Austin360 blogs > Bottlecaps & Wingnuts > Archives > 2005 > July > 06 > Entry
Sixth Street for hicks
So the night before I reported on Willie’s Picnic, I stayed at the Hotel Texas and sipped ice water and went to bed early to rest up for my big day.
Yeah, right. As Shannon mentioned last year, the Fort Worth Stockyards is like “Sixth Street for hicks.” And it was guys’ night out (no, actually, it was guy’s night out — I was by myself).
Here a few highlights:
Billy Bob’s Texas reigns supreme, the 800-pound gorilla of the Stockyards. It’s not all that historic, but it’s hard to hold that against a place that has a bull-riding arena and two performing stages. With its video arcade and gift store, it does feel a bit Disney-fied, but the beer was cold and cheap.
The White Elephant is a bit of authentic Texana — it ranks up there historically with Gruene Hall and the Broken Spoke — that’s just way too popular for its own good. It was the site of the official preparty and was packed standing-room-only with young honky-tonkers and some band playing “Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World.”
I retreated up the street and around the corner to the Stockyards Saloon which had about a dozen people in it and colder and cheaper draft beer. On TV, the weatherman says it’s 102 degrees. The bartender breaks out in curses: A group of guys just walked a $60 tab. With any luck, they’ll fry to death out there. This place will be my favorite bar of the weekend.
Had dinner at Riscky’s Steakhouse and I sat at the bar to try and look a little less pathetic eating alone. Entertained myself by gnawing on some rock-hard bread while my order was, apparently, taken to the kitchen by three-toed sloth. But once the steak arrived, it was pretty good.
And that was afternoon and early evening. Back to the hotel to rest a bit. Tomorrow: When the sun goes down on the Stockyards, it’s journalists gone mild!
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: By Dave Thomas
Comments
By Kendale
July 18, 2005 06:03 AM | Link to this
I grew up just N.W. of Austin and moved to Fort Worth in 1999. I once walked out of the Stockyards Saloon and didn't pay my tab, came back the following Friday night, told the waitress and she wanted to know if I wanted top put it on tonight's tab, they still had it waiting for me to come back. Fun place.