So, Fort Worth is cooler than Austin now? We could have told you that | Opinion

Fort Worth, do you suddenly feel “cool”?

Jonathan Thomson, writing in the The Times of London, has declared our city the top destination in Texas now that it has five-star boutique hotels, a diverse roster of restaurants and modernized ties to our Western heritage.

Forgive those of us looking around, scratching our heads and asking: “This is new somehow?”

These kinds of pieces are intentionally provocative. So, here we are, locals left to assess what’s true, what’s exaggerated and how we feel about the whole darn thing.

The piece’s headline even suggests that Cowtown is cooler than Austin now, an assertion that the article itself never quite pays off.

But we’ll take it. Fort Worth has elevated its tourist game in recent years. It’s good that travel writers are noticing (even if, in this case, the trip was sponsored by Visit Fort Worth and included a comped stay at the Bowie House Auberge, which — shocker — comes out pretty well in the piece).

There’s much more to pitch here than the cowboy past that used to draw visitors from Dallas for a Stockyards afternoon and a honky-tonk evening. The Cultural District gets a quick mention, but the story focuses more on newer attractions. And it’s good to spread the word.

Not that Fort Worth needs the validation, though. We’ve never had Dallas’ yearning to be well-regarded by the East, let alone Europe. And we’re quite happy to not be Austin, in more ways than one.

As we climb the list of the largest U.S. cities, some scrutiny is to be expected, even welcomed. So is a little parody. That’s why, despite the attention-grabbing headline on Thomson’s piece, the better statement about Fort Worth might come from a hilarious send-up on a Netflix comedy.

The show, “Girls5eva,” is about a washed-up pop band trying to spawn a second act. In a new episode, one of the members decides to write a signature song about the largest city in the country that doesn’t really have one. You guessed it — “Tap Into Your (Fort) Worth” becomes a hit.

At first, your Panther City pride might be on high alert over what seems like a slight at the Trinity River and a decidedly B-list of native celebrities. But you could argue that it’s a fuller picture of what makes Fort Worth great (including a shout-out to the Star-Telegram, thankyewverymuch).

For residents, it’s a more accurate depiction of the pieces that make up everyday life. And it’s catchy as heck.

So, Fort Worth, have we achieved full-blown cool status, or are we still growing into it? As long as the tourists keep ordering those expensive tomahawk steaks and raving to their friends — and as long as we keep popping up in pop culture — call us whatever you want.

But know this: Austin remains overrated.

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