The Trial Run

by Mackenzie Brim

       To a city girl, the world of trains and stockyards only exists in the movies and cartoons or as a tourist attraction, but for many people the world of Texas past is their life, love and legacy. On a day trip to the Fort Worth Stockyards, I interacted with some of the many people who live their lives in what some would call a performance, but they are simply living their reality.

            

       While on the train, I went for snacks and met a woman named Heather Thompson, who wanted to be a flight attendant and, but was too short and settled for a train attendant. Her day consists of cleaning, serving guests, and occasionally declining an offer from swingers. 

      “I mean it’s public transportation, so I’ve seen a lot of wild things. People of drugs, having sex in the bathroom and even swingers, who I think had a crush on me.” 

       For the group of elementary school students who were on the train recreating the Polar Express it is a fantasy, but Heather has a wedding to help pay for and a mortgage,“It’s my life.”

         

   

       After disembarking the train and a short bus ride, I arrived at Stock Yard City, a street lined with steakhouses and gift shops that leads to the stockyards. The street also has a  Forth Work Stockyard Hotel was covered in wood paneling and old wallpaper, fitting perfectly with the theme of the tourist attraction that is Stock yard city. Sitting on the oversized maroon couches and laughing jollily was the Ivy family, the first to settle in Texas as immigrants in the 1800s. 

    

    “You see a lot of people dressed up as cowboys, but I’m a real cowboy,” said Mo Ivy, his smile lines deepening as he spoke, his cowboy had still perfectly resting on his head. 

        “You now he’s a real cowboy, because of his Belt Buckle,” said the son Tyler. Mo smiled and showed off the belt proudly. His family was ranchers and coming to cattle drives was how they obtained the livestock to provide for their business.

       

         Learning more about a culture that was only 130 miles away from where I grew up was a great experience and set the framework to learn over 2,000 miles away.

Mackenzie Brim

mackenziebrim.com

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AN INITIAL FORAY INTO TOURISM

By Jeremy Cowen (Twitter: @JeremyCowen)

(Tags: Travel blogging, Fort Worth, Fort Worth Stockyards, tourism, trains)

                Before the first travel experience of our class, I thought I was an experienced traveler and tourist.

After all, besides regular family vacations over the past two decades, I was an avid hiker and also spent time as a sports journalist traveling from college city to college city from one coast to another writing about sports.

It turns out, however, I was an experienced TRAVELER … not an experienced TOURIST. I had been to various places, but I hadn’t truly EXPERIENCED those places.

Our class traveled to Fort Worth via train (http://heartlandflyer.com) and, once there, we spent time in the Stockyards District (http://www.fortworthstockyards.org) looking for various things via our treasure hunt assignment. Through this assignment, where we interviewed other travelers, people working in the tourism industry either directly or indirectly and looked for “behind-the-scenes” things a typical visitor wouldn’t notice, I gained an insight on true tourism I didn’t have before.

I found it interesting in my observations to see how the BUSINESS of tourism was run, from my interviews with parking attendants to security personnel keeping the streets clear of visitors when the twice-daily cattle drive moves through (http://www.fortworthstockyards.org/events/fort-worth-herd-twice-daily-cattle-drive-1).  It all gave me insight on how – while tourism is certainly fun for those experiencing it – there are plenty of people working to make sure the trains run on time, both literally and figuratively.

Speaking of trains: The travel to and from Fort Worth via the Heartland Flyer train was a personal highlight. For someone who enjoys the “getting there” as much as “being there” while vacationing, train travel opens up plenty of new possibilities.

TOURIST WHISPERER — Linda Terrell, a bus driver for The T in Fort Worth, Texas, gives directions to a new driver she’s training. Terrell regularly shuttles tourists throughout Fort Worth after they arrive by train and understands the many questions they may have about the city. (Photo by Jeremy Cowen)

Hustle and bustle — The streets of Fort Worth’s Stockyards District are busy even on a non-descript weekday afternoon. The Stockyards District is one of the main tourist attractions in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Photo by Jeremy Cowen.

 

Helping hand — A valet stand awaits guests to the Stockyards Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. Valet parking is a must in the Stockyards District as parking can be troublesome even on a typical weekday afternoon. It is an example of the foresight needed behind the scenes to make a tourist destination rum smoothly. Photo by Jeremy Cowen.