Back from Dallas

My company sent me to Dallas/Ft. Worth to do some training. I arrived Monday morning and had time to tour. So I made my way downtown intending to see the location and museum regarding the JFK assassination. I found the museum, which is called "The Sixth Floor Museum" by asking a parking lot attendant. About a half mile walk on a warm day.

The Sixth Floor Museum IS the building that was once called the book repository, where the shooting took place. The actual corner is glassed off (like the Mona Lisa in the Louvre). The tour is self guided and you can get an audio package for an extra few dollars. When I went to Alcatraz many years ago I thought the audio tour was excellent, so I opted for the audio. This one just seemed a little disappointing. I would have been just fine doing the self guided tour.

On my way back to my car I stumbled across a place called "The Conspiracy Museum" a few blocks away. It was quite hot by then and I was hungry. I went inside and browsed the outer area a little. There were a couple of ladies there that I recognized from the Sixth Floor Museum. They were browsing too, but had a bag of gifts from the Sixth Floor Museum. I bought a bottle of water and the man who was the sales clerk seemed just a little cranky. The ladies asked him something. He seemed gruff in his answer and then they left. I did not pay for his tour because I had had enough by that time. But he said that he should just make a policy and not let let anyone in his place if they have shopping bags from "that other place...you know, the one where they LIE to you." Those were his words. I think he was trying to bait me to pay for his tour. I only asked him where I could find a decent lunch, and apologized that I was so hungry that I needed to eat before doing anything else. And that was the truth...I already had a headache.

He directed me a few blocks north and I quickly found a Tex-Mex place which I later found out was a chain...called "Chipotle." I had a HUGE burrito. It was made to fill up someone who is twice my size. And I found that in Texas I never had to ask for UNSWEET tea. That's how it comes...hooray!

So here are some pictures:

The lady straight ahead with the brown top is standing between a plaque next to the sidewalk and an X in the road. The red SUV is heading toward me. That is the route that the presidential limo took. At this point the SUV is about directly below the window where the shots were fired.


This plaque is in line with the spot in the road where JFK received his fatal head wound. Pay no attention to the shadow of that hand holding a digital camera. :-)


And this taped X in the road marks that spot. As I watched a car roll over and past this spot I found it a little surreal. Perhaps there are drivers that never give any thought to the significance of the location. But then again, it IS a road and people HAVE to get somewhere.


And here is the (in)famous grassy knoll. There's a dude up there spouting conspiracy theories at this moment...you can sort of see him in a red shirt. Click on the picture for a larger view. I'm sure it's only a coincidence that he's also SELLING magazines and DVDS supporting his theories. :-)


And here is the window where Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly shot from. ;-) Which one? Well, the hood of the white SUV is under the column of windows on the SE corner of the building. Just count up to the Sixth Floor. It is the one that does NOT have an arch at the top. If you could enhance and look into the lovely arched window to the left of that, perhaps you could see a few hundred people taking the tour.