I stopped off in Dallas for a night on my way to the Caribbean to get a taste of Texan life. I arrived early afternoon after the long flight from Australia (now direct to Dallas from Sydney) to stay in the wonderfully elegant 1920s Magnolia Hotel.
After a quick “texmex” lunch, I decided to walk through town to the site where JFK was assassinated on Elm St, after his motorcade turned off Houston St.
Walking through town I was struck by how empty the streets were – a mix of old and new skyscrapers lining streets largely devoid of people. I wondered vaguely if I had survived some sort of apocalypse while I had been traveling.
Later I discovered that Dallas is the US’s 9th largest city. Given its population is just over a million out of almost 320 million people, this seems a surprising fact. But it reinforces to me how many Americans live in small towns across the length and breadth of their country.
The next morning I wander through the “arts” section of downtown and again see interesting buildings and few people. I wonder if there’s more action in the suburbs? I read about the Frank Lloyd Wright inspired homes on some of the inner suburb streets and vow to visit there next time.
As my taxi driver takes me to the airport, we pass the building where Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy from the 6th floor. My taxi driver points out the X on Elm Street that marks the spot where JFK died. It’s hard to believe it was almost 50 years ago (November 22, 1963).
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