2 GIRLS, 1 AMERICA

Total Mileage: 6034
License Plate Total: 48

Today was our full day in Dallas. We started off at the Dallas Zoo, the largest "zoological experience" in Texas. It wasn't as Texas-sized as I was expecting, its over twice the size of the Philadelphia Zoo and it's less than half the size of the Bronx Zoo, but it was still a really nice zoo. They had a giraffe feeding area and an albino alligator from the bayou. We walked around and saw the animals. In the Koala Walkabout area Cassie got to hold a lorikeet.

After the zoo we went back to the hotel to park the car and take the bus downtown to dealy Plaza. The sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository building has been turned into a museum (The Sixth Floor Museum) dedicated to John F. Kennedy's presidency, assassination, and his legacy. The museum features video clips and photographs starting from his marriage to Jackie O, his campaign, the 1963 visit to Texas, the assassination and investigation, ending with his funeral. There is a recreation of the "sniper's nest" at the southeast corner where Lee Harvey Oswald fired the shots and another recreation of where the rifle was discovered at the northwest corner. Unfortunately photography is not allowed in the museum so you should check out the photos of the exhibit on the website. After walking through the exhibit we went outside to Dealey Plaza on the grassy knoll where the famous Zapruder film was recorded and hundreds of citizens witnessed the tragedy. We then walked to theJFK Memorial Plaza and then to the Neiman Marcus Flagship store before heading back to the hotel to go out for some tex-mex food.

After dinner Cassie and I were craving some Texas donuts so we went on a search for a donut shop. All of the places we found were already closed so we went to the nearest grocery store and went on a snack buying spree in an attempt to satisfy the donut cravings but nothing compares to a Texas donut!

- Rachel