They say it's not the destination, it's the journey. But when you've already arrived, it's really the destination. In this issue, we invite you to be both a tourist and the antithesis of a tourist in your own city. That little obscure restaurant on the corner you've always wondered about? Go eat there. That downtown park that you think might be a tourist trap? Go get trapped there. Always wondered what's behind those gates? Go.
The pages of this issue contain 44 Fort Worth-area hidden gems that you need to know about, thanks to our feature story on page 48 from Jocelyn Tatum. We made a list, checked it thrice, deleted things, crossed things out, uncrossed things out, added places, added more places, visited places, creeped around on forgotten corners of Facebook, called places, texted strangers, asked around, made spreadsheets and slammed on our brakes when we saw taco trucks on the side of the road to bring you this ultimate list. And I know, I know. You already knew that thing existed. Well, we're willing to bet that it's overall underappreciated, and we are here to make it more appreciated. But we still want to hear from you. If there's something missing on the list that needs to be included, Instagram us (#hiddenfortworth, @fwtxmag), email, call, send a letter, a telegraph, a carrier pigeon, whatever it may be, we do want to hear from you.
This issue goes from Hidden Fort Worth to hidden Fort Worth as writer Jennifer Casseday-Blair contributes our second feature, What Lies Beneath, on page 60. Her story highlights the forgotten and closed tunnel systems beneath the city that will always be the perfect combination of fascinating and scary.
You'll find other hidden gems tucked away in this issue, on pages 10 and 136 specifically.
Finally, I'd like to give a special shout out to our photographer, Alex Lepe, who went into the M&O subway tunnel and created light where there was none to get our opening feature photograph (page 48). It was underground magic.
Happy reading.
Kendall Louis
Executive Editor