My office, the Texas School Book Depository, is a crime scene!

[mistercindy]

As some of you know, my office is on the fifth floor of the Dallas County Administration Building, which used to be called the Texas School Book Depository. That's the famous building from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. My office window actually overlooks Dealey Plaza.

The sixth floor is now a museum which, if you're in Dallas is well worth the visit. Last night somebody decided to steal the museum's safe. They hooked the safe up to a winch on the back of a pickup truck, but a security officer saw them, fired shots, and they wrecked their car. They ran off and as of now haven't been caught. One officer told me he thinks they ran to a nearby DART station and hopped a train.

To make it motorcycle relevant, when I got here at around 7:00, both entrances to the parking lot had cones blocking them. That may stop cars, but my 12GS can go between them! I had my ID on a lanyard around my neck, pulled it out of my coat so the sheriff's deputy could see it, and zipped on through! The woman behind me, in her car, wasn't allowed through! She offices next to me and when she got in she came to my office and said "You suck! I can't believe you got in!"

Anyway, here's an article from the Dallas Morning News. The wall you see is directly below my window. Strange way to start the day.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...e/stories/050510dnmetsixthfloor.1500a362.html

 

[greenwald]

As some of you know, my office is on the fifth floor of the Dallas County Administration Building, which used to be called the Texas School Book Depository. That's the famous building from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. My office window actually overlooks Dealey Plaza.

The sixth floor is now a museum which, if you're in Dallas is well worth the visit. Last night somebody decided to steal the museum's safe. They hooked the safe up to a winch on the back of a pickup truck, but a security officer saw them, fired shots, and they wrecked their car. They ran off and as of now haven't been caught. One officer told me he thinks they ran to a nearby DART station and hopped a train.

To make it motorcycle relevant, when I got here at around 7:00, both entrances to the parking lot had cones blocking them. That may stop cars, but my 12GS can go between them! I had my ID on a lanyard around my neck, pulled it out of my coat so the sheriff's deputy could see it, and zipped on through! The woman behind me, in her car, wasn't allowed through! She offices next to me and when she got in she came to my office and said "You suck! I can't believe you got in!"

Anyway, here's an article from the Dallas Morning News. The wall you see is directly below my window. Strange way to start the day.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon...e/stories/050510dnmetsixthfloor.1500a362.html

Never a dull moment in Dallas, huh?!

If we'd only known! My son and I toured Dallas last August on our motorcycles, and paid a visit to the Sixth Floor Museum, as well as took photos outside where the X's are painted. We would have stopped in and said hello.

Unique that you work in such an historical location.

 

[mistercindy]

Never a dull moment in Dallas, huh?!

If we'd only known! My son and I toured Dallas last August on our motorcycles, and paid a visit to the Sixth Floor Museum, as well as took photos outside where the X's are painted. We would have stopped in and said hello.

Unique that you work in such an historical location.

I think its a cool place to work. Its not unusual to hear protesters or prayer groups with bull horns outside. There are always lots of tour busses and school busses taking kids on field trips. Every November 22 the place is packed with people. And people like to stand in the street on the "X" and get their picture taken, not realizing how dangerous it is since traffic is accelerating to get on a highway ramp just down the road.

The best "X" story happened a few years ago when a group of people brought a huge display of flowers on a tripod. It stood around six feet high and was just as wide. Its the kind of thing you might see at a large and expensive funeral. They set the display on the "X" and started a little service. Then the light at Elm and Houston turned green and traffic came. I don't know what that group expected, but when they realized nobody was slowing down they scattered leaving the flower display on the "X." A big city bus happened to be in that lane and smashed the flowers at 40 MPH. The display virtually exploded in flower petals, and that group of people were left on the sidewalk starring in disbelief. I just know that the bus driver was grinning from ear to ear, and will tell that story forever!

The most sobering "X" story happened abour five or six years ago. Around 5:00 one morning some guy stood on the "X," put a gun to his head, and killed himself. My office was a crime scene that morning, too.

And, BTW, its not uncommon that I see motorcycles in the parking lot loaded with touring stuff and out of state plates. I don't know what day you came, but I normally commute on my bike so you're likely to have seen my 12GS in the parking lot next to the buiding. It was the red one, dirty, with OEM sidebags and an Aeroflow!

 

[greenwald]

I think its a cool place to work. Its not unusual to hear protesters or prayer groups with bull horns outside. There are always lots of tour busses and school busses taking kids on field trips. Every November 22 the place is packed with people. And people like to stand in the street on the "X" and get their picture taken, not realizing how dangerous it is since traffic is accelerating to get on a highway ramp just down the road.

The best "X" story happened a few years ago when a group of people brought a huge display of flowers on a tripod. It stood around six feet high and was just as wide. Its the kind of thing you might see at a large and expensive funeral. They set the display on the "X" and started a little service. Then the light at Elm and Houston turned green and traffic came. I don't know what that group expected, but when they realized nobody was slowing down they scattered leaving the flower display on the "X." A big city bus happened to be in that lane and smashed the flowers at 40 MPH. The display virtually exploded in flower petals, and that group of people were left on the sidewalk starring in disbelief. I just know that the bus driver was grinning from ear to ear, and will tell that story forever!

The most sobering "X" story happened abour five or six years ago. Around 5:00 one morning some guy stood on the "X," put a gun to his head, and killed himself. My office was a crime scene that morning, too.

And, BTW, its not uncommon that I see motorcycles in the parking lot loaded with touring stuff and out of state plates. I don't know what day you came, but I normally commute on my bike so you're likely to have seen my 12GS in the parking lot next to the buiding. It was the red one, dirty, with OEM sidebags and an Aeroflow!

Actually, we found street parking right in front of the statue of Dealey himself, so we left the bikes there, waded thru all the street vendors trying to sell us programs, and into the building for tickets and the elevator ride up. Impressive display of history - we spent several hours there, and then headed over to the Dallas Aquarium - fun there too. All part of a 10-day, 14-state motorcycle adventure that I wrote a lengthy story about, complete with many photos. Submitted it to Vince and Mandy for printing in a future Owners News - last I heard they were "thinking about it." Fingers crossed!