Monday 1 August 2016

Dallas

Day 5 would have us spending the day in Dallas before driving East into Arkansas. We'd start the day with a little bit of sightseeing before heading to a small amusement park as a precursor to a bigger one.

In a year where the presidential candidates are at their worst it was a little poignant to visit the site where one of the more popular ones met his premature end.

We pulled up on the road where the assassination occurred. A small plaque signifies the events of November 22nd 1963, and a couple of hawkers hang around here trying to sell newspaper mementos.

The locals were clearly really pleased to see us as they each honked their horns as they drove past...either that or we weren't supposed to stop on this road. This is the shot most don't take looking towards the grassy knoll.

There's the book depository in the background and the X on the ground indicates where the president was when shot.

A short drive from there and we were at City Hall which featured in one of the most popular 80's movies albeit it with a bit of CGI

It was the OCP headquarters building in the original Robocop. A quick stop to placate my inner cinema geek.

Squirrel!




This wonderful sculpture featuring some cowboys rustling some cattle wasn't in the plan but was right next to the OCP building in Pioneer Park.



Along Commerce Street under the freeway a group of artists had painted some of the support pillars. We drove past too quickly for me to get good photos but they're there.


Here's a couple of Google Street view images of the same place.

This part of the city is called Deep Ellum, and there's quite a good mixture of art here. The main reason for bringing the group here was not for the graffiti but for a 3-part sculpture called The Travelling Man.

The first part called The Awakening can be found on the corner of Elm & Latimer features a small part of the Travelling man emerging from the ground with a few twitter-like birds watching.


This second piece is called Waiting on the Train and features the Travelling man lounging in front of the Dallas skyline. This piece is wonderful and can be found just a little to the north of the last one.



The final piece and tallest by quite some way is called Walking Tall and features The Travelling Man striding out with the birds on his arm. 

It's a beautiful set of sculptures.

and this documentary explains some of what the artists were trying to do.

and that was a whistlestop tour of Deep Ellum but it was time to head up to the first park of the day which was due to open soon.

1 comment:

  1. The shot you describe as the grassy knoll in Dealy Plaza is the other side of the triple underpass. The actual grassy knoll appears in the next image. Just to the left of the "X" painted on the street.

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