Living Life by Design - with Alan and Mark: Road Trip - Day 8 - Dallas

Day 8 - January 8th, 2014

Most of us can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when the news came through of the assassination of President Kennedy. In the U.K., many of us teens were anticipating the start of a new science fiction TV series called, "Doctor Who", which was due to air on Saturday, November 23rd. On Friday, November 22nd, the world paused when the events around Dealey Plaza were relayed through the media, and instinctively, we all knew that life would never be the same.

Our road trip has taken us to some very moving experiences so far, and this was certainly no exception. To stand by the roadside and see the triple underpass, the grassy knoll, the Texas School Book Depository Building and, in particular, the two 'X' marks on the road was a very emotional moment. The story that we had watched unfold, and recently revisited with the 50th anniversary of this tragic event, became alive.

The Grassy Knoll

Texas School Book Depository Building - much closer to the road than we had imagined

The Triple Underpass

We decided to take a trolley bus tour before entering the Depository Building (now the Dallas County Administation Building) so that we could experience the context before going through the museum.

Tyler - owner and presenter of Trolley Bus Tour

Looking forward to the tour

Tyler, our guide (and part-owner of the trolley bus tour) was a young man whose knowledge of the events was considerable, and his expertise in presenting the facts, along with driving us to the specific places was exemplary - and we would thoroughly recommend this tour to any future visitors.

Tyler took us on the exact fateful route of the motorcade, commentating on all the relevant points up until the actual shooting and the speeding up of the presidential car as it made its way to the hospital. We were then taken past the rooming house of Lee Harvey Oswald, tracing his movements to where he shot office J.D. Tippit, and then on to the movie theatre where he was arrested. The bus tour ended with a drive past the old police headquarters where Jack Ruby shot Oswald.

Lee Harvey Oswald's Rooming House

Site of the Texas Theatre - where Oswald was arrested

The spot where Officer J.D. Tippit was shot

The Sixth Floor Museum was exceptionally well done with audio commentary that allowed us to make our way through the exhibits at our own pace. Of specific interest was the corner window where Oswald waiting with his weapon. (Although photos were prohibited, I did sneak a couple which - although a little blurry - capture the essence of the surroundings. Mea Culpa!)

The window from where the fateful shot was fired

View of the motorcade route from adjoining window

All said and done, the visit to Dealey Plaza was one of those experiences that we will never forget.

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While at the Clinton Museum in Arkansas the other day, we picked up a Presidential Libraries Passport which features the 13 most recent Presidents and which may be stamped upon visiting each of the libraries.

We thought it would be a fun thing to do (over the next few years) and so we had our second stamp entered when we visited the George W. Bush Presidential Library, here in Dallas. It is a fairly modern building which contains artifacts, exhibits, movies and other interactive stations depicting the life and times of this man up to, and including his term of office.

George W. Bush Presidential Library

The hall where 9/11 was presented reminded us of those dark days, and it was interesting to see his diary of events on that day.

First of several pages from the Bush diary on September 11th, 2001

A poignant moment for Mark was when he stood by part of the wreckage of the WTC - and the memory that we had stood on the observation deck at the top of the South Tower just one month before they were destroyed.

Part of the wreckage from the Twin Towers

An eye-opener was provided when we participated in the Decision Points Theatre - where we were given a scenario and then a variety of viewpoints by advisors at the time (representing opposing points of view). After several minutes, interrupted by 'news flash' updates of the events being considered, you had to choose 4 possible responses to the situation. On the large screen, it showed the majority choice made by the participants and then compared/contrasted this with the actual choice made by Bush. Although there has been some controversy about the motive behind this exhibit (see this article) it helped us to realize the enormity of responsibility that comes with leadership and how difficult and challenging it must be knowing that, whatever course you decide, you cannot please all of the people, all of the time.