So we eventually arrived in Dallas after a very long day’s travelling. We must have been awake for over 24 hours. I now have a new respect for Jack Bauer. We went to pick up our car, and after a very long, confusing conversation with the stupid woman at the car hire place who tried to convince me that the exchange rate was 4 dollars to the pound, we were on our way to the hotel. Needless to say, we went straight to bed.
As expected, we woke up very early and decided to go and get ourselves the best breakfast Dallas had to offer. So after a brief chat to the concierge, we headed out to a place called Breadwinners. To get there we were told to travel on the free trolley bus and all we had to do was tell the driver where we were going and he’d drop us off. A bit odd I thought, but who was I to argue. We walked around the corner and there it was – this very old, rickety, electric powered tram. We hopped on, told the driver where we were going and placed ourselves on the wooden seats. It was like we had been sent back 100 years.
After a fab breakfast, we wandered around Dallas without any real idea where we were going. We did know what we wanted to go and see the 6th Floor Museum and learn all about where, why and how President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as well as all the 100’s of conspiracy theories that accompany it. This was my own personal highlight in Dallas. It was fascinating. We learnt all about the reason why there was growing unease about JFK’s policies. All to do with the African Americans being given equally rights, the problems the USA were having with CUBA and the threat that the Cold War was going to heat up. The day before the President and his wife arrived in Dallas, a group of
wealthy businessmen paid for an advert in the Dallas Press to attack all of his policies and decisions. There was also a threat from a group of extremists that surfaced and the Secret Service were very worried about the trip that the President was making.
The trip seemed to pass without much incident until the drive through the streets of Dallas. There were videos played showing the route that was taken and you could hear the reporters saying that the threat that was thought to have existed was a false one. Seconds later you can hear shots fired and panic ensued. JFK was rushed to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The 6th Floor of this museum is where Lee Harvey Oswald was positioned when he shot the President. From the window you can see a white cross marked on the road to highlight the point where JFK was shot. It was a very weird feeling to see this and one I can’t really describe.
It took about 90 minutes to see everything in the museum, and it could have taken 3 times as long if you took the time to read everything. It was fascinating and if you are ever in Dallas, this is something you must do.
After a quick picture on the grassy knoll, we headed to the Aquarium. This is much better than Melbourne Aquarium.
Dallas isn’t really a touristy place, so we did struggle to find other things to occupy us. There is a good bar scene, but this only really gets going on the weekends. We did manage to eat at my new favourite restaurant in the world.
On the Wednesday, we took a drive to Fort Worth, which is about 40 miles west of Dallas. The strap line for Fort Worth is “Where Cowboys and Culture exist” and they are not wrong. We spent the afternoon looking at real life cowboys, riding on their horse fully equipped with huge Stetsons, chaps and spurs all speaking in the accent that you would expect them to. There are no hello’s or hiya’s here, just “Howdy y’all”
There are loads of shops where you can kit yourself out like a cowboy – not like Michael J Fox in Back to the Future III, but with all the proper gear. You can pay $1,000 for real leather cowboy boots that are custom made for you, saddles for your horse and totally authentic cowboy shirts. I was tempted to buy a shirt, but decided that it would only really come out for fancy dress parties.
We stayed for the cattle drive through the streets before heading back to Dallas.
Our last night in Dallas was a bit of a nightmare, as the whole of the state of Dallas was under a tornado threat. We did not get a very good night’s sleep as there was an almighty thunderstorm that lasted for 12 hours. Sheet and fork lightening with the loudest thunder you have ever heard. Car alarms were being set off, buildings were shaking and there was a huge amount of flooding. Biggest storm I have ever been in. We woke the next day to find that most of the routes in and out of Dallas were either flooded or blocked by jack-knifed 18 wheelers. Luckily our route to Houston was unaffected.
Would I go back to Dallas? No. It isn’t a place for tourists. Did I enjoy it? Very much so. If you do ever find yourself in Dallas, you will not be disappointed.
See you in Houston
Stuoobs
xxxx
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