Dallas: an emotional reunion for Cody, a Kennedy exploration

Cody really wanted to see his mother!  As she lives in a small town in Oklahoma, getting there took some research.  Both Oklahoma City and Tulsa are well over 2 hour drives.  Diana did some research and found Dallas was less than a 2 hour drive.  So a Dallas stay it was!

Then, getting to Dallas was an adventure in itself!  First, our 7:30 am flight was cancelled, meaning we could not make our connecting flight in Seattle!  But Alaska Air always comes through, and booked us on a direct Fresno/Dallas flight on American that afternoon.  Sadly, the plane was 3 hours late, getting us into Dallas at 9:30 at night, and into the hotel at 10:30- ugh!  But thanks to the Hotel staff, we walked to Frankies, a local watering hole and had a drink and shared a pizza.

Weirdly, the freeway was closed on our second day trip; but with me driving, and Cody navigating, we maneuvered around the closure and lost only about 20 minutes each way.  

We allotted 2 days for visiting- not sure how the visit would go, we planned the first day.  It was really excellent!  Cody and his mom met, and 2 visits it was!!!  It was a beautiful, emotional reunion!!  Because it was so personal, I didn't think it appropriate to post a photo.  But know it was a beautiful reunion! 

Kennedy's Dallas

I was in third grade when President Kennedy was shot.   I remember returning to class after lunch, the teacher tearfully said she had something to tell us and she broke the news.  Every student knew the world just changed.  In rural Minnesota, everyone loved President Kennedy!  Before I knew about the world, I knew John Kennedy was our president.  I thought Minnesota was an island (because in Minnesota, there is water everywhere) and Kennedy was our president- LOL.  The closest I ever was with my mother was reading the paper with her every night, reading about John Kennedy and his presidency.  The world did change!

The Kennedy area of Dallas is small and easily covered in a few hours.  Starting with the 6th Floor Depository museum (https://www.jfk.org/), you learn about his presidency, his visit to Texas, and the aftermath.  One of the features of the museum is how much of the country opposed him!  Tame by today's standards, but there was real opposition to the reforms he wanted to introduce.  Sadly, there is no photography in the museum, so you must visit their website or visit the city to see this comprehensive and excellent museum.  You can also read Stephen Kings "11/22/63" for an interesting take (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11/22/63).  

Conspiracy theories abound on this assassination, and they have been de-bunked.  But at the Grassy Knoll, there is a group talking about a conspiracy based on the bullets:-).  They have photos, they have books, magazines, and a megaphone:-).

The Kennedy Memorial

The Kennedy Memorial near the old Courthouse is a concrete bunker-style "reflection area", with a small black stone in the center that simply says "John Fitzgerald Kennedy".  

(https://www.jfk.org/the-assassination/history-of-john-f-kennedy-memorial-plaza/).  There are requests for donations to upgrade and clean the memorial.  Honestly, it looks like it was quickly designed and built.  Truthfully, it has no appeal as a memorial site, but it is for JFK, so I give it a pass.

The 6th Floor Depository museum/building- 

The square window in the corner on the 6th floor is the location Lee Harvey Oswald shot the president.  This museum is just fantastic- the lay out covers his presidency, opposition, accomplishments, the arrival at Dallas, the assassination, and the aftermath.  It is very emotional, very informative, very comprehensive, with diorama's, films, artifacts (such as Oswald's wedding ring), views from the windows.  

The historical plaque on the building.  Note "alleged" is outlined, probably by the skeptics:-)

View from the 7th floor museum annex

Not the white "X" on the road.  There are two "X" on the road, each denoting
the two shots fired and hitting the President.  Photo taken from the 7th floor

Museum- the square window on the 6th floor (of 7 floors) is where Lee Harvey Oswald shot from

 

Dealey Plaza and the surrounding area (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dealey_Plaza)

6th Floor Depository museum building

Sorry about the bloated, baggy picture! The sun was brutal!  This is the "X" spot where the shot that killed JFK hit.

designation of this spot as a National Historic Landmark

Dealey Plaza

the grassy knoll

The road the motorcade travelled

Dallas- a bit quirky

The Dallas Eyeball (https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/eye-sculpture)

The Eye- LOL!  A giant eye art piece is in this small little park

Nice, old, Courthouse!

The old courthouse- now the Museum of Dallas

We really didn't have too much time to explore the rest of Dallas.  We saw the Incredibles at the Alamo Draft House Theater and restaurant- very comfortable- reclining seats, good restaurant, and great set up.  Otherwise, I found the city pretty much just sprawl, much like LA.  It is a huge city with many freeways, every fast food restaurant you can ask for.  Near downtown, where we stayed, there is Main Street (the Eye Ball is on Main Street), has many restaurants, but nothing stood out.  After this trip, I actually do not see a reason to return to Dallas, as a tourist.