I’m back from Dallas!  I have lots to share about the conference itself, but I think I’ll do that on my Literacy Blog.  I’m not sure everyone wants hear about the current trends in early childhood, songs to engage young children, or about the authors I heard speak.  If you’re interested in seeing a few cool photos of Dallas, you’re in the right place.

This is the hotel  I stayed at.  It was in the historic district and I thought it was really cool.  The sign said it was built in 1925.  It had old doors and door knobs, which I love.  The elevator made a really old sounding ding at each floor. 

The city was beautiful and filled with lights.

I was kind of in love with the buildings.  This one was the building I looked at when I walked out the front door of the hotel.

These next two pictures are the views from my hotel room.  Yes, that’s blue sky and sunshine out there too!  This Seattle native couldn’t have been happier.

Just down the street from my hotel was this building.  Recognize it?  Look one floor down from the top, all the way to the right.  See how that window looks like it’s open and there are a few boxes in the window?  That’s the window that Lee Harvey Oswald stood in.

I had to really hurry to be able to see the building and museum.  My last class ended at 4:30 on Thursday and they let the last visitor in at 5:15.  I ran back to my hotel, changed my shoes, dropped off my bag, and hustled down the street.  Luckily, my hotel was only about 2 blocks away.  The lady at the front desk told me to go to the 7th floor first because it was the only floor I could take pictures on and it was getting dark.  

When I got to the 7th floor, it was completely empty.  The only person there was the security guard.  He told me I was really lucky because normally there would be 50-150 in that room with me. It was kind of eerie.  The only sound I could hear was my shoes, as I was walking. I stood in the corner window and saw the same view that Lee Harvey Oswald did.  Honestly, I got a little choked up.  I don’t know if it was seeing the same view or the eerie silence, but it got to me a bit.  I wasn’t even born when it happened, but it felt overwhelming to be in a spot where such an historic event took place.  

As you look out the window, down toward the road, you can see that car driving along.  That is just about the exact spot where John F. Kennedy was when he was shot and killed.

Really, the only thing in this room is the view and two large pictures. I went to the 6 floor, where the shooting took place, and went through the guided tour of the museum.  I wish I could have taken pictures there too, but that’s not allowed.

Here’s the view, looking down the other street, so you can see how close my hotel is.  It’s the smaller white building on the left.

As you walk down the sidewalk in the spot Kennedy was shot, you can see two X’s.  They mark the spots  on the road where he was hit.

I guess I always thought that exact spot would be turned into a tribute area or something, but it shocked me that it was just a road with 2 white X’s.

This is a view from across the street.  The far grassy area is the “grassy knoll” that you always hear about.

I can’t even begin to tell you what a cool trip this was.  Being asked to help present at the NAEYC conference was overwhelmingly awesome.  Staying in an historic building with an amazing amount of history right down the street just pushed the trip’s level of awesomeness over the top.

Thanks, LeapFrog, for the opportunity of a lifetime!