One Of The Best Downtowns In America

I've got a month's stack of Fort Worth Star-Telegrams piled up that I'm not going to look through. Then again, how many gems might I miss if I don't.

Like this from yesterday.

Texas U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson was in town, sucking up to the locals, feeding the bizarre need to feed the local ego.

Regarding Fort Worth's slowly going plan to build a little lake, some canals and a river diversion channel. And restore some wetlands. A plan pompously called The Trinity River Vision, Senator Hutchinson actually said, "Fort Worth has always been a leader in urban development and perhaps has one of the best downtowns in all of America."

And regarding the river project the Senator said, "I think it is just amazing."

Do I really need to say anything. And where do I start? Fort Worth has always been a leader in urban development???? Including now? How is Fort Worth a leader in such development? Who is it leading? Who is following Fort Worth's lead??

Fort Worth perhaps has one of the best downtowns in all of America??? Has the Senator been to any other downtowns in America? I've been to a lot of them and I can not think of any lamer downtown that I've seen than Fort Worth's.

I just got back from a month in the Seattle zone. Spent one Thursday in downtown Seattle. The population is a bit over a half million. It seems like another half million is out on the streets busily going to all the attractions. Pike Place Market was human gridlock. Pioneer Square's streets were full of people. The waterfront was human gridlock. People from all over the world. New construction going up all over town, the skyline being altered yet again. Hundreds of stores, including several huge department stores, grocery stores, restaurants, museums, galleries, cruise ships docking, street musicians playing. Seattle actually is one of the best downtowns in all of America. Though no Washington Senator would say such a thing. Because it would sound stupid and self-aggrandizing.

Seattle is a bustling city. All the west coast cities are that way. Dallas is bustling. San Antonio is bustling. Houston's downtown is a good thing. So is Austin's. I like El Paso. But Fort Worth is SLEEPY. There is not even one single department store downtown, no grocery store, few stores for that matter. The deadest downtown in America on the busiest shopping day in America, the day after Thanksgiving, because there are few places to shop.

One of the best downtowns in America can't even keep open it's signature park on its north end, that being Heritage Park, now surrounded with cyclone fence and Keep Out signs. Downtown Fort Worth couldn't even manage to get a little public market right. Even though they modeled it, um, after Seattle's Pike Place, with something going wildly askew with the model.

And people wonder why those who watch what goes on here think this plan to make a fake lake and some canals is likely going to be a money-sucking boondoggle? I'd like to believe it won't be. I'd like to believe it'd be a great thing, fast-tracked to success, built quickly, transforming downtown Fort Worth into something special for the first time in its history. But, I just don't see that happening. Not from what I read about it.

And it doesn't help to have politicians feeding some Fort Worthers illusions about Fort Worth, rather than face the realities of all that doesn't quite work right in downtown Fort Worth and work on truly making it one of the best downtowns in America. The city could send a task force out to check on how other cities are doing. And compare it to Fort Worth. Start with Seattle and head down the coast. If the task force returns and still claims Fort Worth has one of America's best downtowns I'll have to realize something being added to the water here is causing some rather strong hallucinations.