USA

United States

Day 8 - Sun 16 April 06

Dallas

Slept like a log last night, awake at just gone 07:00, showered and down to breakfast before most of the rest of the sleepers. The train is running about two hours late. I got a free newspaper - the Texarkana Gazette - quite a light read. Booked my hotel room in Flagstaff from the comfort of my cabin via mobile phone! The wonders of modern technology! But I've only got 50 cents left on it - I need a top up.

I've planned my route from Flagstaff and decided to skip Las Vegas. Breakfast was french toast with maple syrup. We've just stopped at Long View, Texas, and the weather is hotting up, I'd say it was in the mid 70's out there.

Hotel room view, Dallas

When the train got to Dallas (about three quarters of an hour late) I asked an Amtrak employee on the platform where the Hyatt was, she just pointed at the huge great glass building right next to the station. Check in was easy, and my room on the 15th floor is big! I opened the blinds and the first thing I spotted was Dealy Plaza and the Texas book Repository building. Talk about a view!

I quickly washed all my dirty clothes and hung them out to dry in the bathroom, and then headed out. First stop was the tourist info place just across the road from the Book Repository. Boy is it hot here, it must be in the upper 80's. I then walked over to the 6th Floor Museum where Lee Harvey did his stuff (or not). A really good museum, with lots of detail about JFK's life and the aftermath of his death.

After that it was out onto Dealy Plaza to take some photos of where it all happened. There's even an 'x' on the road to mark the spot.

The back to the hotel for a bath, there is a 17 floor high glass atrium in the centre of the hotel - amazing and all this for $100, it's the American Dream in action. I'm glad I got off the train in Dallas, even if the reason was a bit macabre. But I'm also glad that I've only got 24 hours here, as after the JFK stuff there doesn't seem to be that much to do. Supper was a huge pizza in the restaurant within the hotel (oh, and a nice glass of red).

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