Knock twice and say the password

So, we got up this morning, and we decided it was high time to try something new.  We’ve been to Fort Worth a bunch of times before, but we’ve never done a scavenger hunt.  Now, we’ve done a scavenger hunts using phone apps before- it was one of our Covid-friendly activities this past summer in McKinney- but we thought it would be a great way to wander Fort Worth and see things we haven’t seen before.  Turns out, it is a great way to do just that.  We saw parks, sculptures, churches- we saw things you don’t see when wandering Fort Worth on your own.  Our walk took us to the Bass Performance Hall, the county courthouse, a few historic churches and plenty of architecturally interesting buildings.  The activity was fun, though the interface really needs to be road-tested and repaired for smartphone screens.  It was a little unwieldy on a handheld device- but you’re welcome to try: https://www.urbanadventurequest.com/tours/things-to-do/fort_worth/default.aspx

All in all, our self paced tour was pretty great.  We were even able to pause the tour for a nap.  That’s a rarity when traveling with any regular, in person group.  In fact, the smartphone-based tour lets you pause twice along the twenty question path- in case you need some barbecue or something.  Oh, and we did.  We had to stop at Riscky’s and eat lunch.  It’s been a minute since I have had barbecue that good.  I get that it’s a little bit of a cliche, but you really have to have some proper barbecue in Fort Worth.  

From there, we meandered to a place called Thompson’s Bookstore.  I know it makes us sound fancy and smart to say we spent time in a bookstore today, but let me allay your fears- we were not all that intellectual.  We were, in fact, having cocktails in a place that is modeled after a speakeasy.  Their cocktail menu was full of prohibition era drinks, and when you close out your tab upstairs, you have a password printed on the bottom of your receipt.  That password gets you into the downstairs bar that you enter through a hinged bookshelf-door.  It’s all super fun, and the drinks are spectacular.  

When we went out the special hidden out-door up the back stairs to the street, we were ready to walk over to the Reata for a return engagement.  We had dinner reservations at 8:45.  Sure, that was plenty late, but it was also perfect, given our nap, our barbecue lunch, and our pre-dinner fancy cocktail stop.  Dinner started with a tamale appetizer that was far too large, then moved on to a shared enchilada entree with some carne asada steak that dared you not to take leftovers home.  A couple of things, here- I am glad we share so well- two entrees would have been ridiculous- and I am glad we are well past the early stages of dating where it would have been awkward to eat the delicious steak and leave the rest of the plate looking like a wasteland.  We’ve been together long enough to understand that delicious sometimes trumps polite.  

We’re in for the night, now, in the historic Ashton Hotel.  Tomorrow, we head to Joe T. Garcia’s on the way out of town, then shortly thereafter, we have to get back to our actual lives- but this has been great.  It has been a departure from a year of huddling in the house and staying safe.  Not everyone we’ve encountered has been fully vaccinated like us, but we’ve been good about wearing masks when others are present, and we’ve tried to model the correct behaviors.  It’s nearing that point where everyone can join us on the vaccinated side of the playground, but we sure have been grateful about our extremely well timed shots.  Hope everyone can rejoin the traveling world safely soon!  

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Qd4HG7MEc8auwHvF6