cowboy on stilts walking along the Stockyards.
The morning cattle drive at the Fort Worth Stockyards.
A woman in a wedding dress walking in the Stockyards. Pictures, perhaps? Note the passed out kid.
A poor boy lost in the Stockyards maze. His parents were guiding him from the overlook.
The rodeo at the Fort Worth Stockyards – this was used as “Mexico” in the rebooted TV series “Dallas.”
After the Stockyards, we hit up some gay bars.
We start at Club Reflections, which is in a cluster of 3 gay bars near Fort Worth’s downtown. It is pretty early, which makes the shirtless bartender a little strange.
The bartender’s friend orders food for delivery, and the bartender eats Pizza Hut wings while watching COPS on the bar TV…
…which is kind of perfect.
A few more people arrive at the bar, but everyone just sits in silence while watching COPS.
Approaching downtown Fort Worth from the Stockyards.
The flags in front of Reflections bar, which is in a little gay district near downtown Fort Worth.
After our fill of COPS, we go to another group of gay bars on the other side of downtown.
The first bar is Club Changes, which we can’t find initially because it’s hidden behind a taxidermist shop.
The people at Changes are really nice and chatty. The bartender gives out pretzels and chips with every drink, which would probably make me 300lbs if I lived there.
Most of the people that we talk to haven’t been to the Dallas gayborhood in years. Fort Worth is way too far to taxi, so most of them feel stranded out there for the weekends.
The bartender hadn’t been to the gayborhood since my apartment complex was constructed, and he still thought the original iLume was a grocery store (it was built 5 years ago.)
After Changes, we cross the street and attempt to go to Urban Cowboy, a bar that looks like it totally used to be a strip club.
A suited man at the door informs us that the bar isn’t open yet because the bartender didn’t show up. The parking lot is strangely packed though…
So we decide to try to the bar next door and come back.
The bar next door turns out not to be another gay bar, but rather a scary biker bar where two guys almost get into a fight. We don’t stay for more than a single drink.
We go back to Urban Cowboy, which is officially open now, and randomly packed. Apparently we stumbled upon an Imperial Court coronation ceremony!
The event has a speakeasy theme, so everyone is in glamorous vintage gowns and suits.
…and we are the asshole shorts-wearing tourists from Dallas.
After about 30 minutes of people watching we haul ourselves back to Dallas. Visiting the (mostly) divey gay bars in Fort Worth was fun, but I think we prefer our options in Oak Lawn better.
The taxidermist by Club Changes in Fort Worth.
The stage at Urban Cowboy’s Imperial Court drag event.
The drag changing room at the Urban Cowboy bar in Ft. Worth.
The spread at the Imperial Court event at Urban Cowboy outside of downtown Fort Worth.
Approaching downtown Dallas on the Trinity River bridge.
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