Business sent a couple friends of mine and I to Dallas for a few days. The first day we arrived it was cool, dreary and in the low 40's. We checked in our rooms and tried to decide what to do with the remaining portion of the day. Being the conspiracy buff that I am, I knew exactly what I was going to do. Spouting off little known facts to my friends and being quite influential, I convinced them to come along to Dealey Plaza. At first they were skeptical of the whole thing but, by the end of the day I believe they were totally converted. The following is a synopsis of that trip to Dallas with some insight and images for those of you who may be planning a future trip. For you senior JFK assassination buffs that have been to Dallas, please don't be so critical of my "OnLine trip to Dallas" but feel free to email me with suggestions.

Driving across I-30 you can see the skyline of the city from a good distance. As you approach the city if you have a keen eye you can began to identify the features of Dealey Plaza. I can vividly remember the sense I felt when Mike, John and I were approaching the Commerce exit off I-30. My heart was pounding, hands sweating and I was filled with anticipation. Taking the Commerce Street exit off I-30 sweeps you to the right and directly to the Triple Underpass. This is what the Triple Underpass looks like from the west as you approach downtown. Coming out from under the Triple Underpass I recognized the Texas School Book Depository (renamed the Dallas County Administration Building in 1981), the Dal-Tex Building, Records Building, Criminal Courts, Old Courthouse and U.S. Post Office Terminal Annex. Instantly my mind flashed back to what it would have been like to be in this Plaza the day of the assassination. This is a panoramic view of Dealey Plaza that I took from the top of the Triple Underpass (I apologize for the poor quality of the photo, it was a dreary day). The left hand street is Elm, the middle street is Main and the right hand street is Commerce.

Thinking of Dallas as a big city, I thought parking would be a problem. We meandered into the west end of the city and found convenient parking lots with very reasonable parking rates. The West End Historic District is a very nice area comprised of shops, restaurants and special events. After parking we headed in the direction of the TSBD and came to the intersection of Elm and Houston. Directly to the North and on the corner is the Texas School Book Depository. We walked over to the corner of the building and I shot a vertical picture of the TSBD up to the sixth floor snipers nest. When you stand next to this building and recall the scenes of the assassination in your mind, it is indescribable the feeling that encompasses you. This is where one of the most significant events of the twentieth century took place. A countries' young leader was struck down from an assassins bullet here. History stopped and changed directions here. We paused at this corner to recollect and then I asked Mike to take my picture standing next to the historic marker declaring the TSBD. One ironic thing I noticed about the marker was the use of the word allegedly:

"On November 22, 1963, the building gained national notoriety when Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly shot and killed President John F. Kennedy from a sixth floor window as the presidential motorcade passed the site."

I later found out that the original marker did not have the word allegedly and that they removed the sign and installed one that had the "allegedly" statement.

After walking around the TSBD and getting our bearings straight, we walked over to the pergola located on the north side of Elm street. There weren't many people in the plaza that day but we did manage to meet a couple people selling JFK assassination periodicals. I spoke to them shortly and continued on. Mike bought a magazine (I had him hooked!) Moving on we located the pedestal from where Abraham Zapruder filmed the most scrutinized film footage of all time and, like thousands before me, I had my picture taken the there. This is the panaromic view that Zapruder had from his location. I was told by some concessionaires that the location of the car in the right end of the picture is the approximate location of Kennedy at the fatal head shot (again I apologize for the quality of the photo, it was necessary for me to splice 3 pictures together to get the whole scene).

Following the investigation of Zapruders point of view, we walked around to the back of the pergola. This is a view from behind the pergola of the old railroad switching tower that Lee Bowers was in at the time of the shooting. He testified to have seen two men standing at the edge of the of the railroad yard at the picket fence when the assassination took place. Back in 1963 the parking lot wasn't paved, but now it is as it is adjacent to the entrance to the Sixth Floor Museum.

On the southeast side of the parking lot you can approach the backside of the famed picket fence atop the grassy knoll. As I spoke to one of vendors there he began relating some interesting stories about the fence. He showed a place on the fence that was approximately 36 inches long that had been spliced in at the corner (ref photo). He said he walked up on two men one day that had a tape measure and were measuring the fence. He said he sort of startled them. The next day he noticed that the fence had been altered. Evidently the men came back in the middle of the night and removed the corner 36 inches of the fence and spliced a replacement. The vendor informed me that he had worked in Dealey Plaza for nine years and that the fence was a minimum third generation in the last 9 years. He said that when he first starting working there were four pickets on the entire fence that were originals from 1963. He said during the course of time pickets are removed and replaced. When two of the original remaining four pickets were removed and replaced he nabbed one of them out of the garbage!

For some strange reason I found myself spending an unordinary amount of time walking this area down. I walked behind the picket fence the entire length of the grassy knoll back west to the Triple Underpass. Strange feelings engulf you in this area as you pause to think of conspiracy ideas like "badge man" and men driving around in out-of-state cars with walkie talkies. Others pause in this area as is evident by the graffiti on the fence. Peoples names, places, tributes and opinions abound on the fence. Someone proclaimed on the fences' crossmember, "How can anyone stand here and believe the Warren Commission?" Behind the fence does afford one a very interesting view of Elm Street. Note the location of the stairs that many people ran up immediately following the assassination.

Upon completing our walk around Dealey Plaza, Mike, John and I visited the TSBD Sixth Floor Museum. This is a wonderful inexpensive museum allowing people to see the snipers nest and the location where the alleged murder weapon was stashed. There are hundreds of articles of JFK memorabilia allowing one to browse for hours if wanted. I attempted to read every placard located there and absorb as much of the ambiance as possible. It is wonderful that such a significant piece of our countries heritage is maintained for all to see.

During my visit I overheard a well dressed man speaking to two other gentleman. During the course of the conversation I heard the first man speak of names and events that only well versed assassination buffs would recognize. After he finished with them I approached him and introduced myself. He was Gary Mack, the Archivist for the museum. He was very courteous and I asked him if I could meet with him when he had free time. He agreed to meet me on Wednesday, the day that I extended my business trip for personal leave.

After leaving the Sixth Floor Museum we headed across Dealey Plaza and traveled a short distance to the Reunion Tower. Reunion Tower is a 50 story geodesic dome with a rotating restaurant directly adjacent to the Hyatt Regency Dallas. From atop the tower you can enjoy one of the most spectacular views of downtown Dallas and Dealey Plaza. The restaurant rotates a complete 360 degrees in one hour providing a total panoramic view of the Texas landscape. We concluded our first day of Dallas up there.

Wednesday came and I returned to Dealey Plaza to meet with Gary Mack of the Sixth Floor Museum. Unfortunately I was unable to be worked into Gary's schedule. He and other members of the museum were reviewing film footage from KRLD that was donated to the museum.

While I was waiting for Gary I had the pleasure of meeting a gentleman that volunteers for the museum. His name is Ernest Brandt. He claims that he was in Dealey Plaza with a business associate at the time of the assassination. He pointed himself out in a grainy photograph that is located in the "A Visitors Guide to Dealey Plaza National Historic Landmark". This is an informative paperback that is available in the gift shop of the Sixth Floor Museum. He now spends time giving lectures and tours of Dealey Plaza to students. I inquired from Ernest the location of Jack Ruby's Carousel Club, knowing that it was long gone, and he pointed me in the right direction.

Walking east down Commerce Street to Market Street brings you past the John F. Kennedy Memorial. This is a memorial that is comprised of four giant concrete walls with no roof. Located inside the four walls is a giant granite slab with John Fitzgerald Kennedy carved in it. It is a cenotaph, or open tomb, and many annual pilgramages are held there marking the anniversary of the assassination. It is a location for solemn remembrance.

Continuing down Commerce Street brings you to the Aldolphus Hotel. According to Ernest, across the street was the location of Jack Ruby's Carousel Club. No longer in existance and replaced by a series of large buildings, I imagined the nightlife and dealings that occurred within the club and the Dallas police force in the early 60's.

Finally, continuing my trip I came to the intersection of Commerce and Harwood Streets. This is the location of the former Dallas City Hall. This view is from Main and Harwood Street. The City Hall is the location that Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald. I timidly entered the building from the south entrance not knowing what to expect. The building is old and still conveys the feelings of the 1960's. I knew it was imperative for me to make it down to the basement area where Ruby shot Oswald. I was prepared with books, pictures and pamphlets. Cautiously, I made my way to the basement. I walked the steps that Oswald and Detective Jack Leavelle strode down seconds before the murder. I encountered a Dallas police officer in the basement hallway. I inquired as to the exact location of the ambush. He responded "right through those glass doors". I passed through the glass doors and feverishly thumbed through one of my books to set up the perfect picture angle. Only one thing was peculiar. In no reference could I find a set of glass double doors. Later I found out that the glass doors were added subsequent to the murder. I set up and took this picture. After obtaining the picture I exited the basement through the Main Street ramp (located on the right side of the picture).

On Main Street I turned around and took a picture of the basement ramp entrance. This is one of a couple of locations that Jack Ruby may have infiltrated the basement. This is the exit that Lee Harvey Oswald left through on his way to Parkland Hospital. I traveled up Main Street in an effort to locate the infamous Western Union office. I located it east of the ramp entrance but it is now located on the north side of Main Street as it moved recently from its former location on the south side of Main Street. Finally, I decided to head toward to Dealey Plaza to insure meeting my timetable for my bus tour.

I headed up Main Street on my return trip to Dealey Plaza and encountered, at Houston Street, the statue of George Bannerman Dealey , (1859-1946), the publisher of The Dallas Morning News and city philanthropist. Dealey Plaza was officially named in 1935 and the statue was erected in 1949. This location of the plaza presents a very nice view of the TSBD across a reflection pool from the south side of Houston Street. This is the view of the TSBD from the north side of Houston Street. Afterwards I headed back to the Depository to catch my bus to Oak Cliff.

Located in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas is a number of locations affiliated with the assassination of President Kennedy. I had a rental car but decided to do the tourist bus thing as I figured they would have more insight than I did. My bus driver was punctual and very polite. A middle-aged gentleman, he was full of little known facts and I appreciated talking with him during the trip. We left the TSBD and headed to Oak Cliff. On route he pointed out the Greyhound station located at Commerce and Lamar in which Oswald hailed a taxi to Oak Cliff. Oak Cliff is a short distance from Dealey Plaza as you take Houston Street south and west across the Trinity River. Heading up Zang Streeet we came to the location of 1026 N. Beckley, the rooming house that LHO resided at the time of the assassination. Unfortunately, the tour bus does not stop on tour so one must be prepared to snap quick photos at these locations. Subsequent to the tour I went back with my rental car.

After going by the Beckley rooming house the driver informed us that we were heading to Tenth and Patton the scene of the Officer J.D. Tippit murder. I was really interested in this as I wanted to see the distance it was from his boarding house to the murder scene. During our travel many of the murder details were going through my mind. It was a relatively short distance, a distance that can be quickly traveled through backyards and shortcuts. When we arrived at Tenth and Patton I was surprised to see that the majority of the homes in the area were gone. The area was lifeless and nothing like I had envisioned.

We left that scene and proceeded to Jefferson Boulevard. Jefferson is one street over and parallel to Tenth and is what I consider the main drag in Oak Cliff. As we traveled down Jefferson we came to the intersection of Jefferson and Patton where I quickly shot a photo. If you look hard enough down Patton you can see the stop sign at the intersection of Tenth and Patton. I was anticipating that we would go by the 214 West Neely house location, backyard photograph location, and the Ruby apartment, located at the Marsala Apartments on South Ewing, but we didn't. I didn't get an opportunity to go to these locations with my rental car either but there is always next time.

Jefferson Blvd is the location of the Texas Theater. The Texas Theater is the location where Lee Harvey Oswald was finally captured. It is nestled in among many small business in the downtown area of Oak Cliff. Unfortunately, I was informed that the theater had experienced a fire a little earlier and is beginning to show the signs of decline. Windows boarded, broken glass, and the original facade now gone I felt a little disheartened. From this view you can see that the "T" in Texas is missing (hopefully someone has preserved it) and the eyebolts that supported the original marquee. A solitude picture of John F. Kennedy is located in the glass display case in the entrance way.

We continued on the bus tour by leaving Oak Cliff and after winding through some streets we ended up on Stemmons Freeway. The bus driver pointed out the Trade Mart as we went by and I realized exactly how close to Dealey Plaza it was. What a sad moment it was as the President never made it to the Trade Mart. Continuing further and exiting off of Stemmons we were shown the entrance to the emergency room of Parkland Hospital. I returned later and walked around the area of the emergency entrance. I walked inside the emergency entrance and was greeted by a uniformed gentleman and a metal detector and, not wanting to jeopardize my film, decided I had gone far enough. A bitter irony that both John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald were pronounced dead at Parkland Hospital.

We finished our tour and arrived back at Dealey Plaza. I decided I would check out my final obscure location in Dealey Plaza. I walked over to the area of the curb that was hit by the errant shot, the second shot according to the Warren Commission. Debris from this shot hit James Tague in the face. I measured out the distance of 23 feet and 4 inches from the Triple Underpass and sure enough you could see where an approximate 5 foot section of the curbing had been replaced. This is a view of the TSBD from the location of the curb on the south side of Main Street.

I concluded my trip by taking my final picture of the TSBD and left with my memories of what that tragic weekend in November 1963 must have been like.

The next morning I got up early and made plans to get to the Dallas Grand early to ensure a room. I spoke to the management of the hotel and they were very apologetic and did facilitate me. The room I was given was nice and afforded me with a view of the Dallas City Hall where Jack Ruby murdered Lee Harvey Oswald.

One of the highlights of the second day of the conference was the "pilgrimage" that took place on the 22nd shortly before noon. The attendees of the conference made their way to Dealey Plaza, a distance of about 10 blocks, to take part in a moment of silence at exactly 12:30 p.m. The crowd that assemble was estimated to be between 400-500 people. Guest speakers at the memorial were John Judge, the Executive Secretary of the Coalition on Political Assassinations, George Michael Evica, David Lifton, Robert Groden and Ian Griggs. It was quite a pleasure to meet Ian as we have corresponded on the internet for some time. Ian is a former law enforcement officer and founder of Dealey Plaza UK, the British JFK assassination website.

The mood at the event was quite somber and I felt honored to be in the company of so many people that have done so much to keep the memory of our fallen president going. The event was covered by many different media circles as television antennas were everywhere and newspaper reporters were sniffing for a scoop. I meandered through the crowd and was fortunate to meet people like Cheryl and Tom Overfield whose wonderful website, JFK Resources Online, is a source of information for so many. I also saw John Kelin who does so much to keep his website, Fair Play Magazine, going. Also there were researchers like Martin Shackleford, eyewitnesses like Ed Hoffman and museum curators like that of the Conspiracy Museum.

At the conclusion of that day we went to the lounge of the Dallas Grand Hotel and sat around and talked. Some of the locals were there that were part of the that terrible day were present. I had the pleasure of meeting one of Jack Ruby's dancers, Shari Angel, and the ambulance driver, Aubrey Rike, who transported the President's body and Jackie Kennedy to the airport. It was a wonderful opportunity for JFK researchers from around the world to become more acquainted with each other.

The following day was the last day I had to attend the conference. I decided that I would attempt to locate some of the assassinations sights that I had previously missed. I spent the better part of an hour attempting to locate the Marsala Apartments on South Ewing where Ruby had resided, but was unable to find them. I left there and back tracked through Oak Cliff to Zang Street. Directly off Zang Street just north of Jefferson Blvd. is Neely Street. I proceeded with caution on West Neely Street until I came upon 214 Neely Street. This is the address where Lee Harvey Oswald and Marina lived where the infamous backyard photographs were taken. I parked my rental car and proceeded to absorb the ambiance. I shot this photo of the front facade. I noticed that the porch on the second floor was removed and the door leading to the porch had been blocked off. I also noticed that the building had a list to it. I proceeded with caution to go to the back side of the building and take a photo where the backyard photographs were taken. The staircase is not the original that was in the LHO photographs as the original has been torn down and replaced. One JFK assassination buff told me that when the staircase was torn down, people rummaged through the trash pile for a piece of history!

This concluded my trip to Dallas in November 1996 and I am looking forward to returning to Dallas to attend conferences in the future.